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The Asia-Pacific region presents some of the poorest development indicators for women and girls and socially excluded and marginalized populations.
 
Deep-rooted gender inequality and discriminatory sociocultural norms and practices underpin patriarchal systems and structures. Women and girls are frequently subject to violence and abuse, including in humanitarian emergencies and post conflict settings.
 
Violence against women is a major concern in the region. A key obstacle to developing evidence-based violence against women or/and gender-based violence policies and programmes is the lack of reliable and international comparable national data on this subject.
 
UNFPA in Asia and the Pacific supports countries in making national data on violence against women available to develop evidence-based programmes to promote and protect women's rights.
 
UNFPA’s work at country level also focuses on strengthening the capacity of health systems to address violence against women, viewing reproductive health services as a critical entry point for violence-related information, services and referrals.