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Report Summary
Introduction
Traditionally, refugees and internally displaced persons have received aid in the form of in-kind assistance. Today, approximately 10 percent of humanitarian assistance globally is delivered via cash transfer programming (CTP) and cash is increasingly being scaled across the humanitarian system. Yet the use of cash within the protection sector trails behind the use of cash in all other sectors. Refugee and internally displaced women and girls face risks of and incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) before, during, and after crises and GBV is a pressing concern and the responsibility of all humanitarian actors. It is essential to better understand how cash transfers can help prevent, mitigate, and respond to GBV. Building evidence on the use of CTP to achieve GBV protection outcomes is central to the work of the Global Protection Cluster Task Team on Cash for Protection, co-chaired by the Women’s Refugee Commission and the International Rescue Committee. New jointly-undertaken research outlines existing evidence on CTP and the prevention and mitigation of and response to GBV in humanitarian settings, and recommends priority areas for future research.
Background
CTP—where cash or vouchers are provided directly to beneficiaries (recipients of aid) for their use and prioritization of goods and services—is relatively new in humanitarian contexts. However, its use has grown significantly over the past few years. CTP is recognized as an important component of humanitarian response that, in the right contexts, can make use of scarce resources efficiently and effectively, stimulate local economies, strengthen the dignity and choice of crisis-affected populations, and address multiple needs. While cash and voucher transfers have been studied in development contexts and in meeting nutritional and shelter needs in humanitarian crises, there is less evidence on the ability of CTP to meet other needs in humanitarian contexts. In the protection sector specifically, little conclusive evidence is available on the ability of CTP to address GBV.
GBV is an umbrella term for any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed (gender) differences between males and females. It includes sexual violence, encompassing rape, sexual assault, genital mutilation, sexual torture, exploitation, intimate partner violence, early and forced marriage, and any physical or mental violence that targets individuals based on their gender. GBV violations are human rights violations that not only traumatize survivors, but can undermine societal resilience and can negatively impact the recovery of households and communities.
The report, Humanitarian Cash Transfer Programming and Gender-Based Violence Outcomes: Evidence and Future Research Priorities, outlines existing evidence on CTP and the prevention and mitigation of and response to GBV in humanitarian settings, and recommends priority areas for future research. The report reviewed 28 studies; most covered CTP in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, or covered multiple interventions that spanned more than one region. It maps, for the first time, cash modalities—types of cash assistance—against specific goals related to GBV prevention, mitigation, and response. These goals include an increase in women’s decision-making power in the household; a reduction in intimate partner violence (IPV); the prevention of early and forced marriage; and access to services for survivors, such as sexual and reproductive health services and mental health services.