Sexual Violence

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is often perpetrated in situations of armed conflict and its accompanying social disruption. For refugees and displaced persons this raises a wide range of issues including: institutional responses; war crimes and the role of the international community; long-term physical, psychological and social trauma; reproductive and sexual health; and restitution and social reform. Prepared to complement Forced Migration Review 27, which features articles on all of these issues and more, this resource summary guides users to background documents, web resources and relevant organizations selected from FMO that expand further on this important topic.

Introductions/Overviews

• Sexual violence: Weapon of war, impediment to peace. Forced Migration Review (FMR), no. 27 (2007)
• Report on the International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond. UNFPA, 2006.

FMO Resources

• FMO Resource Summary: Violence against Women
• FMO Research Guide: Gender and Forced Migration
• Forced Migration Review no. 9: Gender and Displacement

Documents

Selected full-text documents (for more, search in the Digital Library)

• Gender-based Violence: Emerging Issues in Programs Serving Displaced Populations. Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium, 2002.
• Gender-based Violence Tools Manual for Assessment & Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation in conflict-affected settings. Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium, 2004.
• Sexual and Gender-based Violence against Refugees, Returnees, and Internally Displaced Persons: Guidelines for Prevention and Response, UNHCR, 2003.

Web Resources

Selected web-based information resources (for more, search the FMO website)

• Broken bodies — broken dreams: violence against women exposed. OCHA/IRIN, 2005.
• Gender and Armed Conflict: Overview Report. BRIDGE, 2003. Amani El Jack
• Gender and Armed Conflict: Supporting Resources Collection. BRIDGE, 2003. Emma Bell with Lata Narayanaswamy
• Report on the International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond. UNFPA, 2006.
• The UN Secretary-General’s In-depth Study on Violence against Women. 2006.
• The UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children. 2006.
• Women are the Fabric: Reproductive Health for Communities in Crisis. UNFPA, 2006.
• Women in an Insecure World. Violence against Women. Facts, Figures and Analysis. Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, 2005.
• Women, War, Peace: The Independent Experts’ Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Women’s Role in Peace-Building (Progress of the World’s Women 2002, Vol. 1) Elisabeth Rehn and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 2002.

Operational materials/standards/guidelines

• Clinical Management of Survivors of Rape. Developing protocols for use with refugees and internally displaced persons, revised edition, WHO, UNHCR, 2005.
• Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Emergencies: Focusing on Prevention and Response to Sexual Violence, IASC, 2005
• Gender sensitive programme design and planning in conflict affected situations. ACORD, 2001.
• A Practical Approach to Gender-Based Violence, A Programme Guide for Health Care Providers and Managers. UNFPA, 2001.
• Training of Trainers: Gender-based Violence Focusing on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, UNICEF, 2002.
• Women, Girls, Boys & Men, Different Needs – Equal Opportunities, a Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action. IASC, 2006.

Relevant Organizations

Contact details for relevant organizations (for more, search in the Organizations Directory)

INGOs/Government

• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• European Commission
• Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
• International Centre for Migration and Health (ICMH)
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• United Nations, Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)
• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
• World Food Programme (WFP)
• World Health Organization (WHO)

NGOs/Consortia/Research Institutes

• Agency for Co-operation and Research in Development (ACORD)
• Alliance for Direct Action against Rape in Conflict and Crises (AllianceDARC)
• American Refugee Committee (ARC)
• The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)
• CARE
• Centre for International Health, Curtin University of Technology
• Christian Children’s Fund (CCF)
• Comprehensive Reproductive Health in Crises Programme (CRHC)
• Concern
• GOAL
• International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)
• Marie Stopes International
• Médecins du Monde (MDM)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
• Medica Mondiale
• Medical Emergency Relief International (MERLIN)
• Oxfam International
• Peace, Conflict and Development Unit, IDRC
• Refugees International
• Relief International
• Save the Children
• We Can
• Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (WCRWC)