A/HRC/16/44 sexual violence and harassment. During the 2004-2009 period, the mandate sent 26 communications regarding cases of rape, threatened rape, or other forms of sexual violence and harassment against women defenders. However, of these, six communications concerned abuses of this kind against LGBT activists. 87. In 2005, the mandate sent a communication regarding the systematic use of sexual and other forms of violence against women defenders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Aside from this, two other cases of threatened and attempted rape were reported from the DRC, along with one attempted rape of a women defender’s daughter in the Central African Republic, and the threatened rape of an LGBT activist in Kenya. Sexual assaults, including instances of gang rape in detention of LGBT activists, were also reported in Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, India, and Nepal. The alleged perpetrators of these acts were mostly unknown/ unidentified but also included members of the police, military, armed groups, or local members of the community. 88. In certain cultural and social contexts, issues relating to rape and sexual abuse of women remain taboo. Women working on such issues, including victims thereof seeking redress, organizations representing victims or granting them shelter, and organizations working with sex workers, among others, often face a hostile response from both society and State as a result of their work. In this connection, 19 communications were sent regarding defenders working on issues related to sexual abuse, rape, and prostitution. Of these, six detailed alleged violations against rape victims seeking redress or publicizing the issue, or their lawyers and two being sent to Pakistan, while others were sent to India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Guatemala. The alleged violations in these cases included an arrest, threats, harassment, and a travel ban. D. Protection mechanisms and security strategies 89. This section summarizes the information provided by the different stakeholders regarding the existing protection mechanisms in place and their responsiveness to the specific needs of women defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues as well as the strategies that they use to keep themselves safe. This information was provided through the responses to the questionnaire sent by the Special Rapporteur to States and other stakeholders. 1. National protection mechanisms 90. In general, responses received indicate that in the vast majority of cases there are no specific mechanisms in place to protect women defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues or, where they do exist, they are often hampered by a lack of implementation, political will or gender-sensitivity. 91. References were often made to general legislative frameworks, special programmes and databases designed for the protection of women in general against violence and discrimination. References were also made to programmes for the protection of victims and witnesses in order to address the situation of women defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues. While this is appreciated, the Special Rapporteur considers that it is not sufficient to effectively address the particular challenges and needs of this group. 92. More specifically, existing protection measures and mechanisms are often limited and lack a gender-specific approach. In the Americas region, it has been reported that one of the most restricting factors affecting the efficiency of the current protection mechanisms is that they do not recognize non-State actors as part of the group of perpetrators of 17