Humanitarian Protection & Gender-Based Violence

The provision of quality protection and GBV prevention and response programming in humanitarian response is essential to improved outcomes for conflict-affected communities globally. Humanitarian actors work to register the needs, prevent additional harm, and increase access to services for all vulnerable groups, including older people, persons with disabilities, children, and others in need of specific care. In the context of humanitarian emergencies, over 70% of women and girls have experienced some form of GBV. Compounding the increase in rates of gender-based violence is the breakdown in accessibility to quality, life-saving services for survivors of violence. Oftentimes, older women are not even considered in service delivery. There is a critical need to ensure that strong mitigation and response efforts are in place, as well as dedicated resources and funding to address GBV.

Protection and GBV programming at the onset of humanitarian crises are critical to prevent and respond to threats faced by communities affected by violence. These programs establish the preservation of the livelihoods for survivors of GBV and other abuses through referrals for protection services, cash-assistance support, psycho-social support, and more. Humanitarian responses should be aligned with development efforts to make it more effective and sustainable over the long term. Addressing GBV and protection concerns should be a high priority when developing emergency response plans as it preserves the rights for survivors of GBV and other protection issues in accessing services and upholding their dignity as individuals. There is always more work to do to improve the collective response and ensure that protection is central to all humanitarian response.

Fast Facts

• 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.
• There are over 14 million child marriages each year.
• Sexual violence against men and boys has been reported in over 25 conflict-affected countries in the last decade.
• 200 million women have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting.
• Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
• Approximately 26 million older people experience disasters each year. This number is growing.
• At least 6.8 million IDPs—equivalent to 15% of the global total for conflict-induced IDPs—could have a disability.

Key U.S. Legislation, Strategies & Programs

Legislation:

• USAID Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy
• Safe from the Start Act
• MINDS Act

Strategies:

• The White House National Strategy on Gender Equality and Equity
• GBV Strategy

Programs:

• USAID’s Gender Equality Program
• DoS Call to Action