Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) including domestic violence, rape and other forms of sexual assault, sexual harassment, child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), trafficking in persons, sexual slavery and honor-based crimes are prevalent in the region.
Furthermore, gender norms centered around preserving family honor perpetuate impunity towards perpetrators of violence. This is manifested through discriminatory laws that provide inadequate protection of women, and even when such rights and protection are recognized in the law, their inconsistent enforcement or implementation reinforced by patriarchal norms that view women and girls in a subordinate role often impede access to justice, and obstruct women’s empowerment.
To support identifying the legal measures that prevent GBV and to encourage policy and institutional reforms that bring down structural barriers to women’s empowerment, UNDP worked together with UN Women, UNFPA in 18 countries in the Arab region, and the 3 agencies collaborated with ESCWA at regional level to produce a regional report on Gender Justice and the Law in the Arab Region: What will it take to achieve the SDGs?
Each country report highlights the main legal barriers preventing women’s access to justice and legal protection from GBV in the Arab States. Furthermore, country level findings are summarized in a 2 pager to highlight the deficits between national laws and international standards and the steps that will be needed to achieve many of the targets agreed upon in the Sustainable Development Goals.