Addressing Gender based Violence (GBV) in Humanitarian Situations in the Asia and the Pacific Region Ms Devanna de la Puente Inter-agency Regional Emergency GBV Advisor IASC GBV AoR, United Nations

3 Gender-based violence (GBV) is… An act of force or abuse of power, that does harm to a person, is committed against their will, without their informed consent, and which is committed based on their gender. These acts can be classified into rape, sexual assault, physical assault, forced marriage, denial of resources, psychological/emotional abuse* *GBV Information Management System (GBV IMS)

4 Addressing GBV requires a comprehensive approach PREVENTION Activities and actions that target the root causes and contributing factors of GBV RESPONSE Actions and services that target the consequences of GBV

One case is too many..

SURVIVOR HEALTH PSYCHO- SOCIAL* LEGAL/ JUSTICE SAFETY/ SECURITY PROTECTION MULTI-SECTORAL MODEL *Includes social reintegration and livelihood initiatives

What about GBV in humanitarian situations in the Asia Pacific Region?

THREATS IN THE REGION Floods Drought Cyclones Earthquakes Landslides Conflict/Complex Emergencies

ASIA PACIFIC Deep rooted gender inequality Discriminatory socio-cultural norms and practices High rates of Violence Against Women/GBV (worsens during disasters and conflicts) Harmful traditional practices (pre-natal sex selection, child marriage, honor killing) P4P report found that a quarter of men in Asia-Pacific admit to committing rape World Vision study found that out of 25 countries with high rates of child marriage, majority are affected by conflicts and disasters UNFPA study showed that in the Pacific, approx 60-80% of all women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence

In humanitarian situations Families and communities are separated Mechanisms for protection and service delivery such as health, education, and police are disrupted Community support systems and prote ction mechanisms break down

“GBV is a life-threatening protection issue primarily affecting women and children. All humanitarian actors have a responsibility to take action from the earliest stages of an emergency to prevent GBV and provide appropriate assistance to survivors”. --IASC Guidelines for Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings,

State Society Community Individual GBV Interventions at different levels

Typical GBV interventions in country Establish multisectoral coordination for prevention and response to GBV in crisis Start Women Centers in areas of displacement Train Healthcare providers on CMR and provide post-rape kits. Train police and security sector on GBV Developing alliances with other sectors to mainstream gender and GBV adequately Engagement of youth Develop/ Re-establish documenting and reporting

How can we ensure that reporting and documentation is done while maintaining safety and confidentiality of GBV survivors and securing the humanitarian space to maintain neutrality for service providers? Reporting, documenting and advocacy must be done hand in hand, where possible, with service provision, keeping the survivor at the center of the interventions

Challenges to documentation Lack of service providers to provide quality care Threats to humanitarian orgs providing this care Fear of local staff to document (i.e Rakhine State in Myanmar) Lack of government support or hostile policies towards rape victims in many countries (mandatory reporting i.e. Pakistan, Myanmar) Distrust from survivors re: reporting Attacks on women human rights defenders

Challenges Limited capacity of services and systems to address GBV, particularly in humanitarian crisis Sensitivity, at community and government level Natural disasters with ongoing population movement, limiting follow up of GBV survivors Pre-existing gender inequalities and prevalence of GBV Limited prioritization of GBV in the humanitarian agenda, specially at the onset of the disaster Opportunities Greater engagement of government in disaster management (ASEAN UN partnership) Strong women’s networks and national organisations Existing agenda on Gender equality, primarily related to development Regional process es such as Beijing +20 review, CEDAW, WPS Existing lessons learned on models to address GBV, tools and mechanisms

Resources and Opportunities Available technical expertise through regional and in country networks and advisors (including surge) South to South cooperation Resources, guidelines, tools and online-courses International Women’s Rights Agreements, i.e. Beijing Platform for action +20 and CEDAW UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106, Global Summit to end Sexual Violence in Conflict (UK) Global Call to Action to Protect Women and Girls in Emergencies (US/ UK) Post 2015 framework for DRR World Humanitarian Summit Global IASC GBV area of responsibility