A/HRC/23/49 59. The Special Rapporteur has also received information on how these social-work authorities sometimes facilitate family visits or even care of children by perpetrators, in cases in which no child abuse was reported. Thus, if a perpetrator is violent towards a woman, but not towards her children, he may still be deemed capable of caring for them and authorities will actually promote and facilitate continued contact between the perpetrator and the children. This practice has devastating consequences, as it minimizes not only the experiences of the battered victim, but also the negative consequences in respect of a child who may have been a witness to the abuse of the mother by the father. 60. In some countries these centres or social workers act as gatekeepers between victims and shelters, particularly NGO-run shelters which are funded by the State. Victims who reach out to the police or to shelters directly will usually need to be referred back to the social workers in order to be registered and approved for accommodation in a shelter. Onerous regulations of shelter access should not result in victims having to face unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy to access urgent and much needed services. While the monitoring and oversight of women’s shelters is important in order to ensure appropriate standards, the Special Rapporteur believes that civil society organizations should continue to operate women’s protection centres/shelters independently. The mix of publicly and privately run shelters is in the best interests of women, and is indeed an international best practice. 6. Data collection 61. Information on data and recording systems was provided in some instances, but with no detail on how information is used to track trends and patterns and how it shapes laws, policies and programmes. The lack of monitoring and evaluation systems, which would include data collection and indicators, among others, does make it difficult to assess effectiveness and also the impact of measures and interventions adopted. Even in countries with statistical agencies, the lack of analytical disaggregated data on violence against women is a major source of concern to this mandate and also to relevant treaty bodies. Coherence and sustainability in data collection is essential for the effective development and implementation of laws, policies and programmes. It is also essential to include both quantitative data, to measure prevalence and forms, and qualitative data, to assess the efficacy of measures. 7. Cooperation with civil society 62. State responses also reflect the important collaboration and partnerships between the State and civil society organizations, in particular relating to legal and counselling service provision and shelter services. The information provided does not reflect the reality that civil society organizations carry the burden and costs of providing services in many instances; that some States impose burdensome regulations in respect of funding applications and reporting; that bias and preference does play a role in decisions on funding to civil society organizations; and that funding cuts (linked to austerity measures) are having a huge impact on service provision. 63. Furthermore, the shift in focus to men and boys is having a negative impact on holistic service provision to women and children; and men’s programmes are in fact competing for funds with established and experienced organizations that provide specialized services for women and children. Also, many of these new men’s programmes have not been assessed and evaluated for effectiveness – especially with respect to victim safety and offender accountability. There are views that the recent development towards a shift in focus and funding is a further indicator of the perpetuation of male privilege within already existing patriarchal societies. 17