On September 25, 2017 the Gender-Based Violence Task Force of USAID’s Interagency Gender Working Group hosted an event focused on the role and impact of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in preventing and responding to gender-based violence (GBV).
Panelists for the event included Jean Duff of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities; Prabu Deepan of Tearfund; Mary Linehan of IMA World Health; and Lynn Lawry of Overseas Strategic Consulting.
Panelists shared lessons and challenges they have faced in implementing evidence-based interventions to prevent and/or respond to GBV. Duff set the stage on why working with FBOs is important, pointing out that religiosity is highest in the world’s poorest countries and through faith leaders change is possible. One recommendation she had is “partner with faith leaders, don’t just use them. They are not tools.”
Deepan, the gender technical lead for GBV prevention and peacefulding intiatives at Tearfund, talked about the Transforming Masculinities intervention he leads in several countries. One of the lessons he imparted is that leaders first must break the silence around sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), become a safe space, and do away with the stigma.
Linehan of IMA’s World Health described the Ushindi Project which has been implemented since 2010 in the Eastern DRC where SGBV has affected about 40% of women and 24% of men. The project has worked in more than 1100 villages and given support to more than 30,000 survivors. Lawry discussed the baseline survey and impact study she is leading on Ushindi in some areas of the DRC, including examination of the mental health impacts of SGBV.
This event, supported by USAID through the PACE (Policy, Advocacy, and Communication Enhanced for Population and Reproductive Health) project, brought together 35 participants from the Washington, DC area and 30 participants online.
Presentations
Please find the recording of the event here.
Religion and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Setting the Stage by Jean Duff, Coordinator, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities
Transforming Masculinities: A Faith-Based Approach to GBV Prevention by Prabu Deepan, Gender Technical lead, Tearfund
A Comprehensive Approach to Providing Services to Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Addressing More than Physical Trauma by Mary Linehan, Senior Technical Director, IMA WorldHealth
Using Data to Understand Prevention and Response to Sexual Violence in Eastern DRC by Lynn Lawry, Senior Director of Health, Research and Evaluation, Overseas Strategic Consulting, Ltd.
Resources
Sign up for the Joint Learning Initiative’s SGBV resource hub here.
Find Tearfund’s Quick Guide to Transforming Masculinities here, and the full report here.
Please follow the link here, for an overview of IMA WorldHealth’s Ushinidi project.