How Action Against Hunger is supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence

Action against hunger’s actions to fight against sexual and gender-based violence

Conflict-related sexual violence poses a significant threat even outside of direct conflict settings.  The indirect effects of conflict-related sexual violence, such as trauma and fractured community bonds, are often present in refugee camps and other displacement contexts. This threatens the safety, security and well-being of the population and engenders a vicious cycle which may increase the likelihood of sexual and gender-based violence occurring within the camp or displacement setting. To help break this cycle and respond to the needs of displaced populations, Action Against Hunger provides Mental Health and Care Practice as a core area of intervention in countries such as Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have taken refuge after fleeing from neighbouring Myanmar. Here, our teams provide individual and group counselling to help survivors of sexual and gender-based violence overcome trauma. 

Our teams in Bangladesh also conduct awareness-raising activities in order to address harmful social norms, with the goal of preventing sexual and gender-based violence from occurring. ““We find many cases of domestic violence,” says Sahila Sadaf, an Action Against Hunger psychologist who works in the refugee camps. “Most refugees are unemployed. They are frustrated. They have low levels of self-esteem. There is also the underlying prejudice that men are superior. These conditions can lead to increased aggression and sexual violence, but women sometimes think that husbands have the right to beat them.” She adds that effective behavioral change requires men’s participation: “Awareness-raising sessions are quite effective. But if we only give messages to the women of the family, it will not be effective. Sessions should involve male participants. If they get proper education, they can change their views.”

Thomas Nobre, Deputy Country Director of Action Against Hunger Afghanistan, agrees. “Most of the current funding is for women and children,” he says. (The majority of Action Against Hunger interventions in the country target pregnant and lactating women, and children under five years of age).  “But the problem can’t be solved if you don’t include men in awareness-raising activities. This is a very big issue.” Nobre  notes that changing mentalities cannot be done in one or two sessions, but only over the long term. Accordingly, community dialogues were integrated into the recently concluded Improved Nutrition in Afghanistan project, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Action Against Hunger, in order to engage women and men, boys and girls in discussion on gender topics and promote positive behaviour change. 

Our teams also highlight that financial empowerment and better educational opportunities would be an effective way to help survivors and reduce sexual violence. “Financial dependency can make survivors accept sexual violence,” remarked a team member in Afghanistan, citing child marriage and Bacha Bazi, a practice involving the sexual abuse of boys by men in positions of power, as examples of how financial hardship can lead to exploitative relationships. She adds that providing “…educational opportunities to girls could help them stand on their feet in the future.” 

Action Against Hunger continues to expand our Mental Health, Psychosocial Support and Protection activities in order to address the needs of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as advocating for improved economic and educational opportunities for women and girls. We are also a proud member of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender Based Violence in Emergencies, a multi-stakeholder initiative launched in 2013 designed to ensure that humanitarian interventions include the systems and mechanisms to mitigate gender-based violence risks, especially violence against women and girls, and to provide safe and comprehensive services to those affected by gender-based violence.

The Improved Nutrition in Afghanistan project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC).