Community Definitions of Violence and GBV
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GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE SERVICE PROVISION IN SELECTED COMMUNITIES OF LUHANSK AND DONETSK OBLASTS UKRAINE JANUARY 2021 RATIONALE Map 1: Area overview map of facilities providing GBV services Domestic violence/intimate partner violence settlement; (2) the services available for (DV/IPV)1 and gender-based violence (GBV)2 survivors of GBV; and (3) possible barriers are relatively widespread in Ukraine3. Yet, accessing those services. despite positive developments in Ukrainian The findings of this study aim to support GBV legislations introduced in 2019, GBV- the promotion of community resilience to specialized service providers still struggle with GBV and complete a large-scale Hromada understanding and applying newly-introduced Capacity and Vulnerability assessment aiming legislative norms4. Particularly considering the to support local authorities and development ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine’s eastern actors with evidence-based local planning. regions and the recent COVID-19 related This assessment is part of the 5-year “EU movement restrictions, existing challenges Support to the East of Ukraine - Recovery, related to DV/IPV and GBV prevention are Peacebuilding and Governance” project, likely exacerbated, in turn limiting an adequate implemented by the United Nations Recovery inter-sectoral response. and Peacebuilding Programme. To identify the main gaps and challenges related to GBV service access and provision, IMPACT Initiatives (IMPACT) has conducted 252 facility key informant interviews (FKIs) Assessment coverage information with representatives of GBV service providers working in various sectors, such as healthcare, facility key informant inter- social, and administrative services. This views with representatives of method has strived to capture, on the one GBV service providers and 114 hand, the capacities of service providers to 252 COVID-19 specific follow-up assist survivors of GBV, and on the other hand, interviews with representatives the demand for GBV-specific service and care. of GBV service providers In parallel, IMPACT conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) in 23 different settlements, consulting a total of 152 women. The FGDs focus group discussions with were undertaken to collect information on the 23 152 female participants* from population of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts local communities on: (1) the forms of violence present in their * FGD participants were not necessarily surivors themselves, but mostly reported the experiences they had witnessed in their community. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS RATIONALE........................................................................................................................... 1 DV Domestic violence KEY FINDINGS..................................................................................................................... 3 FKIs Facility key informants Overview of the security and GBV situation................................................................ 4 FGD Focus group discussion Overview of security situation in settlements according to FGD participants............. 4 GBV Gender based violence Community definitions of violence and GBV............................................................... 4 GCA Government controlled area Most commonly experienced forms of GBV and GBV caseload analysis................... 6 IDP Internally displaced person Impact of COVID-19 on GBV situation and service provision..................................... 7 IPV Intimate partner violence Profile of survivor of GBV................................................................................................8 KIs Key informants NGCA Non-government controlled area Available and unavailable GBV services...................................................................... 9 NGO Non-governmental organization Available GBV services, as reported by GBV service providers................................. 9 PwDs Persons with disabilities Available GBV services, as reported by FGD participants......................................... 9 SOP Standard operating procedure Unavailable GBV services, according to GBV services providers............................... 10 Unavailable GBV services, according to FGD participants.......................................... 10 Major barriers in GBV service provision....................................................................... 11 Community barriers to accessing GBV services.......................................................... 11 Distrust in services and institutions as barriers to accessing GBV services................ 11 AGORA is a joint initiative of ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives, founded in 2016. AGORA promotes efficient, inclusive and integrated local planning, aid response, and service Lack of awareness of available services, according to FGD participants.................... 12 delivery in contexts of crisis through applying settlement-based processes and tools. Challenges to an appropriate GBV services provision, from the FKI point of view...... 12 AGORA enables more efficient and tailored aid responses to support the recovery and Focus on GBV service providers.................................................................................... 13 stabilization of crisis-affected communities, contributing to meet their humanitarian needs, whilst promoting the re-establishment of local services and supporting local Capacity building of GBV service providers.................................................................. 13 governance actors. AGORA promotes multisectoral, settlement-based aid planning Coordination between service providers....................................................................... 13 and implementation, structured around partnerships between local, national and Annex 1. METHODOLOGY......................................................................................................15 international stakeholders. AGORA’s core activities include community mapping, multisector and area-based assessments, needs prioritisation and planning, as well Annex 2. Hromada level analysis of FGDs........................................................................... 16 as support to area-based coordination mechanisms and institutional cooperation. Localised Response 2 Inclusive Recovery Effective Stabilisation assistance to survivors of GBV, including the Map 2: Area overview map of prospective communities and settlements where FGDs KEY FINDINGS lack of shelters for survivors of GBV, the lack were facilitated of qualified specialists, especially psycholo- gists, and resources for rapid response. Findings suggest that survivors of GBV reg- ularly face social stigma and rejection in The lack of shelters, social housing, and assessed communities in Donbas hindering safe spaces for survivors of GBV emerged help-seeking and GBV service privision. Rais- as a major gap in GBV service provision ing awareness among the population about in eastern Ukraine, especially in Luhansk GBV and DV/IPV was one of the most com- Oblast. FGD participants confirmed the lack monly mentioned ways to overcome GBV. The of psychologists, shelters, and formal peer establishment of more efficient coordination support groups for survivors of GBV. mechanisms and improving technical and The lack of information regarding available soft skills of GBV service providers were services for survivors of GBV was widely also frequently reported demands for improv- mentioned by FGD participants. Thus, par- ing access to GBV services. ticipants suggested increasing the level of GBV service providers generally reported that knowledge about the services available in the most common types of GBV cases encoun- each respective communities as a means to tered were psychological or emotional better address consequences of GBV. Also, abuse, as well as physical assault, which some emphasis was given to improving the was partly confirmed by FGD participants who awareness of the existing framework of reported psychological and economic vio- legal restraining orders (both emergency as lence as the most prominent forms of GBV well as long-term orders) against perpetrators. in their communities. Findings furthermore Finally, the need to increase the capac- suggested that women and children were ity of services for survivors of GBV was generally perceived by service providers to widely discussed, as well as the need to face the highest risk of being exposed to any improve the quality of these services, in form of GBV, while FGD participants also iden- particular by strengthening case processing, tified elderly and persons with disabilities creating incentive programmes or accountabil- (PwDs) as population groups particularly vul- ity mechanisms and reinforcing existing SOPs nerable to GBV incidents. regarding confidentiality. GBV service providers reported various challenges in providing timely and quality Localised Response 3 Inclusive Recovery Effective Stabilisation OVERVIEW OF THE face in a public environment, participants only a few participants. Interestingly, some (between husband and wife, between family commonly mentioned the presence or participants across all FGD sessions observed members and also neighbors), mentioned in SECURITY AND GBV response of people under the influence of no effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on DV/IPV almost all FGDs (18 out of 23 FGDs). In 15 SITUATION drugs or alcohol as the main potential source in their communities while other participants FGDs, participants mentioned that children of danger (in