Gender-based violence can occur at any time, anywhere. But
its prevalence is magnified during emergencies because of
the absence of law and order, the lack of support services
and the breakdown of community networks. This combination
leaves women — and men — extremely vulnerable.
Humanitarian organizations working in conflict zones or responding
to natural disaster must make addressing gender-based violence
a top priority — at the onset of any emergency.
Survivors of gender-based violence need immediate support
in the form of medical care, police assistance, counselling,
and legal aid. Often, few of these services exist before
an emergency — and even fewer remain afterwards.
Humanitarian organizations therefore can and must do more — both
before and after — to ensure that these services exist,
and that they are trained and prepared to support survivors
in line with international good practice. Survivors also
need to be aware of, and gain access to, these services.
Information campaigns and transportation support are a good
Prevention is also critical. This is a longer-term effort
that could entail media campaigns, positive recreational,
cultural or vocational outlets that promote non-violence,
and integrating gender-equality messages into education curricula.
In emergency contexts, security patrols can improve safety — particularly
for those living in camps. Prevention work must be relevant
and appropriate to the local context or it will not be sustainable.
Humanitarian organizations have an ethical responsibility
to address these issues. Emergencies may lead women to engage
in risky behaviours such as selling sex in order to survive
and feed their children, thereby increasing the risk of gender-based
violence. Without economic alternatives, women are also vulnerable
to sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief organizations and
development agencies involved in long-term recovery must
do more in terms of training, zero-tolerance policies, and
strict codes of conduct to prevent this kind of abuse. Clear
messaging (‘Humanitarian aid is free!’ for example)
and economic empowerment initiatives can reduce risk and
These efforts need to be local, relevant, and sustainable.
Otherwise, women might have to travel further for work, engage
in riskier occupations, or work in unsafe areas. From the
onset of the emergency, we can support women through vocational
skills training and income-generating opportunities. We must
also do more to ensure that women living in camps for the
displaced have access to safe spaces and separate, lit, lockable
We also need to remember to ask women what they need. When
I spoke to women in Haiti, the first thing they asked for
was access to economic opportunity. We can do more to support
and protect women working in the informal sector — including
safe storage for cash earned. We could have done much better
in Haiti to provide economic empowerment initiatives at the
But women are not just victims — they are survivors
who help countries recover more quickly from emergencies.
Women can build bridges between warring communities and increase
community resilience. Men are also a key part of the solution.
Not all men are perpetrators and they need to be engaged
as supporters and advocates.
The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is well placed to address
gender-based violence in a more robust way. The Movement’s
global reach could enable us to raise the profile of this
issue, not just as a 'women’s issue' but
as an issue that affects everyone in emergency settings.
Humanitarian organizations are increasingly recognizing
the severity of this problem. Now they need to commit real
resources and expertise, attract senior staff and experienced
professionals, and give them the ability to act and affect
change on the ground where it is most needed.
By Lina Abirafeh
Lina Abirafeh, PhD, has addressed gender-based violence in
Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea and various
other countries. She is the author of Gender and International
Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention
and worked recently as coordinator for the Gender-Based
Violence Sub-Cluster of the United Nations Population Fund/UNICEF