Women and Girls Safe Spaces: A Toolkit for Advancing Women and Girls Empowerment in Humanitarian Settings
Publisher: Co-created by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and International Medical Corps (IMC).
Date Published: 2020
Languages: English & French
The toolkit is a comprehensive guide for creating Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) in humanitarian settings. It includes guidance, best practices, and tools for empowering women and girls.
Main Contribution
The main contribution of the toolkit is to mobilize organizations of persons with visual impairments, emphasizing gender equality and the empowerment of women. It aims to raise awareness about the importance of including gender considerations in decision-making processes and organizational activities.
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The toolkit is designed for individuals, teams, and organizations involved in humanitarian settings, with a focus on advancing women’s and girls’ empowerment.
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Provides guidance on implementing WGSS and outlines the impact on the lives of women and girls in humanitarian crises.
Includes a logical framework and monitoring and evaluation tools co-authored by Betsy Laird.
GBV Prevention
The toolkit addresses Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention, emphasizing the importance of safe spaces for women and girls in displacement, conflicts, and natural disasters.
Creating Normative Change
Aims to create normative change by emphasizing the necessity of women and girls-only safe spaces and involving women and older adolescent girls in the co-creation and implementation of WGSS.
How it could be adapted to the communities
Communication Strategies: Use various communication methods, including speech, writing, gestures, pictures, and posters, to convey information to women and girls, with a focus on adapting to different groups with disabilities. Before conducting focus group discussions (FGD), consult women and girls with disabilities or their caregivers to determine their preferred communication method. Be prepared to try alternative approaches if the initially chosen method does not work. Consider involving specialized service providers to assist with communication during the FGD or support preparation.
Key Message Delivery: Communicate key messages in a participative and engaging manner, allowing stakeholders to ask questions, share opinions, and contribute to the conversation. Adapt content and message delivery based on the audience, using all or only a few messages according to each stakeholder's interests. Further tailor key messages for each stakeholder based on factors identified in the stakeholder analysis.
Adapting Toolkit for Different Contexts: Each Women and Girls Safe Space (WGSS) should develop its own communication strategy, recognizing that it will look different and be expressed differently based on the context. Annex 3.2 provides a Frequently Asked Questions Sample IEC Tool with key messaging structured in a question and answer format, adaptable to different contexts.
Resource Package: The Girl Shine program model and resource package, developed by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), is adaptable to various humanitarian settings, including conflict and natural disasters. Based on years of experience and knowledge gathered through IRC’s Women’s Protection and Empowerment efforts, reflecting the latest research findings on the experiences of adolescent girls in humanitarian settings.
Information Dissemination: Deliver information dissemination sessions or communication materials regularly throughout the project's lifetime. Constantly adapt messages based on the evolving needs of the community. During the assessment phase, focus on communicating back results and key messages about the overall design of the WGSS. Analyze assessment findings related to gender roles and harmful practices to structure the presentation of the WGSS.
WGSS Information Session: Present initial findings during information dissemination sessions, explaining how the WGSS will respond to encountered needs. Ensure two-way communication, with the community providing information to inform the design of the WGSS. Transparently communicate next steps and timelines, managing expectations if funds are not yet secured or design is not finalized.
Activity List Customization: Adapt the tool's activities list organized by WGSS Objectives and Activity Macro-Categories to the context. Customize the 'Specific Activities' list based on the implemented activities, adding or removing items as needed.
Duty of Care and Exit Strategy: Include measures of care, adapted to the specific needs of staff, in the exit strategy, especially in situations requiring emergency evacuations. Discuss plans for "duty of care" with donors to ensure an available budget for implementation if needed. Revise duty of care plans during emergency situations or program closures.
Keywords
Women empowerment, Women and Girls Safe Spaces, Women’s Protection, Empowerment, Normative Change, Action.
