A/HRC/41/3
E/CN.6/2019/7
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United
Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Programme, entitled
“Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities in Zimbabwe ”.
40. In a final evaluation by the Mental Disability Rights Initiative of Serbia, it was
found that a project it had initiated had been successful in promoting institutional and
policy changes for women with mental disabilities and that a total of 110 women had
increased their awareness of protection mechanisms as a result of their involvement
in project-related activities. Participants in the project had also contributed to the
national strategy on improving the position of persons with disabilities by 2020 and
the related action plan, which contain important references in line with relevant
international human rights treaties. The new project, for which a grant was awarded
in 2018, seeks to enhance and build on the work, focusing on the needs of women and
girls in custodial institutions, such as residential and psychiatric institutions,
community living or supported living arrangements. Through the dissemin ation of
knowledge and confidence-building activities, the project is aimed at ensuring that
women and girls with mental disabilities in Serbia receive greater support and feel
empowered to live their lives free of custodial violence. Intensive training co urses,
models and standards will also be offered to service providers in order to improve
services for women with disabilities, including survivors of custodial violence.
C.
Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women
41. Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women are another key group at risk whose
needs have historically been underserved and need to be addressed if the goal of
leaving no one behind is to be achieved. The trust fund invests in a number of projects
to improve the delivery of services and change harmful, discriminatory attitudes and
mindsets in order to prevent and end violence against lesbian, bisexual and
transgender women. In China, for example, the organization Equality, in collaboration
with its partners, used a small grant from the trust fund to implement a project to
empower female survivors of violence, focusing in particular on lesbian, bisexual and
transgender women; women and girls living with HIV/AIDS; and young women in
seven provinces and municipalities. In a final evaluation of the project, it was revealed
that dozens of women in these target groups had gained knowledge about domestic
violence and relevant legislation, as well as the skills needed to build a support
network of survivors. It also found the project had successfully l everaged a network
of civil society organizations to prevent domestic violence among the target groups.
42. In Malaysia, Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor, or Empower Malaysia,
was awarded a grant in 2018 to provide both cisgender and transgender women with
the language, tools, know-how and support to counter sexual and gender-based
violence. The project, implemented in six states, is aimed at defending and promoting
women to freedom of expression and to engage in decision-making in public and
political spaces. It employs a mixture of research, documentation, monitoring,
advocacy, capacity development, awareness-raising, networking, support and
institutional strengthening to highlight and address the way sexual and gender -based
violence are used to prevent women from participating in the public and political
spheres.
D.
Indigenous women and girls
43. Indigenous women and girls are among the world’s most underserved
populations and are, therefore, a priority for trust fund investment. Worldwide, these
women often experience high levels of violence, including femicide and
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