SLOVIANSK, Ukraine — When Anna’s abusive husband threatened her with a knife, she knew it was time to get away. The next day, she pretended to take her children to school, but instead fled with them to her sister’s house in another city. She didn’t want to hide out there forever, but she didn’t know where else to turn.

KYIV, Ukraine — Rigid, traditional views of gender roles in society and stereotypical ideas about masculinity and femininity are common among men in Ukraine, contributing to gender-based violence, unequal treatment for women, and poor mental and physical health outcomes for women and for men themselves, according to a ground-breaking survey initiated by UNFPA.

UNITED NATIONS, New York — The robust collection of data and the adoption of policies based upon it can help countries successfully tackle the global scourge of violence against women and girls, speakers said yesterday at a side event to the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62).

The event, titled “Advancing Research for Policy Formulation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia,” was organized by UNFPA, UNICEF and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

ANKARA, Turkey — When Amira* was 14 years old and growing up in Syria, she agreed to marry a man she didn’t love to fulfil her dying mother’s wish to witness her daughter’s wedding day. But once they were married, Amira’s husband kept her from visiting her mother and her other family members. Then he began to beat her. The violence escalated steadily until one day Amira, then pregnant with her second child, tried unsuccessfully to take her own life by stabbing herself with a knife.