When they were done with me they went back to my daughters. A year-old girl. Both they raped. We just ran with underwear, they ran another way. I live in pain right now. As soon as the crisis hit, the International Rescue Committee IRC deployed two case workers from its programmes in Kagabandoro to Bangui to provide gender-based violence GBV emergency case management services to survivors, and later opening listening centres in Bangui.
Since then, more than women and girls have sought help at IRC centres. The youngest survivor is five years old. Although every crisis is unique, what is happening in the CAR shares some characteristics with other crises.
GBV has long been a neglected feature of humanitarian emergencies. In , the IRC started developing a framework for emergency action to address this by providing a quick and consistent response to protect girls and women from the outset of an emergency. It has also been the cornerstone of training for more than practitioners from international NGOs, local organisations, UN agencies and governments.
Few debates are as alive within the GBV field as the question of whether GBV efforts should be mainstreamed across existing sectors in both prevention and response, or specialised through dedicated experts, tools and initiatives focused specifically on GBV. This is the most successful model, and is being used in the CAR. It ensures that survivors can access specialised care while GBV mainstreaming reduces the risks faced by the entire population of women and girls. While fixed centres were established in displacement sites in Bangui, IRC has sought greater coverage in more rural areas through mobile clinics.
In towns with large health centres, the IRC embedded GBV services within health structures to minimise visibility and stigma. Although health services are critical in GBV response, they were unfortunately often out of reach for survivors. Many governmentrun, private and some NGO-run health clinics charged fees for care, a significant deterrent to survivors.
