3. Missing pieces of the gender-based violence (GBV) puzzle
This concluding chapter highlights critical issues related to gender-based violence (GBV) for future analysis, acknowledging the need to address GBV in a comprehensive manner to be effective and sustainable. These include technology-facilitated GBV, considering the needs of children, leveraging behavioural insights and public procurement processes to deliver better programmes and services, developing risk assessment frameworks for all types of GBV and closing research gaps.
Though many positive steps have been taken to address GBV, much work remains to be done. GBV rarely functions as an isolated or one-time-only incident. Most forms of GBV are part of an ongoing pattern of abuse. Governments should therefore address the phenomenon in a comprehensive and sustainable manner; it is important that all relevant public organisations, institutions, and services co-ordinate to eradicate GBV. However, barriers in communication and co-ordination between institutions and actors often hinder an effective approach.
Given the multifaceted challenges presented by GBV, adopting a whole-of-state, survivor/victim-centred approach to eradicate the phenomenon is essential. Such an approach incorporates society-wide strategies for preventing GBV, protecting and supporting survivors/victims, and holding perpetrators accountable. In this context, the GBV framework should clearly outline roles and responsibilities for actors and institutions across the government, and encourage capacity building. It should also encourage flexible and targeted government action plans and dedicated high-level political commitment. The framework would need to also establish robust accountability mechanisms that encourage risk assessment and management as well as independent oversight of institutions.
Effectively responding to GBV also requires addressing the persistent bottlenecks in justice pathways. Women and girls who survive violence are particularly in vulnerable situations when facing the justice system. They often face specific barriers in accessing justice, including financial costs, stigma, harassment, and re-victimisation throughout the process. Survivors/victims have multi-faceted legal and related needs that often fail to be addressed by fragmented and siloed justice systems. As such, the creation of survivor/victim-centred justice pathways, as well as the integration with services that remove barriers, is vital.
Moving forward and in line with the Public Governance Committee (PGC) Strategy for Gender Mainstreaming and Action Plan, the OECD will aim to deepen the analysis of holistic approaches to GBV, as well as to further identify existing country practices and institutions required to design and implement a whole-of-state framework for GBV, to create a culture of societal change and empowerment for survivors/victims, and to identify and close gaps in their systems and accountability mechanisms. As part of this, and in line with the GMG programme of work, the OECD will also conduct further analysis of GBV during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the full impact that COVID-19 has had on GBV as well as identifying good and promising practices and lessons learned from OECD Member and partner countries will be critical to the OECD’s efforts to support the development of comprehensive frameworks for GBV that are effective and responsive in all contexts, including crises.
Intersectional Research Gaps: There are significant gaps in research into violence perpetuated in same-sex relationships and against trans women and girls, women and girls with disabilities, and women and girls living in rural settings.
New Technology and Technology-facilitated Violence: developing legislation criminalising new forms of technology-facilitated violence, particularly forms that are gendered (e.g. the non-consensual sharing of sexual images) is often slow, which in turn creates a gap in response to key and emerging forms of violence that disproportionately impact women and girls.
Children and Adolescents: Given the fact that children and adolescents can be both survivors/victims and witnesses of GBV, there is a strong need to ensure public policies, programmes and services are designed with their needs and situations in mind. Failure to do so can result in children and adolescents receiving inadequate support or protection, or none at all.
Access to Justice and Accountability in Militaries: Often, countries’ militaries have independent justice systems that operate differently from civilian systems. With respect to GBV, this creates additional and unique challenges for ensuring access to justice for survivors/victims and for holding perpetrators accountable. However, to date, limited comparative country analysis appears to have been conducted on military justice systems’ handing of GBV.
Behavioural Insights (BI): While BI has been increasingly applied to improve public policies and services, it has been limited with regards to GBV. However, behavioural change is key to improving services for survivors/victims as well as preventing people, especially men and boys, from becoming perpetrators. Thus, more consideration is needed on how to use BI in combatting GBV.
Pandemics and Epidemics: The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how public health and safety measures, especially confinement measures, can have serious unintended consequences with regards to GBV. With future pandemics and epidemics likely to occur, further analysis is needed on how governments can better prevent and respond to GBV within these contexts.
Risk Assessment and Management: In recent years, some governments have taken efforts to build risk assessment and management frameworks for domestic or family violence. However, this practice remains limited in scope (e.g. number of governments) and scale (e.g. types of GBV).
Public Procurement and Specialised Services: NGOs are often the primary providers of specialised services for GBV, with governments awarding them contracts to carry out their work. An important link, therefore, exists between public procurement and specialised services. However, limited consideration has been given to the effects of public procurement approaches on the availability and effectiveness of specialised services.