Predictable, Preventable: Best Practices for Addressing Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence during and after Disasters

CRC IFRC Predictable Preventable

Purpose

This advocacy report encourages making the prevention of interpersonal and self-directed violence a priority within the International Federation’s response to disasters. It highlights why and how interpersonal and self-directed violence during and after disasters is a predictable and preventable problem and the actions the International Federation and its partner agencies should take to have a more engaged role in addressing them.

Overview

  • In disaster after disaster, the risk of interpersonal and self-directed violence increases from a combination of factors. Factors include the collapse of protective systems, increased individual and community stress, individuals relying on harmful coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drugs, and crowded and insecure environments.
  • Although anyone can be vulnerable to violence, people with pre-existing vulnerabilities to violence, such as children, women and others who are marginalised, are at particular risk.
  • Although the problem of violence in disasters is complex, it is not inevitable. Violence can be prevented. The risk of violence needs to be addressed through a public health approach that is part of all programming sectors in a disaster.
  • Best practices exist and can be implemented across the disaster management cycle.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: National Society leadership; Technical staff; Gender and diversity practitioners

Reference: Canadian Red Cross and IFRC (2012). Predictable, Preventable: Best Practices for Addressing Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence during and after Disasters. Pp. 1-32. Available from: http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/94522/ViolenceInDisasters-English-1up.pdf [Accessed: 18th July 2016].

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Download: http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/94522/ViolenceInDisasters-English-1up.pdf

Ten steps to creating safe environments: How organisations and communities can prevent, mitigate and respond to interpersonal violence

Purpose

This document is a resource for organisations and communities to help in the development, implementation and monitoring of concrete actions to prevent, reduce, mitigate and respond to interpersonal violence—physical, sexual, emotional and neglect.

Overview

  • The ten steps are: 1. Understand the problem; 2. Recognise people’s vulnerability and resilience; 3. Define protection instruments; 4. Create a prevention team; 5. Complete a risk assessment; 6. Develop policies and procedures; 7. Educate adults, youth and children; 8. Respond to disclosures of violence; 9. Meet the challenges; and 10. Maintain safe environments.
  • Definitions of Gender-Based Violence can be found on page 15 and page 22 highlights the importance of gender inequality as a key risk factor for violence.
  • Power, when it is misused is a key root cause or social determinant of violence. The relationship between power dynamics and gender is described on page 23. Inequality, harmful attitudes about gender, control, and misuse of power can combine to heighten the risk of gender-based violence. Sample statistics on gender-based violence can be found on page 28.
  • Protection instruments for the safety of women and girls such as the UN Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) are listed on page 36.
  • A gender analysis is vital for any risk assessment and should focus on men, women, girls and boys. An overview of a gender analysis is provided on page 45.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff; Gender and diversity practitioners

Reference: Fairholm, J., Sing, G. (2011). Ten steps to creating safe environments: How organisations and communities can prevent, mitigate and respond to interpersonal violence. Canadian Red Cross. Pp. 2-99. Available from: http://www.redcross.ca/crc/documents/3-5-7-1_respected_2011_tensteps_english_c15_proof.pdf [Accessed: 18th July 2016].

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Download: http://www.redcross.ca/crc/documents/3-5-7-1_respected_2011_tensteps_english_c15_proof.pdf

Guidance on Including Older People in Emergency Shelter Programmes

Guidance on including older people in emergency shelter programmes

Purpose

These guidelines recommend five key action points for including older people in shelter programmes.

Overview

Understand the needs and capacities of older people: programme staff must be aware of the importance of collecting data on older people. They should be aware of issues such as demographic change, international commitments, good practice and lessons learned from other projects on the vulnerabilities and contributions of older people.

Ensure that older people participate and are represented: an age-friendly shelter programme provides older people with choices about how to live, chances to participate in society, and the ability to live in a community where their needs can be addressed affordably.

Target vulnerable older people: focus on older men and women who are single, isolated or abandoned; are caring for children; are the main family breadwinners; living with chronic diseases, disability, or mobility or mental health problems; belong to the “oldest old” group; older widows; older men and women who rank as the poorest.

Incorporate age-friendly features in both household and community shelters: to build suitable shelters for older people, a blend of modern technology and traditional preferences is recommended. To ensure that the technical requirements are met, adhere to national and international standards for durable and environmentally-friendly shelter construction

Promote coordination, cooperation and sharing: to ensure that older people’s issues are not neglected or forgotten, it is crucial to include older people, along with other vulnerable groups, on the agenda of shelter cluster meetings.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff

A two-page summary of these guidelines is also available at this link.

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Download: http://www.helpageusa.org/download/4d7f5a8b98378

Gender and Health in Disasters

Purpose

This document provides information on sex and gender differences in vulnerability to, and impact of, disasters. It looks at all levels of the disaster process: exposure to risk, risk perception, preparedness, response, physical impact, psychological impact, recovery and reconstruction.

Overview

  • There is some evidence showing that women and men may suffer different negative health consequences following a disaster. It is not clear whether this is because of biological differences between the sexes, because of socially determined differences in women’s and men’s roles and status or because of an interaction of social and biological factors.
  • Gender differences may exist in the perception of hazard risks. It has been suggested that women perceive disaster events or threats as more serious and risky than men do, especially if they threaten their family members.
  • The impact of disasters is felt differently within societies, and those most socially excluded and economically insecure bear a disproportionate burden. The impact of disasters also varies between women and men.
  • Emergency management agencies and others responsible for emergency relief such as law-enforcement agencies and fire personnel have historically been dominated by men. Male-dominated recovery groups which see disasters ‘through the eyes of men’ may organise relief work in a manner that does not take gender differences and women’s specific needs into consideration.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff; Gender and diversity practitioners

Reference: World Health Organization (WHO), ( July 2002). Gender and Health in Disasters. Department of Gender and Women’s Health, Geneva, Switzerland. Pp1-4. Available at: http://www.who.int/gender/other_health/genderdisasters.pdf [Accessed: 18th July 2016].

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Download: http://www.who.int/gender/other_health/genderdisasters.pdf

Older People in Disasters and Humanitarian Crises: Guidelines for Best Practices

Purpose

The guidelines in this document give examples of key approaches and actions that could help the humanitarian community reduce the vulnerability associated with ageing. They also suggest ways to enhance the capacities and contribution of older people in emergencies.

The guidelines also explore the wider issues relating to older people in humanitarian crises. These range from globally agreed principles of social and civil practice and global demographic changes, to the physical impact of the ageing process, common images and assumptions held about older people, the key problems they face, and the gender dimensions of their needs.

Overview

  • The guidelines include: addressing older people’s needs; meeting basic needs; mobility; equal access to essential services; social, psychosocial and family needs; and recognise and support the contributions of older people.
  • Sample checklists to assess older people’s needs in emergencies are shown in pp. 22-24.

 

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff

Reference: HelpAge International (2008). Older people in disaster and humanitarian crises: Guideline for best practices. Pp 1-25. Available from: http://www.helpage.org/silo/files/older-people-in-disasters-and-humanitairan-crises-guidelines-for-best-practice.pdf [Accessed: 21st September 2016]

 

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Download: http://www.helpage.org/download/4c4c9487cd176

Older People in Emergencies – Identifying and Reducing Risks

Purpose

This document systematically reviews the main risks older people are exposed to in emergency situations. For each risk, the document also lists simple measures that can be taken within the standard programming and funding parameters of humanitarian organisations to reduce risks for older people in emergencies.

Overview

The document identifies risks in nine categories:

  1. General concerns: worsening of pre-existing marginalisation and exclusion; invisibility to humanitarian actors.
  2. Protection: not being able to leave home or IDP/refugee camps even if one wants to; being separated from family or community; being a victim of abuse; having to care for children; having housing, land and properties rights ignored; and being excluded by communal shelters.
  3. Food: not being registered for this, and having difficulties reaching the food distribution point or market; having difficulties at the food distribution point; and transporting the food home; not receiving an equal share of food within the family; and having inappropriate food.
  4. Non-food items: not having enough warm clothes /blankets; or culturally acceptable clothes; and not being included in NFI distribution lists.
  5. Shelter: not being automatically given shelter by family; having inaccessible shelter; having to sleep on cold, hard or damp surfaces; not having proper gender separation; and being grouped with unknown people.
  6. WASH: not being included in and having difficulties reaching water distribution points; having difficulties transporting water back home; having difficulties reaching and using sanitation facilities; and having difficulties disposing of waste.
  7. Nutrition: having malnutrition unchecked and untreated.
  8. Health: being more subject to ill health or injury; having difficulties accessing health services; inappropriate health services; and difficulties accessing psychological support.
  9. Recovery: being excluded from rehabilitation and livelihood projects; and not being able to earn a living

 

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff

Reference: HelpAge International (May 2012). Older people in emergencies – Identifying and reducing risks. Pp. 2-13. Available from: http://www.helpage.org/silo/files/older-people-in-emergencies–identifying-and-reducing-risks.pdf [Accessed: 21st September 2016]

 

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Download: http://www.helpage.org/silo/files/older-people-in-emergencies--identifying-and-reducing-risks.pdf

Gender and Diversity in Emergencies – Quick and Easy Steps for Accountability to Affected People

Purpose

This poster looks at the steps for accountability to affected people in assessments and monitoring; shelter and gender-based violence.

Overview

  • In assessments and monitoring, the steps involve: guaranteeing gender balance in the assessment team; speaking directly with affected women, men, boys and girls (separately if needed) about their needs, and priorities; collecting and recording data broken down by age and sex; analysing data and monitoring implementation; and asking questions – who, what, how and which.
  • In shelter, the steps involve: consulting women, men, boys and girls (including people with disabilities, and the elderly) in shelter design; appointing a gender-balanced evacuation centre or shelter committee; using the assessment approach mentioned above for shelter programming; ensuring that survivors/victims of sexual violence have shelter needs met based on their needs; considering vulnerability in distributions; implementing a mechanism for making confidential complaints; and liaising with protection actors on whether discriminatory land-ownership policies exist.
  • In gender-based violence, the steps involve: recruiting staff and volunteers in a manner that will discourage sexual exploitation and abuse; ensuring that all staff and volunteers are briefed on the code of conduct; linking with protection teams to establish how you will refer survivors/victims of gender based violence to relevant support services; implementing mechanisms for making confidential complaints; ensuring that survivors of gender-based violence have safe access to shelter; ensuring that health services and community based psychological and social support are provided for survivors of sexual violence; and disseminating information about available services for survivors of violence or women/children presently experiencing domestic violence.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Themes: Risk assessment, Community-based or community participation, Gender-based violence, Mental health and psychosocial needs, Shelter, Human resources, Accountability to beneficiaries, Gender, Age (elderly), Age (children/youth)

Audiences: Technical staff; Gender and diversity practitioners

Reference: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies & The Vanuatu Red Cross Society. Gender and diversity in emergencies: Quick and easy steps for accountability to affected people.p.1.

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Download: https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Gender_Diversity-Poster-HR-2.pdf