Preventing violence against women and girls in refugee and displaced person camps: Is energy access the solution?

Identifying the Preparedness Components for Sexual Violence in Natural Disasters: A Systematic Review

“…By increasing women’s economic power, their access to health services increases ( 59 ). Sexual violence roots in social structures, frameworks, and policies, and their weakness can lead to pre- and postdisaster sexual violence ( 60 ). A study has stated that in the event of a disaster, the society should support and protect people, especially women and girls, which requires years of planning in the community before disasters ( 61 , 62 ), which is in line with the results of the present study.…”

Moving beyond informal action: sustainable energy and the humanitarian response system

“…Multiple studies connect firewood collection and violence against displaced people, including examples in Uganda, Ethiopia, Chad, Darfur, South Sudan, Namibia, Nepal, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Médecins Sans Frontières 2005 ; Patrick 2006 ; Lyytinen 2009 ; Danish Refugee Council 2012 ; Gunning 2014 ; Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves 2015 ; Gerrard 2016 ). The literature demonstrates that the burden and risks of collecting firewood falls overwhelmingly on women and girls (Lyytinen 2009 ; Booker et al 2012 ; WRC 2014 ; Thulstrup and Joshi 2017 ; Listo 2018 ), exposing them to greater risks. However, it is important to note that most gender-based violence is inter-partner and inter-familial violence that happens within or close to homes (Duvvury et al 2004 ; Kishor and Johnson 2004 ; World Health Organization 2005 ; Grafham 2020 ), rather than ‘stranger’ violence which happens during firewood collection.…”

“…To address the protection challenge associated with firewood collection, humanitarian agencies have provided fuel and improved cookstoves (which reduce the amount of fuel required) to displaced people. However, most of the literature demonstrates that there is little evidence that providing basic fuel or improved clean cookstoves meets protection needs (CASA Consulting 2001 ; Abdelnour 2015 ; Listo 2018 ). For example, in Darfur, despite receiving improved cookstoves, firewood distribution was still insufficient to meet displaced people’s needs, and women were forced to collect firewood (Patrick 2006 ).…”

A Qualitative Evaluation of a Mother and Child Center Providing Psychosocial Support to Newly Arrived Female Refugees in a Registration and Reception Center in Germany

“…Regarding refugee camp settings, the humanitarian aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières has established a mental health clinic for female survivors of sexual violence in a Ugandan refugee camp [ 25 ]. The provision of better living conditions, such as access to energy and security teams, has been identified as a critical factor in addressing sexual and gender-based violence in refugee camps in developing countries [ 26 ]. For example, the Kenyan refugee camp of Kakuma has implemented a gender program: security units monitor women’s safety, and there are safe spaces for injured or vulnerable women [ 27 ].…”