Timeline - International
In Australia, the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability publishes its Final report: Voices of people with disability
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child publishes Concluding observations on New Zealand's 6th periodic report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/NZL/CO/6)
UN Women strategic plan 2022 - 2025: Building a gender-equal world published
Changing the landscape: A national resource to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities (Our Watch, 2022) published
Tackling abuse of older people: five priorities for the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) (WHO, 2022). published
Australia releases second 10-year National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022 - 2032 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2022)
UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities publishes Concluding observations on the combined 2nd and 3rd periodic reports of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD/C/NZL/CO/2-3). Read related news story
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women issued General Recommendation No. 39 on the rights of indigenous women and girls (CEDAW/C/GC/39) calling on states to better protect the human rights of Indigenous women and girls, including addressing gender-based violence
Addressing violence against women in health and multisectoral policies: A global status report (WHO, 2021) published
Global Shared Research Agenda for research on violence against women in low and middle-income countries (Sexual Violence Research Initiative & Equality Institute, 2021) published
Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women in Australia (Our Watch, 2021), second edition published
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) publishes an assessment (BJ/follow-up/New Zealand/78) of the New Zealand government's follow-up interim CEDAW report ((CEDAW/C/NZL/FCO/8)) making further recommendations in related to the Family Court. Read related news story
INSPIRE guide to adaptation and scale up (INSPIRE Working Group, 2021) published
National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030: An initiative of the Australian state and territory governments published
25 years in review of the Beijing Platform for Action: Contributions of the Platform of independent expert mechanisms on the elimination of discrimination and violence against women (EDVAW Platform) towards its implementation (OHCHR, 2020) published
International principles and guidelines on access to justice for persons with disabilities (Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, OHCHR, 2020) published
Safe and healthy working environments free from violence and harassment (ILO, 2020) published
COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls (UN Women, 2020) briefs published
Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Australia), interim report published
COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls (UN Women, 2020), the "shadow pandemic" recognised
1980 Child Abduction Convention: Guide to good practice. Part VI Article 13(1)(b) (The Hague Conference on Private International Law – HCCH Permanent Bureau, 2020) published
Global status report on preventing violence against children 2020 (WHO, 2020) published
Convention and Recommendation to Combat Violence and Harassment at Work adopted by ILO
Declaration on Gender Equality made by G7 Ministers
Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the World of Work: ILO Convention No. 190, Recommendation No. 206 and the accompanying resolution (ILO, 2019) published
UN Human Rights Council publishes Report of Working Group on New Zealand’s 3rd Universal Periodic Review (A/HRC/41/4). See related documents. Read related news story
Unseen, unsafe: The underinvestment in ending violence against children in the Pacific and Timor-Leste (Save the Children Australia, ChildFund Australia, Plan International Australia & World Vision, 2019) published
Minimum standards for child protection in humanitarian action: 2019 edition (The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, 2019) published
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW publishes Concluding observations on the 8th periodic report of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW/C/NZL/CO/8). Read related news story
Child migration programmes: Investigation report (United Kingdom. Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, 2018) published
INSPIRE handbook: Action for implementing the seven strategies for ending violence against children (WHO, 2018) published
10 essentials for addressing violence against women (UN Women, 2017), a package of resources published
Preventing intimate partner violence across the lifespan: A technical package of programs, policies and practices (CDC, 2017) published
$1.9 billion (Australian dollars) package to address family violence over four years announced in State of Victoria Budget 2017/18
Pacific Platform for Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Human rights 2018-2030 endorsed by Ministers for Women from Pacific nations
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Australia), final report published
Global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health system within a national multisectoral response to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children (WHO, 2016) endorsed by World Health Assembly
Royal Commission into Family Violence (Victorian Government, Australia) tables final report making 227 recommendations
STOP SV: A technical package to prevent sexual violence (CDC, 2016) published
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) CDC resources page published
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child publishes Concluding observations on New Zealand's 5th periodic report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC/C/NZL/CO/5)
Preventing child abuse & neglect: A technical package for policy, norm, and programmatic activities (CDC, 2016) published
Sustainable Development Goals seek to strengthen interpersonal violence prevention
UN Women toolkit supports Pacific region to end violence against women and girls
UK criminalises coercive, controlling and psychological abuse, with passing of the Serious Crime Act 2015, s76 - in force September 2015
App Safety Center (US based) launched
A framework to underpin action to prevent violence against women (UN Women, 2015) released
Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia (OurWatch, VicHealth and ANROWS, 2015) developed
Project Mirabal findings, UK research on impact of perpetrator programmes, reported
CDC guidance on best available evidence to reduce violence against children released
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) comes into force
WHO clinical handbook for health care providers on responding to VAW published
ANROWS (Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Limited) launched. Originally established as the National Centre of Excellence to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. ANROWS also took over the functions of the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse from October 2014
UN Women HeForShe campaign launched
The Lancet series of articles on violence against women and girls published
UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities publishes Concluding observations on the initial periodic report of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD/C/NZL/CO/1).
Ethical Research Involving Children (ERIC) project to support researchers launched
- Global and regional estimates of violence against women : prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence (WHO, 2013) published
- The US population based National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 findings on victimization by sexual orientation (Walters et al. CDC, 2013) published
- 57th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women focuses on the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls
- Voices against Violence launched by UN Women and Girl Guides
Why do some men use violence against women and how can we prevent it? : quantitative findings from the United Nations Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific (Fulu, et al. UNDP, 2013) published
- US Preventive Services Task Force updates recommendations on screening for intimate partner violence
- Prevalence and risk of violence against adults with disabilities : a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (Hughes et al. The Lancet, 379, 2012) published
- World Health Organization Plan of Action for the Global Campaign for Violence Prevention (GCVP) 2012-2020 launched
NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NZ Police and the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) agreed that the Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme (PPDVP) would provide a second phase of delivery to 30 June 2016
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW publishes Concluding observations on the 7th periodic report of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW/C/NZL/CO/7). Read related news story
- Prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (Jones et al. The Lancet, 380, 2012) published
- National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 report (Block et al. CDC, 2011), findings from the US population based National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) published
- Children's exposure to intimate partner violence and other family violence (Hamby et al. OJJDP, 2011), findings from the US population based National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) published
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child publishes Concluding observations on New Zealand's 3rd & 4th periodic reports on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/NZL/CO/3-4)
- Preventing intimate partner and sexual violence against women: taking action and generating evidence (WHO / London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2010) published
- The Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing established "for the purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons" by UN General Assembly resolution
- Violence prevention: the evidence (WHO, 2009) published
Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme (PPDVP), an initiative of the New Zealand Agency for International Development (New Zealand Aid Programme), New Zealand Police (NZPOL) and the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) begins first 5 year phase
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) adopted by the UN General Assembly. The Declaration was endorsed by New Zealand in 2010
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW publishes Concluding observations on the 6th periodic report of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW/C/NZL/CO/6)
- Yogyakarta Principles on the application of human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity developed (released 2007)
- In-depth Study on all Forms of Violence Against Women: Report of the Secretary General (United Nations, 2006) published
- First World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (15 June) marked
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted by UN General Assembly
- Preventing child maltreatment : a guide to taking action and generating evidence (Butchart. WHO, 2006) published
World Report on Violence against Children (Pinheiro. UN Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children, 2006) published
- TEACH-VIP launched
- WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence report published
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW publishes Concluding observations on the 5th periodic report of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (in A/58/38(SUPP, paragraphs. 379-431)
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child publishes Concluding observations on New Zealand's 2nd periodic report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/15/Add.216)
- The Toronto Declaration on the Global Prevention of Elder Abuse (WHO, University of Toronto and Ryerson University, INPEA, 2002)published
- World Report on Violence and Health (Krug et al. WHO, 2002) published
- WHO Global Campaign for Violence Prevention launched
- Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing declaration made at the Second World Assembly on Ageing held in Madrid in April 2002
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW publishes Concluding observations on the 3rd & 4th periodic reports of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (in A/53/38/Rev.1, pages 68-72)
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child publishes Concluding observations on New Zealand's initial periodic report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/15/Add.71)
United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women established by UN General Assembly resolution 50/16, administered by UN Women since 2010
- Beijing Platform for Action (Fourth World Conference on Women) launched
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW publishes Concluding observations on the 2nd periodic report of New Zealand's progress on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (in A/49/38(SUPP), paragraphs 608-665)
- UN adopts Principles for Older Persons
Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by the UN General Assembly
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) adopted by UN General Assembly
- International Year of the Child
Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the League of Nations. Adopted in an extended form by the United Nations in 1959