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Refugees International Statement on New U.S. Initiative, “Safe From the Start”
an article by Refugees International
Refugees International (RI) welcomes the
introduction of “Safe From the Start,” a new
initiative by the United States to prevent and
respond to gender-based violence (GBV) in
emergency settings. Unveiled yesterday in New York
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Anne Richard
and Agency for International Development Assistant
Administrator Nancy Lindborg, Safe from the Start
will provide an initial commitment of $10 million
to protect women and girls from sexual assault and
other forms of violence at the onset of an
emergency.
according to UNHCR, there are 3.7 million Somalis now “who are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance” as a result of conflict or food insecurity (Refugees International
click on photo to enlarge
For years, RI advocates have called on the U.S.
government to recognize that despite existing
global policies, best practices, and guidelines,
efforts to prevent and respond to GBV in emergency
settings have fallen far short of established
standards. In too many humanitarian situations –
from Haiti, to Somalia, to Syria – efforts to
combat GBV only began long after major response
efforts were underway, limiting the humanitarian
community’s collective ability to establish timely
preventive measures and ensure that quality,
lifesaving services are available for survivors.
In this context, Safe From the Start represents a
tremendous achievement for the U.S. government and
humanitarians. RI is pleased that Safe from the
Start will endeavor to build the capacity of the
humanitarian community as a whole through more
dedicated GBV interventions, efforts to mitigate
risks in crisis-affected communities, and new
accountability measures. New resources directed to
the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and other
humanitarian agencies will also bolster their
efforts to prevent and respond to GBV. RI hopes
that Safe From the Start will also directly
support the GBV Area of Responsibility, which
supports internally displaced women and girls, as
well as women’s civil society organizations in
crisis-affected contexts.
"This is a very exciting time for those of us who
have been working for years to ensure that GBV
interventions are prioritized in the first phase
of an emergency response," said RI Senior Advocate
for Women and Girls' Rights, Marcy Hersh. "With
this new commitment from the United States, we
hope that the specific needs of displaced women
and girls' will be considered and accounted for at
the onset of each new crisis."
Safe From the Start fulfills the U.S. government's
pledge toward the United Kingdom’s Call to Action
to End Violence Against Women and Girls. It also
contributes to the Obama administration's broader
commitment to empowering and protecting women and
girls, which has included the launch of the
National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security
and the new U.S. plan to prevent and respond to
GBV globally.
[Note: Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter
for this article.]
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