Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

Project objective

Selected SADC Member States reform criminal justice systems in accordance with UN, international and regional human and women rights standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice and internationally recognised good practices, including the SADC Gender Protocol.

The joint SADC – UNODC regional programme on Making the SADC Region Safer from Drugs and Crime is the main vehicle to realise this common objective. The contribution 2013 - 2019 will support the implementation of the UNODC / SADC Regional Programme with a primary focus on activities related to violence against women and children (GBV).

Expected results

• The response of criminal justice institutions on GBV is strengthened and the capacity in conducting effective investigation and prosecution of GBV is enhanced.

• The rights of victims of GBV are protected and secured through appropriate interagency referral system, legal aid and support (accessible, efficient and accountable).

Target group/Beneficiaries/Partners/Location

The target groups are the national authorities responsible for prevention and countering violence against GBV the final beneficiaries are victims of violence and population at large:

- In Lesotho 40 attendees from all the national ministries and parliamentarians who will advocate and support the passing of the Domestic Violence Act

- In Namibia it can be estimated that services will be enhanced to approximately 1200 GBV victims per annum upon the refurbishment of the One Stop Centre

- Trainer the Training workshops on Trial Advocacy and Court Support services to victims will be extended to approximately 70 trainees (35 prosecutors and 35 counsellors) to improve the management of GBV cases presented at judicial level.

UNODC has a strategic partnership with the SADC Secretariat in facilitating the implementation of the joint regional programme. The activities are closely coordinated with the SADC Gender Unit, the Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation, as well as with relevant ministries in the selected SADC Member States, e.g. the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, NAMPOL and National Prosecution Authorities in Namibia or the Ministry of Gender in Lesotho. As part of the UN UNODC works with all relevant UN sister agencies, including with UNICEF in Namibia. Special partnership is pursued with specialized CSOs, e.g. Lifeline/Childline Namibia.

Activities

Since the police do not work in isolation, the system needs to be strengthened through an efficient policy framework, strategies and coordination mechanisms in which prosecutors, medical, legal and social service interventions and CSOs are involved:

• Training of police officers, prosecutors and judges on fundamental policing procedures related to GBV

• Providing legal assistance, where necessary, in order to enact and/or revise national legislation in the area of GBV and the protection of their rights

• Building institutional capacity within the relevant ministries in order to facilitate the creation of appropriate policies and plans for the support, protection and empowerment of victims of GBV as well as for trauma counselling and management

• Enhancing coordination / cooperation between government departments and CSOs to harmonise services for victims of GBV

• Situational assessment of all SADC Member States in relation to criminal justice processes as basis of the implementation of the SADC Regional Strategy on Combatting Gender-Based Violence in the forthcoming years.

Context

Over the past decade, SADC Member States have increasingly responded to the need to improve effective law enforcement responses to GBV. The August 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development requires Member States to review and reform criminal laws and procedures applicable to cases of sexual offences and GBV by 2015. Since the problem of domestic violence, particularly violence against women and children, is high on the SADC agenda, assistance will be provided through guidance, based on experiences gained and good practices developed in the region.

It is considered that the best path to ensure the alignment of national policy and legislative frameworks with regional and international standards is through the promotion of an integrated approach for the effective investigation and prosecution of cases involving GBV. This approach is advocated by the United Nations Model on Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, negotiated under the auspices of UNODC and adopted by the UN General Assembly.

UNODC supported the SADC Secretariat in the elaboration of a Regional Strategy on Combatting Gender-Based Violence (GBV Strategy) in line with the UN Essential Services Package for Victims of Violence Against Women. The GBV Strategy was signed off by the relevant Ministers in July 2018.