Standard operating procedures for prevention of and response to gender-based violence - In Cabo Delgado, Mozambique humanitarian response [EN/PT]

1. INTRODUCTION

Gender-based Violence (GBV) is a life-threatening protection, health, and human rights issue that can have a devastating impact on women and children, as well as families and communities. These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been developed to facilitate joint action by all actors to prevent and respond to GBV. The prevention of and response to GBV require the establishment of a multi-sectoral working group to enable a collaborative, multi-functional, inter-agency, and community-based approach.

1.1. Background

Cabo Delgado in Northern Mozambique is a province that has experienced conflict by non-state armed groups largely affiliated to the Islamist State since 2017 and armed attacks intensified in 2021. Over 730,000 displaced persons continue to seek humanitarian assistance from both the government and the humanitarian community in Cabo Delgado. Repeated displacement has negatively impacted on family livelihoods and social wellbeing. Currently 1 in 3 people in Cabo Delgado are displaced.

While the conflict has increased humanitarian situations of women, girls, men and boys, Cabo Delgado continues to suffer from climate change in which it is prone to cyclones. Communities have barely recovered from the impact of cyclone Kenneth in 2019 and yearly floods that exacerbated GBV risks of women and girls.

The Gender-based Violence Area of Responsibility in Cabo Delgado (GBV AOR) under the leadership of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has continued to provide strategic and advisory roles to partners on the implementation of GBV programs.

These standard Operating Procedures have been developed in partnership with all GBV AOR members in Cabo Delgado and are instrumental in guiding survivor centred support to GBV survivors, and communities in accordance with globally acceptable procedures.

The development of these SOPs was made possible with financial and technical support from UNFPA, through a two days’ workshop, review sessions conducted of meetings and bilateral consultations held in Cabo Delgado between October – December 2021.

1.2. Purposes

The GBV prevention and response SOPs is a technical guidance document that aims to ensure that all survivors of GBV receive prompt and comprehensive responses from service providers that meet their needs from the first point of contact onwards. It is an agreement of cooperation among the respective sectors and clusters, government ministries, United Nations agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)/Community Based Organisations (CBOs) to ensure an effective response to, and coordination of, services for survivors of Gender-based Violence.

General Objectives: The purpose is to establish a clear reporting and referral system so that GBV survivors and others know to whom they should report and what sort of assistance survivors can expect to receive from the health, social welfare, law enforcement, legal, justice and other sectors.

Specific Objectives:

a) Survivors of GBV and those at risk will receive prompt and coordinated response from service providers

b) A holistic and comprehensive support and services are being provided for survivors of GBV. This will include medical care, psychosocial support, protective care, and legal services (legal advice, representation, and litigation)

c) Standards of professional practice are prescribed and followed with regards to confidentiality, information sharing and recording of sensitive information, avoiding conflicts of interest

d) Awareness is raised among all key stakeholders about GBV and the Referral Pathways, as well as gender equality

e) A framework for monitoring and evaluation is developed

f) Provision of support, holistic services to survivors – follow norms and general practices