ALL sectors must work to mitigate the risks associated with their programs to ensure that women, girls, and other vulnerable groups can safely access and use them.
There are multiple entry points for understanding where and how GBV risk mitigation strategies/actions can be implemented in humanitarian action.
Understanding the risks that different groups within an affected population may be facing allows for the design of programming to better and more safely meet their needs.
Successful implementation activities need to be determined by the context. GBV risk mitigation strategies provide a framework to identify where risk mitigation actions should be implemented based on context.
Why Integrate GBV Risk Mitigation Strategies into Program Design and Implementation
GBV risk mitigation is just good programming. Ensuring that our programs are safe and accessible to all, including and especially the most vulnerable or marginalized within a community, is not “additional” work—rather, ensuring that GBV risk mitigation actions are integrated into every sector’s programs should result not only in safer programming overall, but in better sector-specific outcomes.
How to Integrate GBV Risk Mitigation Strategies into Program Design and Implementation
GBV risks can occur across all levels of intervention [societal/institutional, community, and individual/service delivery] and therefore there are opportunities at each of these levels to engage in GBV risk mitigation. Please click on the boxes to see example strategies that can be incorporated.
Strategies at Society/Institutional Level
Incorporate GBV risk mitigation strategies into policies, standards and guidelines within our own agencies (for example codes of conduct and partner agreements). For a helpful resource, see the GBV Risk Mitigation Institutionalization Resource Pack
Incorporate/advocate for GBV risk mitigation strategies in national and local laws and polices
Strengthen existing community-based protective structures and support networks that can play a role in safe and appropriate response to GBV disclosures and provide basic PFA and referrals
Increase community awareness about available services
Strategies at the Individual/Service Delivery Level
Consult women, girls and other vulnerable groups in the decision-making and design of services
Ensure female and multi-lingual staff
Design program modalitities that take GBV risk into account (see diagram below)
Ensure safe location of /routes to and from services
The diagram below indicates areas where GBV risks are commonly found and the general types of interventions that can help mitigate those risks. To ensure that interventions are as effective as possible in the context in which they are to be implemented, it is critical to include GBV risk related questions in every sector’s assessments.
Click on a circle to view a corresponding programmatic intervention.
Sample Programmatic Interventions for Location of Facilities
Ensure facilities are safe and convenient to access (timing, location, etc)
Sample Programmatic Interventions for Dissemination of Information
Diverse groups of girls/women have access to information
Be aware of and reduce influence of information gatekeepers (ie avoid disseminating information through only male community leaders)
Sample Programmatic Interventions for Human Resources
Adequate number of female frontline workers
Female representation in management levels
Staff trained on Codes of Conduct
Sample Programmatic Interventions for Delivery of Services
Materials suit the needs of girls/women based on consultations
Distributions are safely sited/ appropriate crowd management
Service providers trained on responding to GBV disclosures
Sample Programmatic Interventions for Design and Layout of Facilities
Gender-segregated, lockable latrines
Culturally appropriate facility and shelter design/layout (i.e. for privacy etc).
Appropriate lighting (i.e. for pathways, structures, etc)
The Thematic Area Guides (TAGs) of the GBV Guidelines include concrete, standard GBV risk mitigation measures that you can use in your sector.
For examples of sector-specific GBV risk mitigation strategies in practice see your sector page.
