PROTECTION NOTE> West and Central Africa / 15 APRIL 2020 Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), child protection In countries of the subregion, displaced women, girls, and LGBTI individuals have always been confronted with a number of challenges, notably when it comes to access to health services including reproductive and sexual health, financial resources and employment, information, decisionmaking, bodily autonomy, equal participation, and access to efficient aid. These disparities are often resulting from social norms and harmful sexist stereotypes driving gender-based discrimination, harming equally the host community members. These longstanding vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the COVID-19 context. Increased gender-based violence has already been reported by various grassroots women organizations and human rights defenders. The holistic support services for victims and coordination between concerned sectors – health, policy and justice, social services – are jeopardized, with priorities, coordination efforts and resources redirected to the COVID-19 response, while response to GBV victims is neglected. Children, especially girls, are particularly exposed. As a result of schools’ closure and restrained livelihood opportunities, children are exposed to forced labor and diverse forms of exploitation. Response • • • • • • • Advocacy for national contingency and response plans to integrate an age, gender and diversity (AGD) perspective, taking into account pre-existing dynamics. The participation of women and girls is critical given their role within the community in key areas such as hygiene, health, prevention and detection; Enhanced monitoring of gender-based violence cases, including intimate partner violence (IPV) and domestic violence, and of the impact on victims of the COVID-19 measures limiting freedom of movement to access support and health services; Training of medical personnel with an AGD focus on how to address and respond to sexual violence that might be associated with the pandemic and guarantee suitable referencing. Trainings and webinars on remote case management and assessments; Development of digital and hotline services to counsel SGBV survivors; Economic empowerment of women to alleviate the pandemic’s impact and adoption of supportive measures, including targeted cash assistance; Launch of campaigns on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) for women, partly due to their inability to pursue economic activities; Quick evaluations/surveys, including women living with or exposed to HIV and/or domestic violence, to evaluate needs in information, the © UNHCR/Jean Sebastien Josset availability of medicine, and the capacity for people to access Refugee women in Niger producing soap to support refugee and host community in prevention measures. support services by telephone or on the community level. www.unhcr.org 4