ESCWA Centre for Women and the United Nations Population Fund Arab States Regional Office (ASRO) organized an expert group meeting titled “Step by Step towards Costing Violence Against Women in the Arab Region” on 20-21 September 2018 at the United Nations House in Beirut, Lebanon.

This meeting followed rigorous work organized previously by UNFPA in Egypt and more recently by ESCWA at the regional and national levels to support countries’ efforts in estimating the cost of violence against women.

The meeting brought together a group of experts from the region and beyond for an in-depth discussion on the initial draft of the “step by step guide” developed by ESCWA and UNFPA on how to organize and carry out an estimation of cost of violence exercise. Experts shared their insights and capitalized on regional and international experiences, which will contribute to the final copy of the guide, and provided examples on the impact and cost implications of violence against women, especially marital violence against women.