We run regular awareness sessions to help combat gender-based violence, as well as sexual and domestic violence. This is carried out in group settings as well as through door-to-door community visits.
In collaboration with our trusted partners, SEZ and the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, we also ran a four-month PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) project at our three centres at Domiz 2, Essyan and Rwanga camps, which aimed to raise awareness of abuse and improve reporting mechanisms for victims. As part of the initiative, we also conducted PSEA workshops for government institution employees in Duhok.
These kinds of interventions are badly needed, as shown in an assessment of awareness we conducted, which found that 76% of respondents had no idea what Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) was. In addition, 63% said they believed cases had increased during the pandemic, largely due to isolation, job losses and a critical shortage of resources. But in spite of rising cases, SEA remains desperately under-reported due to fear of stigmatisation and rejection by family and the wider community. There is also a lack of legal support to enable recriminations.
Our vital awareness work also engages men and boys, in order to help change traditional social norms that contribute to SEA.
CASE STUDY
Surian has been living at Essyan camp since 2014, and was badly affected by the ISIS conflict. She has been attending our awareness sessions on gender-based violence and says: “I now know more about my rights, and my obligations as a female to reduce gender-based violence against other women within my community.”