* for operations at national level:
Ms Sabine Heck, GerRC HQ, Team 41, Legal Advisor, s.heck@drk.de
* for operations at international level:
Ms. Stefanie Lux, GerRC HQ, Team 21, Project Coordinator, s.lux@drk.de
In the context of its international cooperation activities, GerRC has contributed to the implementation of para. 20, section I; para. 25, section II and para. 33 section III of the resolution.
At international level:
The below mentioned activities show some of GerRC’s contributions to sections I, II and III of the resolution in the context of its international cooperation activities.
In the context of its international operations, GerRC together with its partner National Societies in the respective countries always takes care to ensure that all activities implemented respect the do-no-harm approach and contribute to a the prevention of SGBV, whenever possible.
Example: In an emergency project in Uganda, GerRC supported the construction of latrines in the refugee camp Bidi Bidi. The difficult and crowded conditions in the camp had led to an increased risk of sexual violence for the camp population, especially for women and children. To reduce risks for women using the camp latrines, specific measures were taken. Sufficient lighting was ensured and the location of the latrines was selected by sanitation committees, in which women made up at least half of the members. Households, like female-headed households that were considered as particularly vulnerable received household latrines. Furthermore, in the camp and the surrounding reception communities public awareness-raising activities and trainings of traditional local authorities and peer educators, as well as community outreach volunteers are carried out.
In some contexts, where projects of GerRC and partner National Societies directly assist populations affected by armed conflict specific measures are also taken to provide specific assistance to victims of SGBV, in line with para. 20, section I of the resolution.
Examples:
In a project implemented by GerRC and Colombian Red Cross in areas in Colombia that are affected by conflict and situations of violence, mobile health units operated by the project provide health care to the affected population. Patients who have been victims of SGBV receive medical treatment, psychological first aid and are referred to other institutions providing counselling or further assistance.
In the context of its work in the Syria crisis, GerRC supports community centers in Turkey (Adana, Istanbul and Izmir) offering counselling for refugees from Syria and the host population. Many of the refugees, mainly women and children that use the services of the centers have been affected by SGBV. The centers offer them psychosocial support, including counselling) and also refer to other institutions for further assistance. Center staff and volunteers are trained in psychological first aid and sensitized on SGBV.
GerRC also contributes to strengthen capacities of partner National Societies and their staff in assisting victims of SGBV and raising awareness, in line with para. 33 section III of the resolution.
Example: In a project assisting families affected by conflict in Yemen, volunteers of the Yemen Red Crescent have been trained in providing psychosocial support to victims of SGBV.
In line with para. 25 of section II of the resolution, GerRC ensures engaging community members, in particular women, in decision-making about disaster risk management in its community-based DRR programs worldwide. GerRC and its partner National Societies carry out community-based disaster-risk reduction programs in more than 20 countries worldwide. In all of these projects, GerRC ensures that women are included decision-making about disaster-risk management, by ensuring their participation in vulnerability and capacity assessments, their participation in trainings and awareness-raising activities and advocating for their representation in community disaster risk management bodies.
At national level:
In the context of the GerRC response to the refugee situation in Germany, GerRC managed different emergency shelters for refugees. GerRC Headquarters developed technical guidelines for the management and installation of these shelters that included specific measures to prevent incidences of SGBV among the refugee population, such measures included e.g. specific guidance on the design and location of sanitation facilities, the installation of child-friendly spaces and guidelines on housing female-headed households.
A child protection policy was implemented in the reception centers run by the GerRC Headquarters, including a response mechanism for cases of sexual based violence. The GerRC Headquarters supports regional and local branches to develop concepts for the prevention of violence and lobbies for a federal law, obligating all refugee shelters to install such concepts.
The GerRC Headquarters and several regional and local branches participate in projects for the prevention of sexual based violence and the empowerment of women in refugee shelters. With participation of the GerRC minimum standards were developed by a project of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) and UNICEF.
The GerRC developed a curriculum for staff and volunteers working in refugee shelters including trainings preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence. Many regional and local branches provide similar trainings for staff and volunteers. The GerRC organizes meetings and provides an online-platform for the exchange of experiences and good practices.
The GerRC supports centers providing psycho-social support to, amongst others, refugees and other migrants who have been victims of sexual-based-violence.
n.a.
In its international operations, GerRC takes into account methodological guidance and reference material on the matter that have been produced by IFRC and ICRC.