Talk at Empowered Aid Workshop 19 Aug 2024

In a time when we are witnessing relentless pushback on women's and girls' rights and facing unprecedented levels of displacement, it makes me hopeful to be part of the #EmpoweredAid Global Technical Advisory Group at The George Washington University. Huge shoutout to the many talented people and organizations doing groundbreaking work ActionAid COVAW Kenya United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency BRAC Union of Relief and Development Associations - URDA CARE World Vision IOM - UN Migration and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies #IFRC

Empowered Aid is a powerful and vital approach with concrete and easy to use tools that effectively prevents sexual exploitation and abuse #SEA of women and girls in emergencies and humanitarian settings. All the recommendations are coming from the affected women and girls.

Are you a donor supporting the humanitarian field, a manager in a humanitarian organization, or do you work with aid deliveries and want to make a real impact for affected communities? Reach out to Alina Potts at Empowered Aid at George Washington University's Global Women's Institute. This incredible project needs to be scaled up and expanded to reach those who need it most. #Safeguarding

1. A nnual meeting of Empowered Aid’s Technical Advisory Group Tina Tinde, Head of IFRC’s Haiti Office and Deputy Head of the Cluster Delegation to Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti Contact: [email protected] 19 August 2024

2. Guidelines & Action A child safeguarding risk analysis must be carried out before each disaster response that IFRC supports via its D i saster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). On IFRC’s GO Platform , up to 191 National Societies share dis as ter response funding appeals, updates and final reports. In a response to floods in 2024, the I ranian R ed C rescent S ociety translated the checkl i st of the IF RC child safeguarding risk analysis and briefed the coordinating division. When Vietnam Red Cross Society responded to flash floods in 2023, it reported challenges to carrying out a child safeguarding risk analysis: H uman resource constraints, high workload, and tight schedule as multiple major events occurred . M embers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have committed to adopting safeg u arding policies. Of 191 National Societies, 16 had adopted PSEA policies in 2021 , while 53 have such policies in 2024. In 2021, 24 National Societies had adopted child safeguarding policies; in June 2024 the number was 52.

3. Advice from Liberia Red Cross • Enhance leadership commitment and accountability at all organizational levels to prioritize safeguarding in decision-making processes. • Allocate sufficient human and financial resources to support the implementation and sustainability of comprehensive safeguarding systems, including recruiting dedicated safeguarding advisors and providing ongoing training for staff and volunteers. • Improve community engagement and accountability mechanisms by leveraging grassroots networks and knowledge to foster transparency and trust. Rescue during floods in Monrovia, June 2024

4. Advice from Liberia Red Cross • Foster partnerships and collaboration with external stakeholders, such as government agencies, civil society organizations, and community leaders, to enhance coordination and collective action on safeguarding. • Scale up internal investments in safeguarding by developing robust reporting mechanisms, implementing standardized protocols for investigation and response, and integrating safeguarding principles into all organizational programming. Source: https://pgi.ifrc.org/resources/strengthening-internal-safeguarding-systems-liberian-red-cross

5. Involving security experts • IFRC and British Red Cross have made publicly available training videos for a number of staff profiles on their safeguarding responsibilities (Human Resources, Volunteers, Managers and Security). • Security staff have a key role in ensuring and assessing the safety of employees and affected people. They analyse the security situation in humanitarian settings and often have direct access to local law enforcement. Security officers are trained to carry out local security assessments, investigations, security needs of personnel, buildings and evacuations, survivor care etc. Head of a Niger National Police support center for survivors of gender-based violence, addr e ssing an IFRC safeguarding workshop in Niamey, 2021.

6. Involving security experts • Training videos on safeguarding responsibilities for security and other staff are here: https://www.ifrc.org/document/manual-prevention-and-response-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse • In 2019, the United Nations Security Management System published a 79-page manual on “ Gender Inclusion in Security Management ”. It is an excellent resource on preventing and addressing sexual misconduct including domestic violence, sexual exploitation and abuse and other types of violence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ipRx-q3px4 Video with Ivone Muchiri Ivone Muchiri , former IFRC Regional Security Manager in Africa

7. D o mestic violence issues • No matter the type of physical, psychological or financial abuse, survivors tend to strug g le with similar victim-blaming attitudes and they depend on the availability of adequate support services. • Investment in assistance for survivors of violence, whether it happens at home, at work, at school or in public, will benefit all survivors. • In 2019, the International Labour Organisation adopted the Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190) , which prompted the guideline “ Domestic Violence and its Impact on the World of Work ” • The guideline shares definitions, the scope of the problem and how employers may provide leave and temporary protection against dismissal, promote healthy, inclusive and supportive workplaces and facilitate access to services and justice. • Good examples in this area include the World Bank’s Domestic Abuse Prevention Program (since 2000) and the global No More platform’s national listings of support services.