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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank You !