Understanding sexual and reproductive violence: an overview.

International agreements recognizing different forms of violence as violations of human rights and the definition provided by the 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women are taken as a starting point and its implications analyzed, emphasizing gender roles and stereotypes. Violence against women is related to violence in general, to the so-called culture of violence. Factors influencing a culture of violence are discussed, as well as the differences between public and private violence, emphasizing the need to understand their interaction to be effective in preventing violence against women. It is concluded that all violence stems from unbalanced exercise of power, creating injustice and lack of real democratic interaction. When left unchallenged such situations become part of the culture of individuals and societies, reinforcing the use of violence to solve conflicts. Hence, preventing violence against women requires cultural, social, economic, and political changes that are only possible by mobilizing society as a whole.

Reproductive health: towards a brighter future.

In 1972 the World Health Organization initiated the Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction. Now cosponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Bank and WHO, the Programme has become the main instrument of research in reproductive health in the United Nations system. The progress that has been made, and the prospects for the future, are reviewed below.