Safe consultations with survivors of violence against women and girls

Violence against women and girls is both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality. It can take many forms, including domestic violence; sexual violence (including sexual harassment or rape), femicide, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, child marriage, and online or ICT-facilitated violence. Violence affects women and girls throughout their lives, regardless of their income level or social status. Many women and girls who are subject to various forms of discrimination on the basis of age, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity/race/caste, disability, health status and national origin face a higher risk of violence. Violence against women and girls has numerous short- and long-term effects on survivors’ physical and mental health, well-being and safety. If left unaddressed, it has serious costs and consequences for poverty reduction and development, including hindering efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This guide provides information, including practical steps, safeguards and actions that women’s organisations, government agencies and coordination structures can take and include the voices of survivors of violence against women in systemic reform efforts, through consultations with survivors. Focus groups and individual interviews with survivors are often not conducted due to concerns that this practice could repeatedly traumatise survivors. At the same time, many who would like to engage with survivors are hesitant to do so because they are unsure of what questions would be appropriate and could be asked of survivors.

Source: UN Women, 2022

[popular_posts columns_xl=”4″ columns_l=”4″ columns_m=”3″]