The World Bank presented a study of public policy in this area.
Lima, June 17, 2019.- Peru has made important strides in combating gender violence by increasing investments, strengthening the country’s legal and institutional framework, regularly measuring indicators of prevalence and involving more sectors. To maximize the impact of these advances, it is essential to improve the strategic allocation of resources in prevention, assistance and protection, supported by multisectoral coordination and a plan with long-term objectives.
This is the main conclusion of the study “10 Mensajes sobre la violencia contra la mujer en el Perú, un análisis de las inversiones públicas en esta agenda” (10 Messages on Gender Violence in Peru, an Analysis of Public Investments in this Agenda”), which the World Bank presented today at an event attended by Peru’s President, Martín Vizcarra.
The Ministry of the Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations collaborated with the World Bank on the study, which incorporated inputs from a consultation process with different sectors and governmental and non-governmental institutions carried out in April of this year.
“Gender violence is perhaps the most extreme limitation to women’s capacity for expression and participation. This scourge, in addition to being devastating for victims and their families, delays development and represents significant social and economic costs for countries,” said Alberto Rodriguez, World Bank director for Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. “The World Bank is committed to contributing to resolving this problem through studies that nourish the national debate and financial support to strategic interventions,” he said.
According to the study, one of the country’s most sigificant advances is the increased investment in combating gender violence in recent years. Two-thirds of this investment is currently earmarked for assistance, protection, legal and judicial services, which target mainly adult women. Prevention efforts are more recent and account for some 20 percent of the public budget, and focus mainly on eight programs led by the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations.
Also noteworthy is the involvement of sectors and institutions such as the ministries of Education and the Interior, the Attorney General’s Office, the Public Ombudsman’s Office and the Justice Branch, which directly participate in nearly 100 activities or programs budgeted for 2019. Participation is still limited among sub-national governments, which could also play a key role in fighting gender violence.
The research reflects international evidence on responses to gender violence that have had good results in other regions. While Peru is implementing interventions that have been effective or promising in other countries, whether they produce results in the Peruvian context remains to be seen. Accordingly, there is a need for monitoring and evaluation to inform budget allocations in the coming years.
Finally, the priority areas for continuing to strengthen the national agenda include investment in complementary, coordinated interventions and services, with long-term multisectoral targets and rigorous monitoring. A priority in prevention is the promotion of a multifaceted approach, in other words, with several combined strategies targeting both men and women and investments in high risk groups such as children, adolescents and young people. In the areas of assistance and protection, the study recommends increasing the coverage and quality of programs by implementing protocols throughout the service chain and mechanisms for follow-up of cases.
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