Indicators on violence against women: A human rights perspective

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Laure-Anne Courdesse [email protected]

; [email protected]

5/1/2020 UNECE, Conference of European Statisticians, Group of experts on

Uniting Nations by Learning Together

Gender Statistics

 Using a human rights lense: Rationale and basis for indicators  Framework for human rights indicators  Proposals by the SR on VAW  Main approaches: Differences? Debates?

I. Rationale and basis for indicators

Uniting Nations by Learning Together

Rationale

•

Instrumental reasons :

Key link between policy and statistics: policy tool to devise strategies / set priorities based on accurate data •

State obligation

to monitor human rights violations and progress to fulfill rights.

→ Monitoring of scope of VAW and State action (often overlooked): Framework for human rights indicators proposes three key components (structural/process/outcomes)

Guiding principles for developing indicators

•

Non-discrimination

: - Disaggregation of data for any type of HR indicator (age; race; disability, etc.) - Data gathering

also

on forms affecting relatively few women or those that are marginalised •

International standards and commentaries by human rights treaty bodies/UN

: UN Declaration on the Elimination of violence Against Women, CEDAW, ICC Statute, Inter-American Convention on VAW, etc.

Definition of VAW as basis

• “any act of article 1)

gender-based

violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or private life” (UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, •

Sites of VAW

: Family; Community; State; Transnational Sphere → who are the perpetrators of violence?

All

forms of violence against women as recognized internationally should be addressed (and thus measured)

OHCHR Framework for indicators

Structural indicators (commitments)

• reflect ratification / adoption of legal instruments and existence of basic institutional mechanisms deemed necessary for facilitating realisation of concerned right

Process indicators (efforts)

• relate the state policy instruments with milestones (which cumulate into outcomes), hence capture accountability as well as the notion of progressive realisation

Outcome indicators (results)

• capture attainments, individual and collective, that reflect the status of realisation of the human rights in given context

OHCHR framework – right to health example

Structural indicators Process indicators Reproductive health Child mortality and health care Natural and occupational environment Prevention, treatment and control of diseases Accessibility to health facilities and essential medicines

-

International human rights treaties, relevant to the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, ratified by the State

-

Estimated proportion of births and deaths recorded through vital registration system

-

Timeframe and coverage of national policy on health (…) Prop. of births attended by skilled health personnel (…) Prop. of one year-olds immunized against vaccine preventable diseases (e.g. measles) (…) Prop. of population with access to improved sanitation (…)

-

Prop. of population covered under awareness raising programmes on transmission of diseases (e.g. HIV/AIDS) (…) Prop. of population covered by health insurance (…) Outcome indicators

-

Maternal mortality ratio

-

Under-five mortality rate Incidence of deaths, injury and diseases caused by unsafe natural and occupational environment Incidence of death associated with and prevalence of communicable and non communicable diseases Prop. of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis (…)

Proposals by the SR on VAW

• A/HRC/7/6, March 2008 • Commission on Human Rights Resolution 2004/46: “to recommend proposals for indicators in violence against women and on measures taken by, inter alia, Member States, to eliminate violence against women.” • GA Resolution 61/143 (2006): requests UN Statistical Commission to propose, “building on the work of the Special Rapporteur, possible indicators to assess the scope, prevalence and incidence of VAW.”

Indicators on VAW (outcomes)

•

« Grave violence »

:

proportion of female population who have experienced grave violence in the past 12 months; proportion of female population who have ever experienced grave violence

(a) Any incidence of rape/serious sexual assault/coercion in childhood or adulthood , FGM , child /forced marriage , trafficking, sexual exploitation (b) IPV , stalking, sexual harassment when serious and/or frequent •

Inclusive definition

sexual assault, FGM) of grave violence to redress unbalanced knowledge base (IPV, •

Layered compliance

(IPV, rape and sexual assault, FGM), taking into account resources / capacities of States – realization of human rights over time.

•

Femicide

femicide

–

The trend in female deaths due to

Gravest form of VAW but not captured by prevalence surveys e.g. murder by intimate partner, killings of sex workers; killings in the name of honor; female infanticide, dowry-related deaths •

Social tolerance

tolerance of VAW

– evidence of decreasing

State response: Structural/Institutional indicators

Indicators developed within following components: • ratification of CEDAW • ratification of relevant regional conventions • recognition of non-discrimination/gender equality • PoA on VAW • criminalization of all forms of VAW

State response: Process indicators

•

Access to justice and reporting

:

increased reporting rates; decreased attrition rates for prosecution and conviction (based on admin. data)

•

Victim protection

:

increase in the index of support services

•

Prevention

:

awareness raising campaign; violence prevention in school curriculum

•

Training

:

increased capacity of professionals to respond to VAW

IV. Differences? Debates?

•

Same message to countries

– data collection on VAW a must •

Focus on State response

measuring the violence – a in addition to complementary approach. How and by which bodies should State response be measured?

•

Similar forms of VAW to start with -

physical violence, sexual violence, and FGM and/or IPV •

Call to expand list to other forms of violence

E.g. femicide, sexual harassment; violence against girls; forced marriage; violence by family members; trafficking; violence against migrant women or other vulnerable groups, etc.

•

Definitions issue:

e.g. rape

•

Practicality

(selected list of indicators)

vs. government obligation and reality of violence:

Key methodological challenges?

Data-generating mechanisms? Stat. Surveys; administrative records; but also ‘events-based’ data on human rights violations (NGOs; UN/SG/Special Rapporteurs’ studies/reports; opinion surveys