Tool 2: Policing and Gender Remaining challenges Ê Lack of understanding of GBV and conflict-related sexual violence among judges and judicial officers. Judges and other members of the judiciary lack knowledge of conflictrelated sexual violence and broader GBV, and specialized expertise to adjudicate such cases. In future programming it is important to invest in training and awarenessraising for members of the judiciary in dealing with GBV cases, to ensure that cases are dealt with fairly and sensitively. Ê Lack of sufficient financial support. The current funding trajectory for GBV and conflictrelated sexual violence projects is short term and piecemeal. This undermines efforts to address the problems and help survivors. Ê Legislative gaps in the Iraqi legal system. The atrocities committed by ISIL in Iraq since 2014 present new and challenging legal issues, including the registration and legal status of children born to ISIL fighters. Many of the mothers of these children, hundreds of whom were forced to marry ISIL fighters, cannot register their children, as they are required to have the father’s support to do so but the father’s whereabouts are unknown or he is presumed dead. Gaps in the law are hindering the process of justice for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and their children. Image: © UNDP Iraq/ Martins/2016. 1. UNDP (2018) “Rule of Law Programme: Project summary”, Baghdad: UNDP Iraq, https://www.iq.undp.org/content/ iraq/en/home/operations/projects/democratic_governance/rule-of-law-programme.html (accessed 18 October 2019). Case study 4: Legislative reform concerning domestic violence (Ukraine) On 7 January 2018 a new law on preventing and combating domestic violence came into force in Ukraine.1 This was the first substantial step taken by Ukraine to criminalize domestic violence, the scale of which is huge. Human rights groups estimate that over 60 per cent of Ukrainian women have been the victims of domestic violence.2 The new law was expected to be followed by further legal reform in preparation for the prospective ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention). 53