Research & Resources

Safety First: Time to deliver on commitments to women and girls in crisis

Read GAPS member International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) new report: ‘Safety First: Time to deliver on commitments to women and girls in crisis’. This report highlights some of the links between gender-based violence and key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to show where gender-based violence prevention and response needs to be integrated across sectors to address the double disadvantage faced by women and girls in crisis. Reducing gender inequality – of which gender-based violence is one of the most appalling manifestations – is integral to the achievement of the SDGs and the ‘Leave No One Behind’ agenda. Women’s equality and empowerment is therefore the focus of SDG 5 – ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’ – and also reflected in the other 16 goals. In order to eliminate gender-based violence and achieve SDG 5, the report advocates for a feminist approach to all of the SDGs that is inclusive of crisis populations.  

 

The Trafficking of Girls and Young Women: Evidence for Prevention and Assistance

This month, GAPS member Plan International UK released their latest report on ‘The Trafficking of Girls and Young Women: Evidence for Prevention and Assistance’. This research describes the migration and trafficking trajectories of girls and young women from Nigeria, Nepal and Uganda. It provides a snapshot of the realities faced by this group, which is not often studied. The report is intended to stimulate discussion and inform efforts to address human trafficking through survivor-centred gender-and-age-sensitive approaches. This research presents original data collected by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) on the trafficking of girls and young women up to the age of 24 in Nigeria, Nepal and Uganda.  This report focuses on the trafficking of girls and young women to call attention to the gender disparities and inequalities that affect their access to resources and their agency before, during and after their migration experiences.

 

Challenging Power, Fighting Discrimination: Call to Recognize & Protect Women Human Rights Defenders

Amnesty International recently published ‘Challenging Power, Fighting Discrimination: Call to Recognize & Protect Women Human Rights Defenders’ which summaries the key challenges affecting women human rights defenders (WHRDs) that Amnesty International has documented globally in recent years and includes input collected through interviews conducted with 23 WHRDs from 21 countries in all continents between February and April 2019. All those interviewed insisted that more action is urgently needed so that they can continue with their critical human rights work in an environment free from violence, intimidation and harassment. The report ends with a series of recommendations that need to be urgently implemented in particular by states, who bear the main responsibility in ensuring a safe and enabling environment for WHRDs, but powerful non-state actors such as business and community leaders, as well as donors, financial institutions and intergovernmental bodies also need to take proactive steps to address the situation of violence, inequality, discrimination and exclusion faced by WHRDs.  

Inclusion of Women & Effective Peace Processes – OSCE Toolkit

The Organization for Security & Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) launched a new toolkit focusing on the Inclusion of Women and Effective Peace Processes at the 26th Ministerial Council in Bratislava. This toolkit makes actionable proposals for OSCE mediation actors, the Chairmanship, participating States, and Executive Structures on how to increase women’s inclusion in official negotiation processes in the OSCE area. The lack of women’s meaningful participation in peace processes remains a major challenge in global efforts to resolve violent conflict. By including women’s perspectives in conflict resolution efforts, the diverse needs of affected societies can be better addressed, thereby reducing the likelihood of relapse into conflict. The toolkit responds to the need for practicable measures to increase women’s inclusion in peace processes in the OSCE area.  

 

Women Human Rights Defenders: Insights from the Struggle

This new working paper series of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) aims to put Women Human Rights Defenders’ (WHRDs) perspectives at the centre, exploring personal reflections and case studies on how they are experiencing and promoting human rights in an increasingly challenging context. WHRDs have long played a central role in the advancement of human rights. In the fight against impunity and repression, WHRDs have been among one of the most vocal in calling for human rights to be protected and upheld. In recent years, WHRD-led movements have particularly gained traction. Their relentless work calling for justice has, however, exposed them to serious risks and threats. Read all the papers in this series here.  

 

Gender in displacement: the state of play

The Overseas Development Institute’s (ODI) new paper interweaves two streams of thought: how gender roles change in the course of crises, particularly displacement, and how gender has been integrated (or not) into humanitarian programming. Despite the plethora of policies that have been written and conferences convened over the past four decades, the humanitarian sector has not yet figured out how to integrate gender in a systematic or effective way, nor has it taken on board the evidence regarding how gender roles change in displacement. The paper  begins by exploring existing knowledge on the impact of displacement on gender roles, norms and power dynamics. It then details the international humanitarian system’s efforts to incorporate gender into its policy and practice, before investigating the deliberate and inadvertent effects of humanitarian action on gender roles among populations in crisis. Finally, it examines the challenges emerging from the existing literature and critically assesses the state of play for the humanitarian sector’s commitment to gender justice.    

 

A Gendered Crisis: Understanding the Experiences of Yemen’s War

This report by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies explores how gender norms have shaped Yemenis’ experience of conflict, and how conflict is reshaping gender norms in Yemen. Few Yemenis have been spared the catastrophic impact of the Yemen War, but prevailing gender norms mean women and girls, and men and boys, have experienced the conflict differently. The report is based on qualitative research, including 88 focus group discussions conducted across Yemen from November 2018 to February 2019, 49 key informant interviews, six case studies and a literature review. The focus group discussions included 674 participants in eight districts representing different political and socio-economic contexts — near and far from the fighting and on both sides of the frontlines. These were: Al-Sabeen and Bani Harith in Amanat al-Asimah, Sana’a city; Mukalla and Sayoun in Hadramawt governorate; Sheikh Othman and Seera in Aden governorate; and AlShamayatan and Al-Qahira in Taiz governorate. Focus group discussion participants and key informants in all areas perceived that financial strain has pressed women into the workforce, severely impacted boys and girls in terms of access to education and vulnerability to gender-based violence, and driven a rise in multiple forms of gender-based violence. Read the full report here.

 

Research to Action Toolkit: Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict and Humanitarian Settings

In order to bridge the gap between research and action, this toolkit has been developed to support non-academic stakeholders to understand and interpret the data gathered through population-based research on violence against women and girls and to create a process for moving from evidence to implementing action. The Research to Action tool provides a step-by-step process for practitioners and policymakers to better understand and use data generated by violence against women and girls research activities. This was developed by the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls  programme, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) which has invested £25 million over five years to develop new evidence on ‘what works’ to prevent violence against women and girls. Through this programme, the George Washington University’s Global Women’s Institute (GWI) and International Rescue Committee (IRC) have focused on developing new evidence to address gaps in understanding of violence against women and girls during conflict and humanitarian crises, including implementing a landmark population-based study on the prevalence, forms and drivers of violence against women and girls in conflict-affected South Sudan. 

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Opportunities

AWID: Call for Forum Activities

Gender and Development Climate Crisis issue: Call for Contributions

In November 2020, Gender & Development will publish an issue on the global Climate Crisis. They would like this issue to feature perspectives, strategies and experiences of feminist activists of all generations, working across international development research, policy and practice, and in women’s rights/feminist activism.

Apply by 6 January 2020.

For more information and how to apply, click here.

Join Equal-Power

Equal Power is a new campaign to transform women’s representation, and get more women elected as MPs and councillors across England, as well as leading change in their local communities. This three-year project is led by The Fawcett Society in partnership with Centenary Action Group, Citizens UK, 50:50 Parliament, Muslim Women’s Network and The Parliament Project. The Equal Power campaign will run in Greater Manchester, London and Birmingham and the West Midlands.  They will offer extensive training on standing for election and active citizenship, as well as building peer support circles and tracking women’s journeys to office. They will also be campaigning to tear down the barriers that stop women from standing for election. 

For more information and how to sign up, click here.

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Jobs & Volunteering

GAPS

Policy, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator (London), apply by Sunday 5 January

ActionAid UK

Finance and Assurance Specialist (London), apply by Monday 6 January

Senior Acquisition Campaign Manager (London), apply by Tuesday 14 January

CARE International UK

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Advisor – Women’s Economic Empowerment (London), apply by Monday 6 January

Trusts and Foundations Officer (London), apply by Sunday 12 January

Management Accountant – Fundraising & Resources (London), apply by Monday 13 January

Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

Research and Policy Manager (Washington DC)

Oxfam GB

SHE Financial Consultant (Manila), apply by Tuesday 7 January 

Protection Advisor (Damascus), apply by Friday 27 December 

Policy Advocacy and Campaigns Manager (Islamabad), apply by 27 December 

Co Project Manager – Empower Youth for Work (Jakarta), apply by Thursday 2 January

Conciliation Resources