Sexual violence
Sexual violence is a serious public health and human rights problem with both short- and long-term consequences on women's physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health. Whether sexual violence occurs in the context of an intimate partnership, within the larger family or community structure, or during times of conflict, it is a deeply violating and painful experience for the survivor.
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Preventing intimate partner and sexual violence against women
Taking action and generating evidence, 2010, 94 pages -
Prevention of intimate partner violence and sexual violence
WHO scales up intimate partner violence and sexual violence prevention activities. -
Sexual violence (Chapter 6)
World report on violence and health, 2002.
Research
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WHO Multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence against women
WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence provided important data on prevalence of partner and non-partner sexual violence and of sexual abuse in childhood among women in 15 sites in 10 countries. -
Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative is a consortium, established by WHO and the Global Forum for Health Research, that aims to promote research on sexual violence and generate empirical data that ensures sexual violence is recognized as a priority public health problem. -
Rape: How women, the community and the health sector respond
2007, 127 pages -
The uses and impacts of medico-legal evidence in sexual assault cases: A global review
2007, 80 pages -
Researching violence against women: a practical guide for researchers and activists
2005, 257 pages
Sexual violence in conflict
In armed conflicts, the breakdown of social infrastructures, the disintegration of families and communities and the disruption of responses leave women and girls vulnerable to sexual and other forms of gender-based violence, including rape by combatants and intimate partners or acquaintances and, at times, sexual exploitation by humanitarian actors.
The sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated against women in conflict and humanitarian settings is increasingly being reported and documented. This human rights and peace and security problem has begun to be the focus of international attention, with efforts being made to prevent its occurrence, to respond to the survivors' needs and to address impunity for those responsible.
United Nations action against sexual violence in conflict
WHO is a member of UN Action. UN Action unites the work of 12 UN entities with the goal of ending sexual violence in conflict.
UN Action activities include:
- Country-level action: working within country teams and peacekeeping operations to build capacity at the country level.
- Advocating for action: raising public awareness and engendering political will to address sexual violence.
- Knowledge hub: creating knowledge and evidence to promote an effective response by the UN and its partners.
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Stop Rape Now
UN action against sexual violence in conflict -
World Health Organization
Guidelines and tools
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Clinical management of rape survivors in humanitarian settings
E-learning programme -
Clinical management of rape survivors
Developing protocols for use with refugees and internally displaced persons -
IASC guidelines for GBV interventions in humanitarian settings
Focusing on prevention of and response to sexual violence in emergencies - Guidelines for medico-legal care for victims of sexual violence
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WHO ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies
The ethical and safety guidelines (or recommendations) in this document are meant to complement existing internationally-agreed ethical guidelines for research and to inform ethics review processes. -
Reporting and interpreting data on sexual violence from conflict-affected countries
Dos and don’ts, UN action guidance note -
Rapporter et interpréter les données relatives à la violence sexuelle en provenance des pays où sévissent des conflits
Ce qu'il faut faire et ne pas faire, note d'orientation des Nations unies