Unverified non-profit organisation

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Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) is a non-governmental organization established in 2003 by the Global Forum for Health Research, which aims to promote research on sexual violence and generate empirical data that ensures sexual violence is recognized as a priority public health problem.

It committed to eliminating sexual violence by simultaneously addressing the lack of research on the different aspects of sexual violence as well as drawing attention to a wide range of people including policy makers and the media to this public health issue.

SVRI, which was initially hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) before moving to the Medical Research Council, South Africa in 2006, is a global research initiative that aims to promote priority driven, good quality research in the area of sexual violence, particularly in developing countries. Its work is guided by a Coordinating Group of experts from different disciplines, networks of organisations on sexual violence and global regions.

SVRI objectives are to:
- Increase awareness of sexual violence as a priority public health problem through evidence based communication and information
- Strengthen the support and funding base for research on sexual violence
- Build capacity in sexual violence research
- Improve knowledge of sexual violence internationally to influence policy and service delivery

SVRI does this by building an experienced and committed network of researchers, policy makers, activists and donors to ensure that the many aspects of sexual violence are addressed from the perspective of different disciplines and cultures. Recently, SVRI successfully hosted its second international conference, the SVRI Forum 2011: Moving the agenda forward, from 10 to 13 October 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Forum is contributing to the positive growth of the sexual violence research field.

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