Women's Protection and Empowerment

Self-care is easy to talk about and difficult to practice. In this episode we talk with IRC staff in Sacramento, Salt Lake, Lebanon and New York about why they do this work, the stress that often accompanies providing case management, signs of burnout and individual and group self-care techniques. Take some time to listen today, at the very least, let this be a reminder to take care of you because...

What are safety audits, how can they function best, and how can you make them actionable? In this episode, we tackle those questions about safety audits and dig into analysis. We talk about real recommendations given as the result of a safety audit and the actions taken afterward. Listen to and learn from IRC staff for best practices and lessons learned.

In this first in our new series collaboration with the GBV Area of Responsibility's community of practice, Sarah Martin interviews Eric Dentor (UNICEF) to hear about how he got into this work, his career pathway and what advice he would give to others.

Today, we're talking about the release of the GBV Blended Curriculum, an online and mobile application capacity development initiative. We'll introduce the curriculum, how it came to be, some of the topics covered and ways for frontline responders to take full advantage! Learn more about the curriculum here: https://gbvresponders.org/gbv-blended-curriculum/ Learn more about the Remote Offered Skil...

Why is a feminist approach to programming around gender-based violence so essential and yet misunderstood? In this episode, we talked with IRC staff from Nigeria, Mali and Uganda about the theory behind our work and the practical implications of a feminist approach. This includes impacts on help-seeking behavior, recovery and operating in the context of systematic oppression.

How do you build sustainability, effectiveness and long-term change for GBV response? The Building Local, Thinking Global initiative is a coalition of feminists, women’s rights organizations, activists, academics, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, and regional civil society networks aiming to do just that – harness the collective power of the humanitarian community to...

In this episode we explored further the idea of integration GBV programming and cash-based interventions by talking about the experience of Women's Refugee Commission, International Rescue Committee, and Mercy Corps in Jordan. This complements the previous episode, Where do cash-based interventions fit in programming for women’s protection and empowerment? * * * * Read about the toolkit here: http...

Livelihoods support can provide a route to economic well-being with the means of moving beneficiaries on the path from survival to long-term recovery. Cash-based interventions are one type in the form of direct financial assistance. How can we acknowledge and mitigate the risks of cash for survivors of gender-based violence? What are the models to consider? In this episode, we talked with Tenzin M...

Recent immigration policies have fostered a climate of fear among immigrants and their loved ones. A hardline stance against the undocumented, resulting in threats of detention, deportation and separation have impacts at the individual, community and institutional level with public health effects. How do these policies impact women and girls? Is immigration a women’s issue? In this episode, we bro...

In 2017, we conducted a research project in Lebanon to answer several key questions: what are women and girls’ access to mobile phones and the Internet, what are the barriers to their access (real and perceived), and what are their desired uses and safety concerns? In working with potentially vulnerable populations such as forcibly displaced women and girls, is mobile technology the appropriate ch...

Stories are among the most powerful calls to action. They can ignite action and drive change, but the process of sharing one’s story, especially for survivors, can be re-traumatizing. How can we create change while maintaining our ethical principles? In this episode, we talked to Michael Kass of The Center for Story and Spirit about ethical storytelling: what is it, what are the ethical criteria,...

For the second edition of Feminist Book Club we read Bell Hooks' Feminism is for Everybody. This seminal writing covers the spectrum of feminism. We focused our conversation on the linkages between feminism and other systems of oppression such as racism, classism, and homophobia, how feminism and reproductive rights are connected at a foundational level, the role of men in fighting patriarchy , be...

Being a parent and an aid worker can feel at times like a trade-off, a double life, or at best a balancing act. What should you expect as a parent working in this field? How do you balance dueling responsibilities at home and with your passion? What lessons have you learned as a parent in this field? In this episode, we talked with four brave parents about their experience in having it all. * * *...

For the first Women's Protection and Empowerment edition of the Feminist Book Club we read - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All be Feminists. A fitting start, this essay on feminism looks at definitions, gender expectations, and gender roles. We talked about Adichie's description of feminist, ingrained expectation and norms of each gender, and gendered concepts of "should." A crucial part of...

This year for International Women's Day we asked IRC staff - why is now the time for gender equality, women's rights and justice? From Myanmar to Lebanon, Sierra Leone to Chad and Miami, here's why the time is now.

The model of care for child survivors of gender-based violence can come from the perspective of service providers working in gender-based violence or child protection. Which approach best serves the individual? In this episode, we look at the similarities and complementary differences through the lens of a case study and discuss practical ways these sectors can collaborate. Read the guidelines ref...

Building off the decade-long #MeToo movement, #AidToo focuses on the safety and security of female aid workers and the culture of sexual harassment and abuse. Our organizations have a duty of care for staff and to ensure a safe working environment. What should humanitarian organizations do to keep their staff safe from sexual harassment?

Menstruation is a regular part of life for women and girls globally. The right to safe menstrual hygiene management involves knowledge, dignity, privacy, and the appropriate products. Yet, in many settings, women and girls instead face stigma and unsafe options for accessing and using sanitary materials. This can result in isolation, school drop-out, and increased risk of violence, including sexua...

Creating Opportunities through Mentoring, Parental Involvement and Safe Spaces (COMPASS) program - IRC has been designing, implementing and evaluating the COMPASS program in DRC, Ethiopia and Pakistan. COMPASS stands for Creating Opportunities through Mentoring, Parental Involvement and Safe Spaces. Implemented over the last several years, the program recognizes the vulnerabilities of adolescent g...

The What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls research project is focused on building an evidence base on how to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in conflict and humanitarian crises. As part of that project, the Global Women’s Institute at the George Washington University, the International Rescue Committee, and CARE International UK collaborated on the first la...

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee GBV Guidelines were revised and launched in 2015. The guidelines were developed to support humanitarian actors and communities to coordinate, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the core actions for the prevention and mitigation of GBV across sectors. In this episode, hear about the guidelines, lessons learned on rolling them out, and the impact so far. To rea...

In humanitarian and low resource settings, women and girls can be forced into exploitative relationships, such as sex work. In this episode learn more about the health and protection needs of women and girls engaged in sex work in humanitarian settings and IRC’s integrated WPE and RH programming approach and lessons learned.

With 20 million people at risk of starvation and famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen, we are facing the worst humanitarian crisis in 50 years. While the critical nutrition and health needs of millions are unmet, there are still further risks and unique impacts on women and girls. In this episode, learn more about how the famine effects females, the urgency for action, programming in...

Case management is the core function of gender-based violence response programming. In this episode, Meghan O'Connor talks about the recently released Inter-Agency Gender-Based Violence Case Management Guidelines (available at gbvresponders.org)

Adolescence is a time period when there is so much potential for girls– opportunities for informed decision making, for knowledge and skill building, and also a lot of opportunities for scale to tip the other way. When girls have self-confidence, are supported by families and communities and have access to opportunities – the impact of that is world-changing. In this episode, learn about empowerme...