Policy Brief January 2011

Developing a Strategy to End

Gender-Based Violence
Problem Recommendations & Actions
Gender-based violence The U.S. Government should develop a comprehensive global strategy to stop violence
is a global problem against women and girls and make this issue a priority in U.S. development and diplomacy.
that has devastating Efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence should be fully integrated into all
consequences for relevant U.S. foreign assistance programs.
survivors, families • Direct the State Department and USAID to develop a comprehensive strategy for
and societies and a addressing gender-based violence. The strategy should be informed by research and
profound impact on best practice, leverage existing U.S. investments, coordinate across relevant agencies
the development of and programs, and be adequately resourced.
countries. Women and • Ensure gender-based violence prevention and response is integrated into all appropri-
girls living in areas ate U.S. humanitarian and development assistance programs: for example in education,
affected by war or health, economic development and the training of judicial officials, police and military
natural disaster are forces.
often at heightened • Advocate for UN and international agencies with responsibilities for the protection of
risk of sexual violence women and girls in humanitarian settings to strengthen their efforts to prevent and
and exploitation. In respond to gender-based violence and ensure they have adequate resources to meet
some war-torn areas, their responsibilities.
men and boys have • Strengthen U.S. humanitarian programming by supporting: increased services for sur-
also been targeted, vivors of gender-based violence; greater investments in prevention; capacity building of
but the vast majority local, national and international organizations; and continuity of funding and program-
of those vulnerable to ming from the relief phase to early recovery and development.
gender-based violence • Support increased capacity at USAID and the State Department in humanitarian protec-
are women and girls. tion and gender-based violence issues. Ensure that protection and gender-based vio-
The failure to address lence experts are deployed on U.S. Disaster Assistance Response Teams.
this human rights crisis
impedes progress on
core humanitarian and
development goals—
whether in health, the
fight against HIV-AIDS,
education or economic
development.

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Results
Prioritizing measures to prevent gender-based violence, protect and care for
survivors and bring perpetrators to justice will help enhance stability, promote
development and maximize the effectiveness of our foreign assistance
programs.
Background
The United Nations estimates that one in every three
women around the world has been beaten, coerced into
sex or abused in her lifetime. According to the World Health
Organization, up to 70 percent of women in some countries
report they have been victims of domestic violence at some
point in their lives. This type of violence can rob countries of
the talent of half their populations.
In war-affected areas, women and girls are at risk of rape
and sexual exploitation—often forced to exchange sex for
food and other essentials for themselves and their families.
In some places, rape has become a weapon of choice used
to systematically attack civilians and destabilize societies.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example,
experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of women
have been raped in the province of South Kivu alone since
2002. For those displaced by war, domestic violence is
also a significant threat. The rupture of traditional commu-
nity structures and the lack of legal employment opportu-
nities often increase the vulnerability of displaced women
and girls to violence. Efforts to establish peace and stability
must address women’s needs and perpetrators must be
held accountable.
Women can face similar protection challenges in natu-
ral disasters that result in major displacement. Haiti is a
case in point. In the aftermath of the devastating earth-
quake, the insecurity, overcrowding, inadequate services
and poor lighting in many camps and spontaneous settle-
ments put thousands of Haitian women and girls at great
risk for sexual violence.
Whether in humanitarian emergencies or more traditional
development contexts, addressing the epidemic of gen-
der-based violence is an important moral challenge and is
important for U.S. interests. When women and girls thrive,
societies are more likely to prosper economically. Rates of
child and maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS are more likely
to decrease. When women can safely and fully participate
in the social and economic life of their community and
country, governments are likely to be more participatory
and democratic.
The U.S. can maximize the effectiveness of its foreign
assistance dollars by integrating gender-based violence
prevention and response activities into U.S. humanitarian
and development programs and making the issue a priority
in U.S. diplomacy.
The effort will require better coordination across respon-
sible federal agencies, a scaling up of promising initia-
tives and better data collection, monitoring and evalu-
ation. The Administration, with support from Congress,
should develop a comprehensive strategy to meet these
objectives. The strategy should reflect the cross-sectoral
aspects of the problem. It should ensure that gender-based
violence considerations are woven into the fabric of U.S.
education, health and economic development programs,
as well as U.S. programs to train judicial officials, police,
military and peacekeeping forces. In humanitarian settings,
the strategy should also provide for the full integration of
protection and gender-based violence programming from
the very start of humanitarian response activities.