Unseen, unheard: Gender-based violence in disasters (Asia-Pacific case studies)

This report features three case studies regarding gender-based violence (GBV) in disasters, each from Asia-Pacific: i) Bangladesh, ii) Samoa, and iii) Myanmar. It aims at aiding the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and other actors who work on disaster preparedness and response to better understand how to prevent and respond to GBV during and after disasters.

The report offers the following overall recommendations (pp. 13-14):

• Despite challenges in collecting, obtaining and accessing data on GBV prevalence in disaster and non-disaster times, all actors should assume GBV is occurring and present across communities and contexts where staff and volunteers work.
• Implement and mainstream the IFRC Minimum Standard Commitments to Gender and Diversity in Emergency Programming through all phases of disaster response and preparedness.
• IFRC members should develop a Primary Prevention of and Response to GBV programming approach, with the aim to address root causes (gender and social inequality) of GBV risks and prevalence during disasters.
• Improve the quality of data collection and analysis on GBV in disasters, especially through partnerships between public actors, local GBV response services and selected humanitarian agencies and communities.