Relevant sectors at the national level respond to violence against women through a coordinated response as follows:
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National level partners/sectors
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Role in a coordinated response to violence against women
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Social services
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- Introduce mandatory national pre-qualifying and in-service training on violence against women, including the ways it intersects with other social problems, such as poverty, homelessness, HIV/AIDS and substance misuse
- Develop national protocols for responding to women and girls at risk of/experiencing violence against women
- Develop safe and confidential inter-agency referral mechanisms and protocols
- Develop protocols for routine enquiry
- Ensure protocols do not hold women responsible for protection of children from abuse by others when the women are being abused
- Establish protocols and programmes that enable women to develop financial independence
- Provide specific services for girls who have been sexually abused
- Disaggregate documented cases of violence against women from regional/decentralised levels to compile more comprehensive service-level statistics (e.g. identify types and locations of violence and the response of different responders)
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Health
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- Introduce mandatory national pre-qualifying and in-service training for health care professionals on causes, dynamics and impacts of violence against women
- Develop national protocols for screening/routine enquiry on violence against women
- Develop national protocols for responding to immediate health needs of victims/survivors
- Build forensic evidence expertise and national protocols for performing forensic medical examinations, especially with respect to sexual violence
- Audit and develop forensic evidence services
- Disaggregate documented cases of violence against women from regional/decentralised levels to compile more comprehensive service-level statistics
- Develop safe and confidential inter-agency referral mechanisms
- Establish internal confidential data systems to monitor identification and responses
- Document and disseminate lessons learned and promising practices
For detailed guidance, see the Health sector module on this site.
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Justice
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- Introduce mandatory national pre-qualifying and in-service training on violence against women for prosecutors, judges, lawyers and other legal personnel
- Promote the message that violence against women is a crime
- Provide access to justice for women and girls who have experienced violence including civil protection orders
- Make a clear commitment to holding perpetrators accountable including appropriate sentencing and supervision of convicted offenders
- Develop protocols and processes that place safety, dignity and respect for victims/survivors at the heart of policy and practice
- Reform laws that discriminate against women and girls and/or fail to address violence against women effectively
- Conduct safe and confidential inter-agency referral mechanisms that ensure victims/survivors can access support services
- Gather, publish and monitor statistics on reporting trends and case outcomes
For detailed guidance see the Legislation and Justice modules on this site.
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Media
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- Introduce national pre-qualifying and in-service training on the realities of violence against women
- Support ongoing training of media professionals on responding to and reporting violence against women
- Develop codes of practice that show how to avoid perpetuating myths and stereotypes about violence against women
- Develop codes of conduct that protect the anonymity of victims/survivors
- Promote positive and empowering representations of women that challenge gender stereotypes and sexualisation of women and girls.
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National/federal government
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- Enact legislation that addresses all forms of violence against women
- Develop multi-sectoral national action plans to address violence against women covering prevention, protection and provision of services
- Fund appropriate interventions for victims/survivors and perpetrators, including NGOs and integrated models of service provision
- Facilitate and provide resources for coordination across sectors at national, sub-national and local government levels
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Security Sector (Police and Military)
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- Develop national protocols for how the police should respond to all forms of violence against women, including an emphasis on women’s safety and dignity
- Introduce mandatory training for all staff, including those in military service, on violence against women in peacetime and conflict
- Include violence against women in all gender equality work and in protocols for development aid
- Develop protocols that enable responses to cross-border violence against women (e.g., rape, forced/early marriage, FGM/C, trafficking)
- Embed awareness of violence against women in international conflict management and peacekeeping planning and operations
- Provide an effective first response to cases of violence against women among civilian populations by supplying information about local support options
- Document cases of violence against women
- Develop codes of conduct to prevent and sanction cases of violence against women by security services personnel covering both in-country and overseas postings
- Develop and enforce zero-tolerance violence against women policies
- Address sexual harassment and assault within the military
- Ensure that military police/law has the same standards of accountability as civilian laws
- Develop support services, or access via referral mechanisms, for women in the military and women partners of men who experience violence
- Undertake research on the prevalence of violence against women within the armed forces
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