1. Overview of the Essential Services Package: Common Principles and Characteristics
needs to include explanations and examples from the various principles and characteristics of ESP, rather than reviewing the ESP guide itself, as in this version.
Please explain each principle or characteristic in slides 7 and 8 with its own slide, unless you can fit two in one in some places. If you need formatting help, Young may be able to assist.
Regional Workshop on Combating Violence Against Women in the Arab Region
Beirut, September 2018

2. Why we need quality essential services
The global prevalence of violence is high

3. Why we need quality essential services
VAWG is a human rights violation and has serious consequences

4. Why we need quality essential services
We know that most women don’t receive the help they need
On average only 4 in 10 women exposed to violence sought any help. Only 6% sought help from authorities, such as police, lawyers, religious leaders, or health professionals.

5. Why we need quality essential services
To assist in removing the structural and socio- economic barriers that prevent women seeking support and assistance

6. What does the UN Joint Programme do?
Is a multi-year programme of work ( )
Seeks to fill the gap between the agreements made at an international level for responding to VAWG, which stress need for access to quality essential services, and work done at the country level
Provides evidence-based technical assistance, methodologies and policy guidance to assist implementation at the country-level
Focuses on low to middle income countries, but has universal applicability

7. Phase 1 Joint Programme (2013-2017)
Consensus on essential VAWG services and their core elements:
4 regional consultation meetings held on health, policing and justice, social services, and coordination
Global experts from range of countries joined each, to define essential services
Developed quality guidelines for provision of:
Health services
Police and Justice services
Social support services; and
Coordination and governance of services

8. Phase 2 Joint Programme (2017-2019)
Focuses on supporting 10 ‘pilot countries’ to adapt and test the guidelines and accompanying tools
UN Women-coordinated countries UNFPA-coordinated countries
Viet Nam Tunisia
Cambodia Mozambique
Solomon Islands Peru
Kiribati Guatemala
Pakistan Egypt
+ Self Starters

9. Phase 2 Joint Programme (2017-2019)
Supporting countries by identifying gaps for strengthening their capacity for service delivery
Seed funding provided for two years; further resource mobilization needed at HQ and local levels for continuation
Technical support from HQ/regional levels, as well as national/international consultants as appropriate from seed/donor funding
Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of ‘pilot’ sites, e.g., country visits

10. Phase 2 Joint Programme (2017-2019)
JP is not intended to replace other programmes addressing VAWG by the individual agencies participating in this initiative
e.g., WHO Plan of Action on Strengthening the Role of Health Systems in Addressing VAWG (2016)
Upon completion of Phase 2, the JP will aim at reaching international consensus on an agreed package of essential services for women and girls survivors of violence

11. Framework for Essential Services Package
Principles
Common Characteristics
Services
Foundational elements

12. Essential Services Package: Overall framework diagram
Principles
A rights-based approach
Victim/Survivor centered approach
Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment
Safety is ‘paramount’
Culturally and age appropriate and sensitive
Ensure perpetrator accountability

13. Principles: Human rights-based approach
Recognizes that States have a primary responsibility to fulfil the rights of women and girls experiencing violence;
States must exercise due diligence in prevention, protection, prosecution, punishment and provision when it comes to VAW.
VAWG is a violence of human rights
A HRBA calls for services that prioritize the safety and well-being of women and girls;
It calls for the highest possible standards of service delivery

14. Principles: What is a Survivor-/Victim centred approach ?
Survivor-/Victim centered approach involves designing and developing programming that ensures survivors’ rights and needs are first and foremost.
Victim/Survivors’ Rights:
Negative Impact on Victim/Survivor:
The survivor-centred approach:
Based on a set of principles and skills designed to guide
professionals—regardless of their role—in their engagement with persons who have experienced
sexual violence or other forms of GBV.
Aims to create a supportive environment in which a survivor’s rights are respected and in which s/he is treated with dignity
and respect.
Promote a survivor’s recovery and his/her ability to identify and express needs and wishes, as well as to reinforce his/her capacity to make decisions about possible interventions.
References:

15. Principles: Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment
Gender inequality and discrimination recognized as root causes and consequences of VAW, therefore gender sensitive and responsive policies and practices must be in place;
Services must promote women’s agency where women and girls are entitled to make their own decisions, including decisions that result in their not accessing essential services.

16. Principles: Safety is Paramount
The safety of women and girls is paramount when delivering quality services. ES must prioritize the safety and security of service users and avoid causing further harm

17. Principles: Culturally and age appropriate and sensitive
ES must respond to the individual circumstances;
ES must respond to women and girls who face multiple forms of discrimination.

18. Principles: Perpetrator accountability
Requires ES to hold perpetrators accountable.
ES need to support the survivor’s participation with the justice process while ensuring that the burden of seeking justice is not placed on her, but on the State.

19. Essential Services Package: Overall framework diagram
II. Common characteristics:
Availability
Adaptability
Prioritize safety
Data collection and information management
Accessibility
Appropriateness
Informed consent and confidentiality
Effective communication
Linking with other sectors and agencies through referral and coordination

20. Availability
ES must be available in sufficient quantity and quality, regardless of residence, marital status, ethnicity, language, etc...
Guidelines in a nutshell:
Service delivery designed in a way that guarantee access to comprehensive services without discrimination, in the whole territory of the state;
Services should reach all populations;
Service delivery should provide continuity of care over life cycle;
Innovative service delivery should be considered to improve access and delivery.

21. Accessibility
ES must be accessible to all women – physically, economically and linguistically.
Guidelines in a nutshell:
ES should be affordable;
ES should consider language needs;
ES should be accessible, also for persons with disabilities;
ES delivery procedures and info about ES should be available in multiple formats and user-friendly *also for illiterate segments of the population!

22. Adaptability
ES must recognize the different impacts of VAW on different groups and communities. ES needs to respond in ways that integrate human rights and cultural sensitivity.
Appropriate ES are delivered in a way that is agreeable to the survivor, e.g. respects her dignity, guarantees confidentiality and minimizes secondary victimization.
Guidelines in a nutshell:
ES should respond to the individual circumstances and needs of each survivor;
Options of ES that best meet individual circumstances should be in place.

23. Appropriateness
Appropriate ES are delivered in a way that is agreeable to the survivor, e.g. respects her dignity, guarantees confidentiality and minimizes secondary victimization.
Guidelines in a nutshell:
Reduce secondary victimization, by: minimizing # of times incident has to be described; # of people survivor has to deal with; and ensuring trained personnel is available.
Survivors informed of all their options;
Survivors are empowered to ask for help;
Survivors’ decisions are respected after ensuring she fully understands all available options;
ES should be delivered in a way that responds to the survivors’ needs and concerns without infringing on her autonomy.

24. Prioritize Safety
Women and girls face many risks to their immediate and ongoing safety. Risk assessment and management can reduce the risks.
Guidelines in a nutshell:
Services use risk assessment and management tools specifically developed for responding to VAW;
Services regularly assess the individual risks for each woman and girl;
Services use a wide range of risk management options;
Service providers should ensure that women and girls receive an individualized safety plan;
Services must work together and coordinate among them about risk assessment- and management approaches.

25. Informed consent and confidentiality
All ES must be delivered in a away that protects the survivors’ privacy and discloses information only with her informed consent. Sharing information inappropriately can have serious consequences.
Guidelines in a nutshell:
Services have a code of ethics for the exchange of information;
Service providers working directly with women and girls are informed about, and comply with, the code of ethic;
Info relation to individual women and girls is treated with confidentiality and stored securely.

26. Effective communication and participatory design, implementation and assessment of ES
Information/communication should be used in an empowering way
Guidelines in a nutshell:
Communication must be non judgmental, empathetic and supportive;
Service provider should have listening skills and validation skills;
Service providers must be able to offer counselling and guidance that help a survivor reach her own decisions.

27. Data collection and information management
Consistent and accurate collection of data is important.
Guidelines in a nutshell:
Ensure there is a secure system for the collection, recording and storing of data;
All info on individual women and girls should be stored safely;
Support staff to understand and use data collection systems;
Ensure data is only shared according to agreed protocols between organizations;
Promote the analysis of data collection to understand prevalence of VAW and other important trends.

28. Coordination
Linking with other sectors and agencies through coordination, such as referral pathways, is important. These pathways must incorporate standards for informed consent. Protocols between parties need to be in place.
Guidelines in a nutshell:
Procedures between services need to be consistent, known, and communicated;
Services need to have mechanisms for coordinating and monitoring the effectiveness of referral processes;
Services refer to child-specific needs as required and appropriate.

29. Essential Services Package: Overall framework diagram
Foundational elements which must be in place to support the delivery of each essential services - Comprehensive legislation and legal frameworks - Governance, oversight and accountability - Resources and Financing - Training and Workforce Development - Monitoring and Evaluation - Gender-sensitive policies and practices

30. Essential Services Package: Overall framework diagram

31. Additional Tools
Implementation Guide (Module 6 ES Package) with sector-specific checklists
Explains enabling environment to support implementation
i.e. what needs to be in place
Explains the implementation process
i.e. the ‘how to’

32. Additional Tools E-Learning course on
Essential Services Package Modules
See: