It is often challenging for survivors of gender-based violence to share their past experiences of violence with others. They may face barriers at many levels – individual, social, structural and even legal. It is critical to understand these barriers so we can address them and improve survivors’ access to support, protection, and accountability.
From 2020-2022, the Center for Human Rights, Gender and Migration conducted a study on the “disclosure” of gender-based violence (GBV) in humanitarian crisis settings like war, natural disaster, and forced displacement generally. In this context, “disclosure” is closely related to, yet positionally distinct from, institutional efforts to “detect” or “identify” survivors. Instead, the concept of “disclosure” focuses on the experience, perspective, and needs of GBV survivors, whose decision to share their experiences may be influenced by several personal, social or contextual forces.
This project consisted of a multi-country study, an online survey, and extensive expert consultation. Below you will find an adaptable, evidence-based practitioners’ toolkit, a research report, and country briefs for three case study countries: Greece, Kenya and Mexico. The toolkit and report available in multiple languages.
Publications from this project
TOOLKIT
Gender-Based Violence Disclosure Toolkit: Responding to Gender-Based Violence Disclosure in Humanitarian Crisis Settings
This Gender-based Violence (GBV) Disclosure Toolkit provides guidance on how to safely, ethically, and appropriately support and respond to disclosure of GBV in contexts impacted by displacement and other humanitarian crises.
This toolkit is organized into four modules and contains 14 individual tools. These tools present practical guidance to assist service providers from diverse sectors to conduct team trainings and develop context-appropriate approaches to GBV disclosure. The toolkit is available in seven languages: Arabic, English, French, Greek, Polish, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
REPORT
Choosing to speak, learning to hear: Disclosure of gender-based violence in humanitarian crisis settings
In this research report, we summarize findings from research in humanitarian crisis contexts in Greece, Kenya, and Mexico and present key takeaways related to the disclosure of gender-based violence in these settings. This report is available in five languages: Arabic, English, French, Greek, and Spanish.
Case Study Country Briefs
These country briefs present research findings from our case study countries: Greece, Kenya and Mexico. Information from these case studies was combined with results of an online survey and extensive expert consultation (practitioners, migrant women) to develop the toolkit. We are grateful for everyone’s valuable insights.
Guidance Note for Remote Service Provision
This supplemental guide to our Gender-based Violence Disclosure Toolkit elaborates on approaches to Gender-based Violence disclosure in the context of remote service provision. “Remote service provision” refers to services that are provided at distance, usually through some form of communication technology instead of in person.
View and download guidance
Funding provided by the United States Government (Department of State, Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration).
Supplemental financial support was provided by an anonymous donor to the Center for Human Rights, Gender and Migration.