A/HRC/17/23 partners, such as civil society, is an issue whose importance was noted in many responses. The programmes and initiatives reported were varied, and often presented a combination of different tools and strategies, which renders a precise categorization of practices difficult. 61. Some main challenges were also highlighted in the responses, whether directly raised as such by the respondents or stemming from an analysis of the replies. First, there seems to be a lack of understanding on the definition and scope of prevention of violence against women. In his in-depth study, the Secretary-General explained that “prevention efforts fall into three categories: primary – stopping violence before it occurs; secondary – an immediate response after violence has occurred to limit its extent and consequences; and tertiary – longer-term care and support for those who have suffered violence,”11 yet the strategies presented by the respondents do not distinguish between prevention categories.12 WHO recently argued that because the prevalence of violence against women is so high, no State has the resources to provide services to so many victims, and thus the major focus should be on primary prevention – preventing violence from happening in the first place.13 Even if it is not always possible to make a clear distinction between the three levels of prevention, considering them before shaping legislation, policies and other strategic programmes to prevent violence against women should improve both the effectiveness and adequacy of these actions. 62. The second main challenge which appears clearly in the analysis of the responses is the lack of monitoring and evaluation of measures taken. Not all respondents mentioned how the practices they referred to had been evaluated and their impact assessed. Of those who did, not all explained what standards or measures were used to assess impact and change. Also, the majority of the initiatives referred to are fairly recent, therefore not allowing for long-term and/or regular assessments to have taken place. Furthermore, many of the specialized projects detailed are limited short-term projects, whose impact in the longer term might not be sustainable. Evaluation and monitoring of practices should constitute the cornerstone of every legislative, policy and operational measure undertaken. 63. The challenge of evaluating practices is further linked to two corollary issues, namely the lack of reliable information and data on violence against women, and the lack of sustained funding for supporting practices aimed at implementing the practices. 64. The Secretary-General stated: “Despite the progress in recent years, however, there is still an urgent need to strengthen the knowledge base on all forms of violence against women to inform policy and strategy development. Many countries still lack reliable data and much of the existing information cannot be meaningfully compared.”14 While some respondents mentioned their recent efforts to address this lack of information, they also affirmed that they were aware of the difficulties and challenges they faced in obtaining reliable data and putting in place comprehensive information systems. The need for disaggregated data was also highlighted by several respondents, who noted, inter alia, that information was lacking on women facing multiple forms of discrimination, such as disabled women, widows and female domestic workers. The European Union, for instance, recognized that the lack of timely, reliable, accurate and comparable data both at the national and European Union levels limited the understanding of the real extent of such 11 12 13 14 16 A/61/122/Add.1 and Corr.1, para. 336. For the definition of prevention with examples see also Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, “Preventing violence before it occurs: a framework and background paper to guide the primary prevention of violence against women in Victoria” (December 2007). A notable exception is the submission of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. World Health Organization, Preventing (note 10 above), pp. 34-35. A/61/122/Add.1 and Corr.1, para. 184.