Training of Field Experts, Government Officials, Aid Workers and Key Partners on Gender and Gender Based Violence in Key Humanitarian Settings Begins

Addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in the Pacific is a significant complex challenge. Long before the recent floods in Fiji, GBV was recognized as a major problem for girls and women mainly, but also affecting boys. While quantitative data is not available on the scale of GBV in post-floods, experience from disasters and mass displacements around the world shows that incidence of GBV tends to rise during and after emergencies. Common forms of GBV in Fiji include domestic violence, sexual violence and rape, exclusion from social benefits and aid, commercial sexual exploitation.

In an effort to build from the latest humanitarian response to the floods in Fiji and develop further the capacity of first responders to address gender and GBV issues, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with the Pacific Humanitarian Protection Cluster led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on 6 August started with a five-day workshop involving the key humanitarian actors to introduce basic GBV concepts in programme and coordination, and concepts on Gender sensitive humanitarian response, using practical exercises and building from case studies and lessons learned.

The workshop being held at the Tanoa Plaza in Suva at its completion is expected to provide field practitioners with the knowledge and tools to better address the different needs of women, men, boys and girls, and multisectoral interventions for GBV prevention and response in humanitarian settings.

This initiative aims to be built into a longer term strategy to integrate Gender and GBV in emergencies, as well as programmatic response, mainstreaming across other sectors, preparedness and service delivery.

In her address to participants, Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni stated that in Fiji, like in other countries in the world, institutions and systems for physical and social protection tend to be weakened or destroyed in the event of emergencies. Police, health, education, legal and social services are often displaced and disrupted, and many people flee to seek refuge while those remaining, at most times do not have the facilities and the means to manage their daily lives.

“It is in disaster situations that gender-based violence is documented to escalate as a public health and human rights problem in Fiji. Women and children become targets of sexual abuse. They are vulnerable to exploitations, violence and abuse simply because of their gender, age and status in society. It is the women who have to carry the burden of looking after the-wellbeing and safety of their children, without paying much attention to their own needs.
Existing disaster management operations are not sensitive to the special gender needs of our women, men, girls, boys, people with disabilities and the elderly,” she said.

Dr Luveni stated that the most common Gender-based violence reported occurring in acute emergencies was sexual violence and this commonly involved female as victims and male perpetrators.

“Other forms of gender based violence occurring during rehabilitation and recovery periods in Fiji are domestic violence including withholding of social benefits and commercial sexual exploitation. The severity and incidence of sexual violence and domestic violence often increase in the aftermath of natural disasters. This requires immediate intervention from humanitarian actors such as ourselves,” Dr Luveni challenged.

In his address, Dirk Jena, the Representative of UNFPA, highlighted that for this year, Fiji was unfortunate to witness not one but two succeeding humanitarian emergencies at our door steps here in Fiji, whereby the response of government and the community were remarkable.

“At the United Nations we considered it therefore an opportune moment to organize a series of related workshops so as to facilitate such learning to the benefit, not only from the local community but also for our global community in respect of what works and what doesn’t work in situations of a humanitarian emergency” Mr Jena said,

For the remaining part of this week, participants will hear and participate in learning more on some of the following issues; gender issues in humanitarian settings, addressing the different needs of women, men, boys and girls in humanitarian settings, gender mainstreaming across sectors, immediate prevention and response to GBV in emergencies, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and also hear presentations on the results from the assessment on Gender and GBV related issues following the Fiji floods in 2012, from independent assessors, amongst others.

Closing the workshop on Friday will be the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Provincial Development and Disaster Management Office, Lt Colonel Inia Seruiratu.

The workshop will be facilitated through support by the global GBV AoR (Gender Based Violence Area of Responsibility of the Protection Cluster) Rapid Response Team for Asia and the Pacific, co facilitated with expertise from the GenCap for the region, protection cluster, child protection subcluster, Gender advisors from UNFPA and UN Women.

(For further information please contact sainiana.radrodro@unwomen.org).