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Transforming social norms to prevent violence against women

 4 March 2013

15h00-16h15

Conference Room B, United Nations North Lawn Building, New York

 

RECENTLY RELEASED!

Issues Paper "Transforming social institutions to prevent violence against women and girls and improve development outcomes" (OECD Development Centre, March 2013)

Synthesis of the Wikigender online discussion (4-13 February 2013)

 

This event on the topic of social institutions and the prevention of violence against women and girls was co-hosted by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the South African Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities (DWCPD) and the OECD Development Centre.

This side-event tackled the topic of social norms and violence against women and girls. The panel debated how to measure discriminatory social institutions and successful approaches to transform social norms to prevent violence against women and girls.

The objectives of this event were:

• to present the data and analysis from 2012 SIGI with a focus on violence against women and girls;
• to present findings of the Wikigender online discussion on “Transforming social norms to prevent violence against women and girls”;
• to generate a discussion amongst key stakeholders on the importance of measuring and monitoring discriminatory social institutions and their influence on gender equality and development outcomes and successful policy interventions to transform discriminatory social institutions.

Background

This panel explored the relationship between social norms and violence against women. Starting with perspectives from Finland and South Africa, the OECD Development Centre presented the 2012 Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) which provides comparable cross country data on several dimensions of violence against women (VAW): early and forced marriage; laws addressing sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence; attitudes towards domestic violence; the prevalence of domestic violence; female genital mutilation; and missing women.

How can social norms be transformed? Wikigender is a web 2.0 platform attracting over 40,000 unique users a month from around the globe. In partnership with Breakthrough, End Violence Against Women (EVAW UK), the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Partners for Prevention (P4P) et Womankind Worldwide Wikigender has hosted a rich and dynamic online dialogue (from 4-13February 2013) where participants from around the world shared their experiences on how to foster social norms in support of gender equality and non-violence. The findings from this online discussion were discussed, with a particular focus on the work of Breakthrough.

Programme

Download the invitation with the programme (PDF)

Chair

Jorma Paukku, Ambassador (Gender and Equality) Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

 

Opening remarks

Minister Paavo Arhinmäki, Minister of Culture and Sport, Finland

Minister Lulu Xingwana, Minister for Women, Children, and People with Disabilities, Republic of South Africa

Minister Lynne Featherstone, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Department for International Development, UK

 

Evidence from the Social Institutions and Gender Index on violence against women

Somali Cerise, OECD Development Centre

See our Issues Paper on "Transforming social institutions to prevent violence against women and girls and improve development outcomes" (OECD Development Centre, March 2013)

 

Wikigender online discussion on “Transforming social norms to prevent violence against women and girls”

Angela Hariche, OECD Development Centre

See the synthesis of the Wikigender online discussion (4-13 February 2013)

 

Effective approaches to transform discriminatory social institutions related to violence against women

Mallika Dutt, Founder, President & CEO of Breakthrough

Bernice Sam, National Programme Co-ordinator, Women in Law and Development in Africa

Questions and discussions

 

Concluding remarks

Finland/South Africa/OECD