Combating Gender-Based Violence in Peru: Increasing Awareness and Resources to Prevent Violence Against Women

Bank Group Contribution

The World Bank provided financing in the amount of US$90,000 to conduct the study.

Partners

The study sought to incorporate diverse views by including various rounds of consultations with a varied range of government and nongovernment stakeholders. Development partners (including representatives from the Canadian government, the German Development Agency, the United Nations, the European Union, and the Pan American Health Organization), multisectoral government officials, academics, Peru's ombudsman's office, the police, and many others contributed their views and validated the report's findings. These efforts have continued, opening a dialogue of trust among team members from the Ministry of Women, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Presidential Council of Ministers, among others.

Beneficiaries

The key beneficiaries of the study are (i) the public institutions that have been able to use the study's findings and best practices to refine their budgets and programming to more effectively combat GBV; and (ii) Peru's population of 33 million people, who are expected to benefit economically, socially, and psychologically from the government's more comprehensive, multisectoral approach to addressing GBV.

'We were very pleased to see their warm reception and their commitment to the message. Their involvement has amplified the impact of the study, which in fact, has become the basis for multisectoral planning in the fight against gender violence agenda.' -Alberto Rodriguez, former Country Director for Peru, referring to the participation of the President of Peru, government ministers, and other top officials.

The Minister of Women at the time, Gloria Montenegro Figueroa, stated that the government of Peru followed the report's recommendations to make especially targeted investments in prevention.

Moving Forward

The report and its launch positioned the World Bank, for the first time in Peru, as a key development partner for the GBV agenda and opened an avenue of dialogue with the government. Requests for additional support have followed, including for preparing a communications campaign to tackle GBV. The Presidential Council of Ministers plans to replicate the report's methodology to continue monitoring public investments in line with the World Bank report.

Through its activity 'Innovative Approaches to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence in Peru,' the Bank is continuing its support for efforts to combat GBV in Peru through (i) the development of a mobile application that helps protect GBV survivors by providing information on services available, including circles of community support, shelters, and other referral services, including at police stations; (ii) applying behavioral sciences to prevent sexual harassment among Peruvian university students; and (iii) creating comics focusing on GBV as a way to share experiences and information with an adolescent audience.

In addition, the Bank has continued to accompany the authorities in their efforts to better monitor how COVID-19 impacts GBV rates, people, and businesses. With the support of the Australian government through the Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Bank has implemented a high frequency survey of households and businesses, as well as finalizing the first ever COVID-19 big data observatory to better assess the pandemic's impact through mobility, pollution, and night lights indicators.