Addressing sexual violence in humanitarian emergencies

Abstract

Sexual violence is a by-product of conflict commonly seen, but poorly addressed, in humanitarian emergencies. Reports reveal that extraordinary numbers of women and girls suffer physical, psychological, and social consequences of sexual violence during conflict, when fleeing conflict, and during displacement. All sectors of the humanitarian community have a role to play in the prevention of and response to sexual violence. Improvements are needed: in the short-term to meet the needs of survivors of sexual violence; in collecting data related to sexual violence in humanitarian emergencies; and, perhaps most importantly, to address the widespread tolerance for high rates of sexual violence in humanitarian settings.

Keywords:

• Conflict
• emergency
• sexual violence
• women

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Therese McGinn, Heidi Lehman and Sandra Krause for their contributions to the thinking that went into the preparation of this article. The authors extend deep appreciation to IRC staff and all people who are working hard to address GBV in conflict settings.

Notes

1. Gender-based violence is an umbrella term for any harm that is perpetrated against a person's will; that has a negative impact on the physical and psychological health, development, and identity of the person; and that is the result of gendered power inequities that exploit distinctions between males and females, among males, and among females. Definition taken from Ward (2002).

2. Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Adopted on 12 August 1949 by the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War, held in Geneva from 21 April to 12 August, 1949 entry into force 21 October 1950. Accessed 8 October 2005, available at http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/92.htm

3. A refugee is a person seeking asylum in a foreign country in order to escape persecution, while an internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who has been forced to leave their home for reasons such as natural or man-made disasters, including religious or political persecution or war, but has not crossed an international border.

4. The Inter Agency Working Group, which includes representatives of NGOs, UN agencies, donors, and researchers, was established by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UNFPA in 1995 to address the lack of reproductive health services in humanitarian crises.