SUVA (Pacnews) — Gender-based violence is the focus of the second title in the Commonwealth Secretariat’s new series of manuals on gender mainstreaming in critical development areas. The first was “Gender Mainstreaming in HIV/AIDS: Taking a Multisectoral Approach.”
Gender mainstreaming is a strategy to address inequalities between women and men across all sectors by promoting gender-sensitive government policies and programs.
The Commonwealth approach to gender mainstreaming is the Gender Management System—a holistic, system-wide approach to bringing a gender perspective to bear in the mainstream of all government policies, plans and programs.
“Gender-based violence occurs all the time in all societies,” said Nancy Spence, director of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Social Transformation Programs Division. “It takes various forms which involve physical, emotional, psychological and sexual abuse, including economic deprivation. Armed conflict, cross-country trafficking of women, low levels of literacy, limited members of women in decision-making positions and processes, and discriminatory customary practices make women even more vulnerable.”
The new manual encourages the development and implementation of comprehensive and coherent policies, programs and national plans of action on gender-based violence.
The book addresses the problems inherent in the current strategies, especially the lack of collaboration between different agencies and individuals working in the area of gender-based violence. It provides easy-to-read instructional material and case studies for training managers, middle-level professionals and development workers.
