International Organization for Migration
Background
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. While not part of the United Nations system, IOM maintains close working relations with United Nations bodies and operational agencies, as well as with a wide range of international and non-governmental organizations. In addition, IOM is the designated cluster leader for camp management in humanitarian settings for natural disasters. Through its gender equality policy adopted in 2015, IOM is committed to ensuring that a gender perspective is mainstreamed throughout all IOM policies, activities and programming.
Areas of Focus
IOM’s main focus, with respect to violence against women, is on counter-trafficking, violence against women migrants, including women migrant workers and reduction of HIV vulnerabilities. It also addresses traditional practices such as female genital mutilation. The Organization is particularly attentive to violence against women in the context of complex emergencies and natural disasters, where women and children are disproportionately targets of abuse.
In this regard, it undertakes prevention activities; provides assistance to those affected by violence and/or trafficking; and provides assistance to trafficked victims for their voluntary return to countries of origin and their reintegration. IOM also facilitates access to voluntary counselling and testing of HIV and referral for treatment where needed for rape victims and for migrants to ensure universal access to HIV prevention, AIDS treatment, care and support.
Resources
Exploratory Assessment on Trafficking in Persons in the Caribbean: The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, the Netherlands Antilles, St. Lucia, Suriname (June 2005); Trinidad and Tobago (December 2006)
Who is the next victim? Vulnerability of young Romanian women to trafficking in human beings. IOM, 2004
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, IOM is working with various UN, government and NGO partners to identify and address gaps in existing care, support and justice systems, and create an effective, comprehensive and standardized approach to assisting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. The project aims to shed light on the drivers of high rates of sexual violence in conflict situations, but also how sexual violence impedes the full restoration of peace in post-conflict societies. It demonstrates the resolve of the entire UN Country Team in BiH to tackle this issue in a coordinated and systematic manner. IOM’s work in this effort is focused on the development and establishment of a comprehensive legal framework and mechanisms to enable victim-status recognition and on providing reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence regardless of their gender.
As the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster lead agency for natural disasters, and in line with the objectives of the global Call to Action on Protection Against Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, IOM is working to ensure that proper prevention and mitigation measures are in place to reduce the likelihood of GBV taking place in camps and camp-like settings. Furthermore, IOM is working on the inclusion of GBV prevention and mitigation at all stages of camp response. At the global level, IOM has developed practical approaches to mainstream GBV prevention and mitigation in line with the IASC Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Action (2015) and is engaging in a number of activities, including: - Deployment of CCCM-GBV Rapid Response Advisors (RRAs), who are mentoring CCCM actors, developing inter-cluster SOPs on the exchange of information between CCCM and Protection actors, supporting the implementation of CCCM operations relating to GBV and addressing technical skill gaps; - Engagement in small-scale, camp-based initiatives to strengthen women’s participation in camp governance structures and develop guidance on how to support women’s engagement to contribute to reducing GBV risks. Small pilot projects have thus far been initiated in Iraq, South Sudan, Ecuador, Nigeria and the Philippines.