Dear President López Obrador, Secretary Sanchez, and Secretary Ebrard:

ABSTRACT

Efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) should be regarded as a priority for all actors in every humanitarian response operation from the very outset. By mainstreaming GBV considerations in cash-based interventions (CBIs) throughout the programme cycle, and by utilizing cash within GBV case management services, cash can be optimized as a tool to enhance the protection of crisis- and conflict-affected populations, and to mitigate their risks of recurrent violence, promote their recovery and build their resilience.

1. INTRODUCTION

The Women's Refugee Commission is undertaking a three-country exploratory study on sexual violence against refugee men and boys, including those with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. In July 2018, two researchers traveled to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to explore sexual violence perpetrated against Rohingya men and boys in Myanmar and Bangladesh. We conducted 21 focus groups with 109 Rohingya men, women, and adolescents in four sections of Kutupalong Camp and interviewed 45 humanitarian aid workers and human rights experts.

This baseline report outlines key findings from the assessment conducted by IOM and UNHCR on July 18 – 26, 2016 in Al-Karma and Al-Amal informal internally displaced persons (IDP) sites in Ankawa District of Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The assessment set out to map existing governance structures in Al-Karma and Al-Amal informal sites and learn how displaced men, women, and various at-risk groups, including adolescent girls and women currently participate in camp life and camp decision-making processes.