Protecting and Empowering Women and Girls in the Lake Chad Region

The area is situated at the crossroads of four unstable borders: Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad. Refugee movements through these borders are constant, with the UNHCR estimating 4,450 new arrivals in Chad following an attack on December 26th, 2018. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Chad has been working to address the needs and protection concerns of vulnerable households in the region. The organization successfully integrated intervention modalities in health, women's protection and empowerment (WPE), and economic recovery and development (ERD) sectors. Through joint strategies characterized by referral pathways between ERD, WPE, and health, survivors are able to receive psychosocial treatment, referrals for clinical care, and, if needed, referrals for livelihoods support. The IRC has made significant strides in increasing community acceptance of GBV prevention and response. During the project, 62 community leaders declared publicly to be engaged in GBV prevention during social mobilization events with the WPE team. This declaration is seen as a sign that progress is being made, and the IRC will continue to build on this in the follow-on OFDA project with its EMAP (Engaging Men through Accountable Practice) approach. The IRC has also helped to increase beneficiaries' capacity to meet basic needs through multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA), which enables beneficiaries to have economic access to non-food items. Under this OFDA grant, the IRC piloted MPCA for 1,675 households. Additionally, by integrated nutrition screening with cash assistance and gender discussion groups, the IRC was able to promote improved nutrition at household level while improving resource sharing between men and women within households. The IRC's women's centers have been a crucial entry point for GBV response and prevention services. Since the beginning of the project, the IRC has been rehabilitating eight older women's centers and building and equipping three new women centers in Maar, Medikoura, and Melea IDP sites. These centers provide a safe space for women and girls to receive psychosocial support, case management, and recreational activities. A total of 4,461 beneficiaries, including 2,766 women and 1,695 girls, participated in recreational activities. GBV case management services were provided by 13 trained psychosocial assistants, who used an approach focused on the protection of the survivor. A total of 529 GBV cases were reported in the 11 targeted sites. The cases included 19 rapes, 41 cases of forced marriage, 30 cases of sexual assault, 138 cases of denial of resources, service, and opportunity, 140 cases of psychological violence, and 161 cases of physical assault. Among the 19 cases of rape, 12 survivors reported their case within 72 hours and received post-exposure prophylactic treatment in the Kiskra, Kiskawa, Liwa, and Melea health centers supported by the IRC.