Gender

The innovation will aim at tackling gender inequality: the fundamental root cause of all forms of GBV. Women refugees are vulnerable, and it is estimated that 86% of the refugees in host communities live below the poverty line. Syrian women refugee also face major challenges in accessing basic resources and one-fifth of girls never even go outside their homes in Syria and displacement has made it even less likely. Lack of information is the major barrier to prevention of violence in this crisis.

Guinean adolescents are coming of age in a post-Ebola epidemic context where the epidemic's psychosocial consequences were severe, will linger for many years, and affected all facets of health.The psychosocial impact of Ebola epidemic on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) is unknown. Myths & misinformation are common. There is a bidirectional relationship between ASRH and mental health with high potential for one to adversely affect the other. Post-Ebola ASRH guidelines are rare.

The menstrual cycle affects the physical and emotional development of adolescent girls. Amongst the nomadic Ovahimba of Namibia, the first menstruation is a sign a girl is ready get married and give birth. A bride price (cattle or money) is paid to the girl's family to commit her to marriage, often to men older than her. Once married girls drop out of school and start the process of child bearing. Girls are denied their right to education and autonomy and have no control over their sexual lives.

Increasing number of cases of rape, sexual & gender-based violence indicates that the problem assumed alarming proportions given the formal complexity of police in treating rape cases & attendant stigmatization that follows such cases. The absence of structured data collection, forensic & medical evidence impedes legal prosecution of such cases. The project intends to establish structured data collection/ reporting system & provide pro-bono services to victims in prosecution of rape cases.

The findings for SRHR 2018 survey conducted by Indian Dreams Foundation in 11 slums of Agra, U.P revealed that % of girl child marriages before 18 years is 60.54%, children delivered at home by using unhygienic practices are 49.65%, girls & women not using sanitary pads during menstruation is 71.27% and married women forced by the husband to do sexual intercourse during periods is 28.92%. The proposed innovation will address poverty, lack of awareness on SRHR, SGBV and CEFM.

Our innovation addresses sexual violence in humanitarian settings. An estimated 21% of forcibly displaced women experience sexual violence yet have constrained access to comprehensive post-rape care.[1] There is a dearth of sexual violence prevention and post-rape care interventions developed by and for refugee adolescents and youth who are overrepresented among refugees. We address sexual violence prevention and post-rape care with youth aged 16-24 in Uganda's Bidi Bidi refugee settlement.

Nearly 1 in every 2 girls in Uganda is married before they are 18 years. Parents force girls into marriages resulting in teenage pregnancies and its related complications. Girls are married off majorly for financial gains. Early marriages deny girls and women their right to make vital decisions about their sexual health and well-being. It forces them out of school, into a life of poor prospects with an increased risk of violence, poverty, abuse, ill health/early death.

There is evidence that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) increases the health risks and impact badly women's sexual and reproductive health. The current Tanzania Demographic Health Survey (TDHS 2015-2016) revealed that FGM is still a problem in Tanzania however the prevalence varies from region to region. Manyara and Dodoma regions have been reported to be one among the regions in Tanzania with high prevalence of FGM with prevalence of 58% and 47% respectively.

Female genital mutilation/cutting(FGM/C) is an unnecessary traditional procedure on the female genitalia which causes irreparable sexual,reproductive and psychological harm(Odukogbe et al 2017).it is a gender based act of violence, discrimination and human rights violation(CRC Article 12).An alarming 200 million women worldwide are victims with 3 million girls at risk yearly.Nigeria has the highest global prevalence with an estimated 20 million women of reproductive as victims(Epundu et al 2018)

Harmful socio-cultural norms in Ghana perpetuate high levels of SGBV against women and girls. It is considered normal for men to control women, inter-marital violence is also seen as private and survivors of SGBV face stigma. Often, women are not aware of their SRHR and are not able to claim them. Other barriers that prevent them from receiving support and justice when experiencing SGBV are costs associated with accessing these services including travel expenses and time,and lack of anonymity.