Stepping up our efforts to end sexual and gender based violence

Sexual and gender-based violence is a pervasive phenomenon that exists in every part of the globe. Often rooted in perception and stigma, victim/survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) struggle in accessing the many services they need (health, protection, justice, etc). Different actors addressing the issue face many challenges in prevention and response due to the many misconceptions surrounding it, such as it is not a widespread practice during emergencies. The passing of the resolution "Sexual and gender-based violence: Joint action on prevention and response" at the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in 2015 was an important step in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's efforts to address SGBV in armed conflict, disasters and other emergencies. Yet, many challenges remain both within the Movement and globally on how we enhance prevention and response to victims/survivors and how we build the enabling protective environment (diversity and inclusion and survivor-centred approach) that allows victims to recover and promote changes in behaviours.

This interactive event will mix storytelling of the individual struggles faced by victims/survivors and a discussion on these challenges by a panel of experts. The stories and discussions will touch on the themes of access to services/justice, prevention of SGBV, and how to create a conducive environment. Throughout the event, audience members can ask their questions through an interactive online platform in real-time. We encourage all participants to bring their smartphones or laptops to be able to access our interactive Q&A platform during the event. The event aims to bring together ideas on how to combat these challenges with concrete action points.

Panellists:

Joanina Karugaba, Senior SGBV Advisor, UNHCR
Angelina Nyajima, Founder and Executive Director of Hope Restoration
Sarah Martin, SGBV Expert and Lead Researcher of Men, Boys and SGM Research Project
Moderated by Manisha Thomas

Click here for the video in French.

Click here for the video in Spanish.