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Empowered Aid: Reducing Risks Of Sexual Exploitation And Abuse In Cash Assistance

This Empowered Aid policy brief (January 2020) examines how Cash Assistance delivery in Lebanon—primarily through ATM cards and multi-purpose cash transfers—creates specific risks of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) for Syrian refugee women and girls.

Empowered Aid Transforming Gender And Power Dynamics In The Delivery Of Humanitarian Aid

The Empowered Aid report reveals that sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) are systemic risks in Uganda’s refugee settlements, where aid actors and intermediaries trade life-saving resources for sex. Vulnerabilities exist at every stage, from registration "gatekeeping" to the dangerous transport of heavy goods. To fix this, the study calls for contextual safeguarding: a strategy that moves beyond punishing individuals to redesigning aid delivery—using female-led teams, safe transport, and transparent communication—to strip perpetrators of their power.

Empowered Aid: Reducing Risks Of Sexual Exploitation And Abuse In Aid Distribution

This overview of the Empowered Aid research project (January 2020) synthesizes findings from ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda. While humanitarian efforts traditionally focus on punishing perpetrators after an incident, this study emphasizes contextual safeguarding—proactively identifying and fixing the "conducive environments" that allow Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) to occur in the first place.

Empowered Aid: Reducing Risks Of Sexual Exploitation And Abuse In Food Distribution

This Empowered Aid policy brief (January 2020) explores the specific risks of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) within the Food Distribution sector in Uganda’s Bidi Bidi and Imvepi settlements. With over 1 million refugees relying on food assistance, the power dynamics inherent in the distribution process create significant vulnerabilities for women and girls.

Empowered Aid: Reducing Risks Of Sexual Exploitation And Abuse In Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene (Wash) Distribution

This Empowered Aid policy brief (January 2020) examines the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector in Uganda’s Bidi Bidi and Imvepi settlements. The research highlights how the scarcity of clean water and hygiene materials allows those in power to demand "sex for access," creating high risks of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).

Empowered Aid: Reducing Risks Of Sexual Exploitation And Abuse In Shelter Distribution

This Empowered Aid policy brief (January 2020) focuses on the Shelter sector in Uganda’s Bidi Bidi and Imvepi settlements. It reveals how the processes of registering for, collecting, and constructing shelter create specific opportunities for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) against South Sudanese refugee women and girls.

Empowered Aid: Reducing Risks Of Sexual Exploitation And Abuse In Fuel & Firewood Distribution

The Empowered Aid policy brief (January 2020) details findings from participatory action research conducted by the Global Women’s Institute (GWI) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The study focused on South Sudanese refugees in Uganda's Bidi Bidi and Imvepi settlements, specifically examining how the distribution of fuel and firewood creates risks for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).

Gender-Based Violence Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation with Refugee and Conflict-Affected Populations

This comprehensive manual and toolkit, developed by the Global Women's Institute (GWI), serves as a bridge between academic researchers and humanitarian practitioners. It provides the ethical and technical foundation required to conduct Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (M&E) on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) specifically within refugee and conflict-affected populations.

Research to Action Toolkit: VAWG in Conflict and Humanitarian Settings

This Research to Action Toolkit, developed by the Global Women’s Institute (GWI) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), provides a practical framework for turning academic research on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) into actionable humanitarian programming. Designed specifically for practitioners and policymakers in conflict settings, the toolkit addresses the gap between data collection and field implementation, emphasizing that evidence must be accessible and interpretable to create effective protection strategies.

Interventions To Prevent Violence Against Women And Girls Globally

This 2025 systematic review updates the evidence for the RESPECT women framework, confirming that VAWG is preventable through targeted, evidence-based action. Key updates show that empowerment training and survivor psychological support are now proven "promising" strategies across both high-income and low-income settings. While microfinance paired with gender training has gained strong evidence in low-income countries, the review notes that perpetrator interventions still lack consistent proof of effectiveness. What Works