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United Nations Research Institute Releases Report on Development and VAW
Monday, May 1, 2006 10:10 AM
The United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women has released a report by Belen Sobrino entitled, "Responding to Violence Against Women: How development policies address the issue of gender-based violence." The report aims to deconstruct the connections between gender, violence, and sexuality in context of development efforts by civil society and international organizations. Based on an evaluation of development plans and population debates, the report concludes that the current discourse surrounding women's reproductive health focuses on reproductive capability and functions as ways to advance the economy and public health. The author argues that this current framework perpetuates violence against women both by promoting an utilitarian view of women as childbearers, wives, and mothers and by denying sexual autonomy to those women who reject this asexual, utilitarian view. Using examples from Latin American civil society organizations, the report ends with recommendations on how to fully incorporate "gender and sexuality" within a development framework to explain and challenge violence against women. Compiled from: Responding to Violence Against Women: How development policies address the issue of gender-based violence, Belen Sobrino, United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, March 2006.
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