The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) recently hosted its first ever conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, entitled “SVRI Forum 2009: Coordinated evidence-based responses to end sexual violence”.

SVRI is an initiative of the Global Forum for Health Research and is hosted by the Medical Research Council, South Africa. It aims to promote research on sexual violence and generate empirical data to ensure sexual violence is recognized as a priority public health problem.

The conference was aimed at promoting further research on sexual violence, as well as highlighting innovation and encouraging sharing and networking in the area of sexual violence. It brought together over 200 participants from over 28 countries.
In her opening message, Dr. Claudia Garcia- Moreno, Senior Adviser Gender, Violence and HIV/AIDS Department of Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization, highlighted the critical importance of research in addressing magnitude of the sexual violence, to make the problem visible and to bring attention to it, so as to help us understand the nature and causes and to guide our policies and responses. Dr. Garcia-Moreno’s opening address can be accessed at http://svriforum2009.svri.org/about.htm
All session presentations provided by presenters are now available on the SVRI Forum 2009 website and can be accessed at http://svriforum2009.svri.org/programme.htm
Six prizes were given: best oral presentation and runner up; best poster and runner up; best young researcher (<35 years) and runner up. Please visit http://svriforum2009.svri.org/prizes.htm to see who the prize winners at the SVRI Forum 2009 were.
The Global Forum for Health Research was among the 10 organizations having an exhibition stand at SVRI Forum 2009. For more information on these organizations and their contact details, please visit http://svriforum2009.svri.org/exhibitioninformation.htm
The SVRI Forum 2009 was sponsored by the Global Forum for Health Research, The Medical Research Council of South Africa, Oxfam Novib and the SVRI. For more information on the SVRI Forum 2009 please visit http://svriforum2009.svri.org/index.htm.

Sylvie Olifson-Houriet, member of the SVRI Coordinating Group and Global Forum representative, was involved in several ways. She chaired the session on "Sexual violence in Global Diversity", had an exhibition stand, was on the panel of judges for the prizes of SVRI Forum 2009 and participated in the subsequent Coordinating Group meeting.