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IOM's Migration Health Department (MHD) continues to integrate gender equality and GBV in various aspects, including starting the development its handbook on Community Based Psychosocial Support in Emergencies. The manual will include reference to specialized MHPSS support for GBV survivors in emergency settings. CCCM-MHPSS training tools have also been developed and piloted to support closer collaboration between CCCM and MHPSS teams in field locations, like Northern Nigeria. Moreover, MHD provided training on GBV and/or Clinical Management of Rape (CMR) at various missions including Bangladesh, Somalia, as well as the Regional Office for Europe (RO Brussels). The Regional Office in Brussels also organized trainings on GBV for service providers who work with migrants and refugees.
In Bangladesh, IOM continued to increase the support for GBV survivors, framed within an increase in support for women and girls in general, in particular through the establishment of women and girls safe spaces; provision of resources that specifically target women and girls safety and dignity such as NFI kits and solar lanterns; improved accessibility and safety within sites; and improved mechanisms for seeking specialized support such as case management and clinical management of rape.
IOM programs also supported access to justice. In Colombia, for example, the Victims and Inclusion for Peace programmes are supporting survivors of sexual violence to access services and protection, and building the capacity of institutions to safely and empathetically respond to reports of these violations.
IOM’s efforts to improve the capacity to identify GBV risks continued, including through the use of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The DTM is a system that regularly captures, processes and disseminates multi-layered primary data and information on the mobility, locations, vulnerabilities and needs of displaced populations at national, regional and global levels, now contains protection and GBV risk indicators. In the aims of developing tools to facilitate the analysis and reporting of GBV risk-sensitive data collected through the DTM, DTM-GBV workshops have been organized. The DTM also made progress in standardizing data dictionaries including GBV-risk related data and standard operating procedures for collecting this type of data in its response. Furthermore, IOM decided to review its DTM data monitoring system to better capture its use by other clusters and agencies, including the Protection, Child Protection and GBV sectors. 36 DTM operations reported collecting gender sensitive and GBV-risk related data at the end of 2017.
In Azerbaijan, IOM is working with Azerbaijan Lawyers Confederation (ALC), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs (SCFWCA) to provide staff members of the Domestic Violence Support Centre with thorough knowledge, skills and competencies to better assist victims. IOM also sought to empower beneficiaries of the centre by providing direct support, including medical, legal and psychological assistance, temporary housing, when needed, access to childcare and social benefits, as well as skills-building and training in business development. Small grants were awarded to help the participating women initiate businesses of their own. The economic empowerment of women was a key aspect of this project, as helping individuals become economically self-sufficient is one of the most effective ways to address domestic violence, and improve self-esteem and self-confidence of victims. IOM also raised public awareness of the existing problems by producing and disseminating information materials on gender equality, the rights of women and men in families, domestic violence, as well as on services available at the Domestic Violence Support Centre.
In an effort to improve the identification of GBV risks and the response to the needs of GBV survivors, IOM has incorporated protection and GBV risk indicators into CCCM tools, such as the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), in an innovative manner. DTM is a system which regularly captures, processes and disseminates multi-layered primary data and information on the mobility, locations, vulnerabilities and needs of displaced populations, both in country and at the regional and global level. Through an initial project piloted in nine countries including the Philippines, South Sudan and Iraq, IOM has integrated context-appropriate GBV risk indicators relating to site layout and infrastructure; security; women’s participation; and knowledge about and availability of services to address GBV in camps and camp-like settings into the DTM system. The newly incorporated indicators complement general DTM assessments which provide sex- and age-disaggregated data, population profiles, and information on general needs and service provision to provide a more holistic understanding of the protection context in a given site. The data collected through the DTM is analysed and shared with GBV responders, as well as all other relevant service providers to improve operational responses.
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.