Pilot Project: Women’s Participation in Camp Governance Structures Summary of Preliminary Findings

Pilot Objective To improve women’s participation in governance structures in camps and camp-like settings to reduce women and girls’ perceptions of risks to gender-based violence. Research. Rethink. Resolve.

Study Question Does women’s participation in camp governance contribute to reducing their perceptions of gender-based violence risks in the displaced community? Research. Rethink. Resolve.

Study Sub-questions Did the project activities contributed to improving women’s participation and sense of safety? How? If not, why not? Did the program activities work well for some women but not others? Why? How, if at all, did participation in the project activities improve women’s feelings of representation? In decision making in the camp? What were facilitators and barriers to participation in project activities? Research. Rethink. Resolve.

Definitions: GBV & “Participation” CCCM’s definition of “participation” Participation: Process that requires planning and resources and where individuals and groups from the displaced community identify and express their own views and needs and where collective action is taken to significantly contribute to solutions Research. Rethink. Resolve.

Activities Literature review. Consultative process to develop assessment methods and tools. Piloting of the tools in five settings. Implementation of action plans in each setting. Evaluation of change in each setting. Documentation and dissemination of findings and recommendations. Research. Rethink. Resolve.

Settings were selected based on: Study sites: Pedernales, Ecuador Rakhine State, Myanmar Yola, Nigeria Mindanao, Philippines Iraq South Sudan Settings were selected based on: Existence of internally displaced person settlements. IOM’s presence. Existence of referral services. Target population Persons with disabilities, including those with physical, intellectual, sensory and mental impairments, who have been displaced or are crisis-affected Research. Rethink. Resolve.

Story of Change (Tausog) 6: I’ll start. Good morning. One of the changes that happened in my life started when the sewing machine was given to me. I also became a leader in this group, in our camp. Before, I just stayed at home. I do the laundry, I cook, I go to town to work. But now, my focus is already diverted here, in this workshare facility and in my sewing machine. I give my 50% here and the 50% at home. Those are some of the changes in my life. As a leader, what are the things that the camp manager and IOM tell me, I go to my colleagues and relay the messages to them. Before I don’t have many friends, I don’t go outside our home. But now I have many friends, many people already know me. And the Badjaos before – we don’t know each other, but now we’re like family. About safety here in our camp, I just feel safe. Even though most of the people living in Masapla 1 were already transferred to the permanent shelter, sometimes I feel like someone will get into the workshare facility and destroy the door locks and get the sewing machines. Because without these machines we won’t know how to participate. Before, I am really afraid to speak out, even though I had so many concerns that I wanted to voice out. But now, my participation in the camp life has really changed. I share my ideas and I really think the IOM and other organizations who help me, most especially when the IOM gave me this sewing machine, because this is where I started to really participate in the camp. Now that my participation has been improved, we are exposed to people with authority. When there are trainings, I have discussed confidently that I can talk in front of them, especially when there are local authorities from other agencies. My husband is very supportive, when my children cook at home, they will be the ones to bring food to me in the workshare facility. My husband is insisting that I should be the one to go to meeting. He is kind of forcing me. Story of Change (Tausog)