This paper addresses issues of violence against women and girls with special reference to tertiary institutions and drawing examples particularly from university colleges and campuses. In the discussions, various forms of VAWG are flagged out to demonstrate the nature and contexts within which they occur. The paper acknowledges that while male in the same institutions may experience comparable gender-based violence from women or other men, research has shown that proportionately more women than men suffer this kind of violence and that its consequences results in relatively greater devastating effects for women. Within tertiary institutions, it is arguable that the relatively free atmosphere that has minimal restriction on dating, partying and mating presents unprecedented risks which most women students tend to take for granted and which their male peers also take advantage of to practice masculinities characterised by pervasive sexual violence such as rape, harassment, stalking and verbalised sexual abuse. Social constructionist theory guides the discussions leading to recommendations for preventive measures which locate education, awareness creation and skills-building as the fundamental drivers of policy-directed strategies aimed at preventing violence before it occurs to demand second order responses.(from the abstract).

Background to this paper: In accordance with its multi-year programme of work for 2010-2014, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will consider ‘Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls” as its priority theme during its fifty-seventh session in 2013.

In order to contribute to a full understanding of the issue and to assist the Commission in its deliberations, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO), convened an Expert Group Meeting on prevention of violence against women and girls, at Bangkok, Thailand, from 17 to 20 September 2012. Use the website link to access other papers prepared for this meeting.