A/HRC/29/3
E/CN.6/2015/6
Calandria (Calandria Social Communicators’ Association). The training
implemented an intercultural and participatory programme involving
Afro-descendant, Indigenous and Andean adolescent boys and girls. The project’s
greatest impact was in enhancing participants’ self-esteem, self-confidence and
communication skills. Trainees created a network and established a “gender agenda”
with specific proposals to prevent violence against adolescent girls in their
communities. In all three locations where the programme was implemented,
networks of young people were formed. This strengthened their ability not only to
make their voices heard, but also to have their views acted upon by l ocal
policymakers. Families reported that adolescent girls shared their new knowledge
within the household and that the impact of the project positively influenced family
dynamics. Among the most notable changes was girls’ greater ability to plan and
build a future for themselves in which marriage and motherhood were contemplated
at a later age and the value of personal and/or professional development and
contributing to the community was more highly regarded.
19. The Trust Fund-supported project implemented by the European Centre for
Minority Issues Kosovo focuses on reducing the risk of domestic violence and early
and forced marriage faced by women and girls from minority communities. The
project primarily targets women and girls from Serb, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian
communities, but beneficiaries also include community-based groups, educational
professionals, as well as boys and men.
20. The initial phase of the project, the first of its kind in Kosovo (under Security
Council resolution 1244 (1999)), is focusing on training activists from the targeted
communities to act as community-based paralegals. After receiving training,
paralegals have conducted 250 home visits and begun a programme of reaching out
to more women through quarterly meetings in each municipality. In particular, the
paralegals are active in raising awareness about women’s rights and providing legal
advice on issues related to divorce, child custody, adoption rights, property rights
and social, medical and food assistance. In addition to gaining increased trust within
communities, paralegals are also establishing synergies with other relevant
stakeholders, including community police officers and representatives from the
Centres for Social Welfare, which helped to facilitate the referral of
victims/survivors.
Implementing laws and policies to respond to violence against women and girls
21. States have progressively put into place laws and policies to prevent and
respond to violence against women. However, implementation in many countries
remains slow. Implementation efforts that have had most success are those involving
multisectoral strategies that include partnerships between Governments and civil
society organizations; effective prevention systems and support services for
survivors; adequate budgets; extensive data collection and analysis; specific
timelines and targets; and strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms (see
A/69/222, para. 22). These elements are, therefore, critical in identif ying initiatives
that are likely to have greatest impact.
22. An effective holistic response strategy should not only criminalize violence
against women and girls, but it must also provide preventative measures and support
for survivors so that they can access justice (ibid., para. 10). The Trust Fund
supports programmes that work to establish or to strengthen coordinated
6/13
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