Cluster Status: Gender-based Violence (GBV) Sub-cluster Response (April – 15 October 2023)

Needs

• Since 15 April, the number of people in need (PiN) of gender-based violence (GBV) services in Sudan have increased by over 1 million to 4.2 million people. The number of people targeted for GBV services has increased to 1.3 million, with an increase of over 900 per cent of people targeted in states that are heavily impacted but still accessible. The number of people in need of GBV services in 2024 is expected to increase to 6.9 million.

• All forms of GBV are increasing, the GBV sub-cluster in Sudan and service providers have received surging reports of cases of GBV including sexual violence, particularly against internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing from one state to another and when homes are being looted, as well as an increased number of domestic violence cases. There are also extremely high risks of sexual violence and exploitation as women and girls are displaced, in transit, in temporary shelters, and awaiting visas at border crossings. Service providers reported that GBV survivors are facing life-threatening consequences such as strong suicidal tendencies.

• Limited access in conflict-affected states, shortage of supplies and limited availability of specialized services that are not meeting the needs that have increased significantly are three of the most serious challenges to service provision. Access to services in conflict-affected localities is severely curtailed by ongoing fighting, destruction of property, and looting of medical supplies and facilities, including health centres and hospitals.

Response

• Between April and 15 October, 41 GBV partners reached 161,000 people (in addition to 42,078 people reached in Jan-Mar 2023) with activities, such as provision of lifesaving GBV responses medical treatment, including Clinical Management of Rape (CMR), legal, psychosocial support (PSS), awareness and material assistance to GBV survivors, as well as referral to appropriate services. Information dissemination sessions were conducted on GBV-related issues, including the availability of services and referral systems, utilizing community-based structures. Temporary Women Centers in selected accessible gathering points were established/operationalized based on the consultation with women and girls as well as community leaders.

• Furthermore, to address the interruption of access to physical services, a total of the 1,642 frontline GBV service providers were trained on GBV, including 796 trained by the GBV sub-cluster on the remote provision of GBV services, focusing on remote psychosocial support, psychological first aid, referrals, emergency response planning and PSEA. Standard operating procedures and protocols for remote GBV service provision have been developed for the first time in Sudan. Standard Guidelines for key GBV interventions (guidance notes on GBV awareness sessions, remote psychological first aid, remote case management, key considerations for GBV prevention and response and conflict-related sexual violence messages GBV sub-cluster partners are scaling up GBV prevention and response services in the new IDP-hosting states and restoring GBV services in conflict affected states. GBV Risk mitigation training was conducted and 345 people were trained.

Gaps

• Specialized GBV services, such as the CMR, PSS, legal aid, case management, and referral mechanisms, are limited in many localities in Sudan. This gap in services is further exacerbated by the severe funding shortage as GBV is amongst the least funded sectors. In addition to the limited access to conflict-affected areas and shortage of supplies, and limited availability of specialized services that are not meeting the needs that has increased significantly are three of the most serious challenges to service provision. Functional community-based protection networks (CBPNs) and Women Centres offering GBV services are severely curtailed by ongoing fighting and need to be strengthened to meet the increasing needs. Additional funds and capacity are urgently required to ensure that GBV services and the GBV coordination mechanism can scale up to meet increased needs in IDP hosting locations and sites. Additional efforts on scaling up GBV awareness raising is required to increase the acceptance and uptake of GBV services.

Challenges

• Since the fighting broke out in Khartoum on 15 April 2023 and quickly spread across the country, below are the challenges:

• Shortages of supplies, challenges with transportation, interrupted power and water supply, attacks on service providers and facilities limit the capacity to continue providing life-saving service provision.

• The volatility of the situation and access challenges in conflict-affected areas led to the interruption of life-saving services.

• Significant funding shortfalls (less than 20 per cent of the required amount funded to date) make it difficult to meet increased needs in both IDP hosting sites and conflict-affected states and provide life-saving GBV services. Limited access for frontline service providers, such as national organizations and women-led organizations to funding mechanisms, is creating challenges for the continuation and scale-up of life-saving services

• Additional efforts for awareness raising are needed to build trust with the community and GBV survivors, with the increased sensitivity of GBV.

Humanitarian organizations require US$2.6 billion to support 18.1 million people with multi-cluster assistance and protection services until the end of the year, but only $989.3 million (38.6 per cent) has been received as of 6 December.