Gender-Based Violence has been identified as a critical protection concern in any country especially in emergency response. Forms of gender-based violence including prostitution, sexual humiliation/ Assault, mutilation, trafficking, domestic violence, child marriages are unfortunate but inevitable side effect of devastation that occurs in the country. PEI endeavors to address gender-based violence as a community’s responsibility instead of making it a ‘women’s issue’ and use multiple strategies to reach out to all sectors in society.
The efforts made by PEI focuses on preventing rather than merely responding to gender-based violence since prevention addresses the root causes of violence, have farther-reaching effects and are ultimately more cost effective.
- PEI ensures the use of programmatic tools in order to implement effective programs, to document practical experiences, to monitor and evaluate progress, and support practitioners and local authorities.
- Ensures community mobilization, promoting women’s rights, building the bridge between policy and practice and facilitating change at the grassroots.
- Mainstreaming gender in safety policies, supporting and allocating appropriate resources to gender-based violence initiatives.
- Ensure that survivors of GBV receive appropriate attention and treatment with the help of Health care workers.
Elements of violence during Pakistan floods had been observed and reports about it taking place. In the absence of clear and confidential reporting mechanisms, reported numbers of GBV survivors is unknown but people have been directly or indirectly exposed to some type of GBV. In addition, the current risk of continued incidence of GBV, including sexual violence, remains high. An estimated 36,000 of women and girls among IDPs are especially vulnerable.
PEI has made number of interventions that directly or indirectly addresses and reduces the instances of Gender Based Violence.
- It has taken over two BHUs, and with the help of identified LHV/LHW in Swat district PEI is providing reproductive health services to the victims and local people. The infant and maternal mortality rates have been amazingly reduced through the provision of these services.
- The provision of free medical camps helped in providing treatment to approximately 1021 people in Nowshera and 679 people in Charsadda districts. The numbers of patients treated are increasing day by day.
- Along with that the prompt focus is to raise awareness in order to deal with the issues of violence, and to prevent further issues in future. The provision of173 separate tents for males and females, which catered the needs of approximately 1,128 people in all in Nowshera and Charsadda districts, facilitated in reduction the instances of becoming vulnerable to the people.
- The distribution of NFIs in Akora Khattak, Turlandi, Gulabad and Camp Korrona which includes Kitchen sets, hygiene kits, jerry cans and buckets also helped in reducing the violence that was resultantly occurred due to non availability of necessary daily used items.