Regional Consultation on Costing Violence against Women and Girls in Siem Reap, Cambodia 23-24 January 2013

This week in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in partnership with the United Nations Secretary-General's UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign, hosted more than 40 researchers, government officials, donors, and UN colleagues from across Asia and the Pacific. Participants gathered to share knowledge, lessons learned, and discuss next steps in a key emerging area of research: costing violence against women and girls (VAW/G). VAW/G is a gross and pervasive violation of human rights, but also places a significant financial burden on women, their families, communities, and nations. Measuring the economic impact of VAW/G, and the cost of addressing it, is an important way of raising awareness of this rights abuse and leveraging the political will and resources necessary to prevent and eliminate it. 

At the consultation, UN Women was also proud to launch two key pieces of research undertaken in 2012 with the generous support of AusAID: a "Manual for Costing a Multidisciplinary Package of Response Services for Women and Girls Subjected to Violence," and "Estimating the Costs of Domestic Violence against Women in Viet Nam." Both reports are significant additions to a growing body of research and evidence in this emerging area, documenting not only the significant economic impact of VAW/G but also making the case for better implementation of laws and policies and investing in prevention.

 
Participants of the consultation gather for a group photo at the meeting's close.
Credit: UN Women/Anna Gollub

MoWA Secretary of State (H.E. Sy Define) and Cambodia researcher Pak Kimchoeun.
Credit: UN Women/Anna Gollub

UN Women and UNiTE launch new regional publications on VAW costing.
Credit: UN Women/Anna Gollub