República del Ecuador Asamblea Nacional	COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: FROM LEGISLATION TO ITS EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT
	Regional seminar for Latin-American Countries organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Legislative Assembly of Ecuador Cuenca, Ecuador, 21-23 April 2010

	Part of a series of meetings the Inter-Parliamentary Union will organize throughout its programme on violence against women (VAW), this regional meeting for Latin America aims to provide parliamentarians and parliamentary staff with an opportunity to exchange of experience between Parliaments confronted with similar situations and challenges. It will examine the status of legislation on VAW and discuss mechanisms for its effective enforcement. Particular attention will be placed on costing VAW, gender-sensitive budgeting and monitoring mechanisms as tools to support proper enforcement of VAW legislation. Organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Legislative Assembly of Ecuador, the meeting will be held in Cuenca on 21, 22 and 23 April 2010 and will enable participants to: gain a deeper understanding of the issues related to violence against women in the region; discuss the status of existing legislation on VAW; identify gaps and challenges; discuss the use of gender-sensitive budgeting as an effective mechanism to support enforcement of VAW legislation; gain understanding of the costs of VAW and gender implications of budgeting, both in theory and in practice; examine different national monitoring mechanisms that can secure effective implementation of the VAW legislation; develop common strategies and parliamentary cooperation to combat VAW.