Putting Survivors at the Center: Building the Capacity of Non-Specialists to Respond to and Support Survivors
We piloted a variety of new program models for humanitarian staff in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and South Sudan to strengthen their ability to support survivors.
In collaboration with Women for Women International, we developed the Putting Survivors at the Center approach. This program builds the capacity of non-gender-based violence specialists in humanitarian organizations to better support survivors who spontaneously disclose experiences of violence.
The program gets to a core understanding of what prevents survivors from accessing specialized gender-based violence response services, and how best to support them.
Working from a foundation of participatory action research and collaboration, we asked key stakeholders — including gender-based violence specialists and non-specialists, community leaders, civil society organizations and government representatives, as well as women and girls themselves — what they believed to be the challenges that prevent survivors from accessing services after disclosure.
Drawing on their responses and recommendations, we developed a suite of activities that non-specialists can use to better support survivors of gender-based violence in their communities.
These activities accommodate a variety of organizational capacities and desires, and cover three key approaches:
- Preparing to respond to spontaneous disclosures of gender-based violence
- Actively facilitating referrals to specialized gender-based violence services
- Strengthening specialist support services for survivors
These activities were then piloted by Women for Women International country offices in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraqi Kurdistan/Federal Iraq and South Sudan, as well as an additional partner organization in each country.
Following the conclusion of the year-long pilots, the team consolidated learnings and developed a set of resources, including a guidance document and a variety of case studies, sector briefs and program training materials, all of which are available for free online.
Key findings:
- Humanitarian organizations working on gender equality are critical partners for ensuring that survivors are treated with dignity and respect, and they can help strengthen and facilitate the referral process
- Encouraging and maintaining open communication between gender-based violence specialists and non-specialists at the community level is key to ensuring that best practices for survivor-centered care and response are mainstreamed by all aid organizations.
Research From Putting Survivors at the Center
Putting Survivors at the Center final guidance: A report that documents the Putting Survivors at the Center approach, including its development, the piloting process and the key findings that emerged from the various pilots
Barriers to and Challenges Accessing Specialized Care for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence: A research report that uses data collected during key stakeholder workshops and focus group discussions with women and girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and South Sudan
Putting Survivors at the Center case study series: A set of case studies documenting a handful of the Putting Survivors at the Center pilot activities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and South Sudan
Want more on responding to violence against women and girls?
- Learn how to partner with refugee women and girls to mitigate the risk of and prevent sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian aid delivery through our Empowered Aid program.
- Understand proxy indicators for assessing women’s risk of gender-based violence when receiving cash assistance in humanitarian settings like Iraq and Colombia.
- Check out barriers and new approaches that support survivors’ access to response services in humanitarian contexts, through our Putting Survivors at the Center project.
- Read about the intersection of gender-based violence and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for survivors through our work with Trōcaire.
Check out all of our research on our Explore page.
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