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In situations where static, traditional GBV services are unable to reach many people due to factors like displacement, natural disasters and other emergencies like Covid-19, or remote locations, alternative options have emerged. Remote services involve staff using technology to provide GBV services from a distance, while mobile services provide services directly to people who are displaced, in transit or who cannot easily access traditional (static) services. These models can be designed according to the Leave No One Behind principle to meet the needs of GBV survivors from vulnerable…

All survivors of violence have a right to care and support, however, not all survivors experience violence in the same way, and some groups have multiple and intersecting vulnerabilities that can impact their health. It is important that these groups do not get overlooked in service delivery. Health services should consider what survivors need, the barriers they might face, and how to provide them with specialised services. Some examples of vulnerable groups that could need specific care include:

Pregnant women survivors: Women and adolescent girls who experience sexual violence while…

Asking survivors about violence needs to be linked to an effective response, which would include a first-line supportive response, appropriate medical treatment and care as needed, and referral(s) to other services. A service mapping identifying health, psychosocial, protection, legal, shelter/safe accommodation, livelihoods and other services is therefore integral for providing effective GBV support. Read more information on strengthening referral mechanisms.

Healthcare providers need to be aware of the laws and obligations on reporting sexual violence and intimate partner violence to the police or authorities. Although mandatory reporting is often intended to protect survivors (particularly children), in some cases it may conflict with the GBV Guiding Principles (see the Inter-Agency Minimum Standards for GBViE Programming, 2019). Furthermore, in the case of adults, mandatory reporting impinges on their autonomy and ability to make their own decisions. It also raises safety concerns as women may experience retaliation, fear losing custody of their…

Many survivors will not disclose violence to a healthcare provider (or any other provider) due to fear of repercussions, social stigma, rejection from partners/families and other reasons. If healthcare providers are not well trained, they may not be able to detect the indicators of violence. Survivors may be inadvertently discouraged from asking for help for VAWG-related health problems. This can occur if the provider does not ask the right questions; if communication materials in the facility do not make clear the types of services that are available, and that they are available for all; or…

Safety in and around health facilities is vital. This can include having good lighting, female guards, and separate, lockable latrines and washing facilities. Community health workers can also support survivors to get to and from facilities. If written information on GBV is shared on site (i.e. posters, pamphlets or leaflets), these should be in private areas like washrooms which should feature appropriate warnings to survivors about taking resources home if an abusive partner is there. 

Wherever possible, services for survivors should also be integrated into existing healthcare centres in…

It can sometimes be challenging for survivors – and their advocates – to understand which health facility to visit for different types of treatment. There are often multiple levels of health services (i.e. health posts, health clinics, mobile clinics, hospitals) with different types of staffing (e.g. nurses, doctors), equipment and facilities. So it is vital to provide clear information for first responders at community level and in other services on where to go for different health needs. At the same time, a local health post is often the only service accessible, so health staff there need to…

Monitoring and evaluating capacity building efforts can support programmes to learn and build from what has worked well and what could be improved. Programmes should consider conducting pre- and post- training assessments; participant feedback surveys; self-assessment tools, training facilitator surveys; satisfaction surveys; and progress reports. These should be linked to baselines that are set at the start of the capacity building process. Employing multiple evaluation methods in the short, medium and long-term supports comprehensive evaluations which can capture learning and be used to…

In order to challenge longstanding inequalities in the international development sector, it is important to engage and strengthen expertise in the Global South. For example, rather than recruiting an international researcher to conduct data analysis, programmes could support research teams from the Global South who are collecting the data to develop skills to conduct this analysis and present the findings themselves. Some programmes in the ending VAWG sector - such as the What Works programme - engaged a team of Technical Advisors who were mainly based in the Global South and, in some cases…

Capacity building efforts should be tailored to the needs of partners and their contexts. Involving partners in the design of capacity building efforts can help identify which approaches they have found useful or less effective in the past. Capacity building efforts can also introduce new approaches informed by best and innovative practice but should be mindful of partner preferences.

Involving partners in the design of capacity building initiatives can also help identify what is achievable within resource constraints. Partner engagement at this stage can help build an understanding of the…