Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in the time of COVID-19

These populations experience a disproportionate burden of violence, which increases their vulnerability to HIV and affects access to HIV services. The project's work is grounded in robust evidence that structural interventions to stop violence and protect the human rights of key populations are essential to an effective HIV response. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the need for GBV services and created new barriers to prevention and response. In response, the EpiC project has developed a range of initiatives to address GBV in the time of COVID-19. One key strategy has been to go virtual, developing a training on GBV identification and response that can be delivered remotely and tailored to the context of COVID-19. This training has been delivered to HIV program staff in over 25 countries, improving access to GBV services in a range of settings. Another important initiative has been to prioritize the safety of women and LGBT people who deliver care. The EpiC project has developed a virtual training on implementer security, which has been rolled out in 10 countries and is currently being adapted for use beyond USAID-funded projects. This training has helped local implementing partners develop and implement security plans that protect peer educators, outreach coordinators, and health care workers from GBV. In Liberia, the EpiC project has also prioritized mental health care for survivors of GBV. In 2020, the project added two dedicated mental health clinicians to their GBV response team, providing extensive psychosocial support for female sex worker and MSM survivors of violence. The addition of these clinicians led to an eight-fold increase in overall GBV cases reported, with a significant increase in reporting of sexual violence. The unique support provided by the mental health clinicians was largely responsible for this increase, and their services are being expanded to reach more individuals in 2021 and beyond. Looking ahead, the EpiC project is committed to building on its past work to better address the challenges of today. The project is taking lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic forward, investing in digital and scalable approaches to preventing and responding to GBV, prioritizing the care of caregivers who also experience GBV, and expanding mental health care for both clients and providers.