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Empowered Aid - Lebanon Food Distribution (Pilot 2): Safety Audit Findings

This monitoring report details the observational safety audit findings conducted by CARE and URDA during a 501-parcel food distribution pilot across two distinct Syrian refugee camp environments in Akkar, Lebanon. While the door-to-door delivery mechanism in the managed settlement optimized recipient dignity and eliminated physical friction, the pre-assigned scheduling in the unmanaged settlement faced logistical disruptions from inclement weather and an infrastructure deficit, underlining the urgent need for portable shelters, visible sex-segregated WASH signaling, and diversified accountability channels.

Empowered Aid - Lebanon Food Distribution (Pilot 2): Point of Distribution Questionnaire Summary of Findings

This monitoring report synthesizes data from 38 Syrian refugee women who completed an in-person Point of Distribution Questionnaire during a pilot food parcel distribution in Akkar, Lebanon. The findings highlight that while explicit fear of distribution areas was minimal, 11% of respondents reported witnessing or hearing about sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) perpetrated by aid workers outside the camps, emphasizing a dangerous reliance on the local Shawish for filing complaints amid a broader lack of institutional trust.

EMPOWERED AID - Lebanon Food Parcel Post Distribution Monitoring Household Phone Survey Results

This post-distribution monitoring report details phone survey results from 153 Syrian refugee households in Lebanon comparing pre-assigned scheduling with a door-to-door distribution modality. While general satisfaction and perceived safety remained exceptionally high across both methods, the findings indicate that COVID-19 restrictions severely halved women’s accompanied freedom of movement, highlighting the efficacy of door-to-door aid in eliminating transit-related security risks for vulnerable women.

Empowered Aid Lebanon – Food Distribution Pilot 2

This report details a food distribution pilot conducted by GWI, CARE Lebanon, and URDA in two informal Syrian refugee settlements to evaluate pre-assigned scheduling and door-to-door delivery modalities. The findings indicate that both adapted methods significantly improved safety and participant satisfaction while adhering to COVID-19 health protocols, though a heavy reliance on the Shawish (community leader) for communication highlighted the urgent need to establish multiple, more transparent reporting and aid dissemination channels.

GWI & IRC Dignity Kit Distribution, Empowered Aid Pilot 2

This report presents findings from 17 safety audits conducted during an Empowered Aid dignity kit distribution pilot across five zones in Uganda's Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. The evaluation reveals that while the pilot effectively mitigated sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) risks through high ratios of trained female staff and private bucket packaging, widespread gaps in accessible, sex-segregated, and lockable latrines posed a significant challenge to the overall dignity of the female beneficiaries.

IRC & GWI Dignity Kit Distribution, Empowered Aid Pilot 2

This report analyzes data from a point of distribution questionnaire conducted during a dignity kit pilot in Uganda's Bidi Bidi refugee settlement to assess safety, gender-based violence, and exploitation risks. The findings reveal that while organized, timed arrival groups successfully minimized crowding, a significant majority of women still experienced pervasive fears related to COVID-19 exposure, police enforcement violence, and heightened risks of sexual exploitation.

Unravelling the contribution of women’s movement activism to transforming gender-based violence policy in South Africa: Combining stories and numbers

This report analyzes the vital role of women's movement activism and decolonial feminism in transforming gender-based violence (GBV) policy in democratic South Africa. By pairing qualitative personal narratives with quantitative data, it highlights how mass mobilizations—such as the #TotalShutdown movement—hold the state accountable, while underscoring the ongoing challenges of translating legal reforms into lived safety for women and girls.

Toolkit for Planning and Monitoring Safer Aid Distributions

The Empowered Aid Toolkit provides practical guidance and field-tested monitoring tools to help humanitarian actors reduce the risks of sexual exploitation, abuse, and gender-based violence during aid distributions. Developed alongside refugee women and girls in Lebanon and Uganda, this community-driven resource adapts existing evaluation systems to ensure aid delivery is safer, more accountable, and highly responsive to protection risks.

Unravelling the Contribution of Women's Movement Activism to Transforming Gender-based Violence Policy in South Africa: Combining Stories and Numbers

The August 2024 research brief by the University of Cape Town analyzes the evolution of South African feminist activism from the anti-apartheid struggle to contemporary movements like #TotalShutdown. It highlights how political leadership and historical legacies impact policy, noting that while robust legal frameworks exist, patriarchal resistance and structural inequalities continue to hinder safety for marginalized women and LGBTQIA+ individuals. The authors conclude that intersectional, multifaceted activism—combining grassroots organizing with social media and legal action—is essential to transforming "paper rights" into lived safety.

Indian Women's Movements and Struggles Against Violence

This report, a collaboration between Kalyani Menon Sen and Uma Chakravarti for the WEAVE project, serves as a virtual archive of the Indian women's movement and its fight against systemic violence. It introduces the concept of "perpetual custody," illustrating how the state, family, and religious institutions interlock to control women’s sexuality and autonomy. By mapping landmark cases from the 1970s to the present, the authors highlight how Dalit, queer, and marginalized feminists have expanded the movement's strategies to challenge both social norms and legal frameworks.