Workshop on Strengthening National Capacities for Violence Against Women Statistics in Asia-Pacific

1. Workshop on Strengthening National Capacities to Collect Violence Against Women Statistics in the Asia Pacific Region20-21 September 2010, UNCC Bangkok

2. Workshop Objectives • To present an overview of global initiatives on statistical data and indicators of violence against women • To introduce a module developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) • To share experiences and lessons learned by Asia-Pacific countries • To encourage joint strategies and collaboration between national statistical offices and national women’s machineries • To introduce the planned regional web-portal on violence against women measurement.

3. Attendance • 24 stakeholders from 9 countries in the Asia-Pacific region - Bangladesh, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste • Two or three representatives from each country, coming from national women’s machineries, national statistics offices and civil society

4. Stakeholder Contribution • Country experiences with employing different forms of methodologies for VAW measurement - Bangladesh, Pakistan and Solomon Islands • Ethical and Safety Considerations - Viet Nam • Framework for National Statistical Cooperation Board - The Philippines

5. Programme • Definitions of violence against women • Challenges of measuring violence against women • Global initiatives and indicators • ECE developed survey module • Interregional web portal

6. Key issues raised/ discussed by participants • Definitional issues • Limitations of administrative data • Importance of gathering data via social surveys • Coordination within government systems • Budget sustainability /donor dependence • Communications with key stakeholders and public • Importance of addressing safety/ethical issues

7. Outcome Achieving workshop objectives • 100% - providing an overview of global initiatives on statistical data and indicators on VAW • 88% - strengthening awareness and understanding of methods of data collection • 71% - enabling meeting participants to understand how the ECE survey module could be used in own national context • 96% - encouraging stronger collaboration between stakeholders at national and regional level • 88% - enabling the organization to collect better data on VAW

8. Outcome Action priorities for follow-up • National coordination – technical, use of data, advocacy • Conceptual and technical issues - definitions; under reporting; duplication; absence of data in key areas • Need for regional and sub-regional wide cooperation/support in capacity development

9. Outcome Action priorities for follow-up • Need for strengthened mechanisms for sharing of information and good practices including through the development of knowledge communities and via the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) • Sustainable financing (issues of donor dependence; need to prioritize in national budgets) • Data for what? – data for social change, communication of findings to wider public

10. What’s ahead • Operationalize the Asia-Pacific regional web-portal • 6 month follow-up evaluation • Liaison with Bangladesh and China on testing the ECE developed module

11. Quote from VAW workshop • Reliable statistics are power • Data informs • Data justifies • Data motivates positive change Ethel Sigimanu, Permanent Secretary, Solomon Island Ministry of Women, Youth and Children

12. Thank You !