Gender

The department of Jalapa, located in eastern Guatemala, has a strong presence of gender violence, especially cases of sexual violence against girls under 14. Just in the first semester of 2018, the Ministry of Public Health reported more than 60 cases of pregnancies in girls under 14, which is considered aggravated sexual violence by our law. In addition, more than 1,600 cases of pregnancies have been reported in adolescents, influenced by different circumstances, one of them is sexual violence.

Despite high levels of violence against women, only a limited number access critical health or legal services in the event of GBV. A key issue is DATE Rape, a form of intimate partner violence that is often ignored and normalised. Despite the plethora of GBV response services given by government, NGOs, communities; Young women are unable to receive life saving medical help, particularly PEP, emergency contraception and critical forensic evidence is lost before women approach the justice system.

Swazi men have a high acceptance of the traditional oppressive gender norms that deny the rights of women & girls. The county's HIV prevalence stand at just over 30%, whilst 4 in 10 Swazi males believe that if a woman wears a short skirt she is asking to be raped. The correlation between such widespread harmful gender norms, supported by a sense of cultural entitlement and the world's worst HIV epidemic is undeniable and leads directly to poor SRHR for all and (sexual) intimate partner violence.

Adolescents in Timor-Leste face barriers to obtaining accurate and constructive information about sexual reproductive health. Teenage pregnancy is 24%, and early pregnancies are often swiftly followed by marriages; 19% of girls are married by the time they are 18. Deeply entrenched gender inequalities, high rates of violence against women, barriers to reproductive health care and the limited availability of comprehensive sexual education – play a role in these grim figures.

FGM is a violation of girls' & women's rights internationally. Kenya is ranked 3rd among countries with most cases of medicalisation of FGM. National prevalence is 21%. Its performed mostly on girls aged 12-18. The practice causes significant health risks including infections, bleeding, damage adjacent organs, sterility, birth complications & even death. Reasons of practising FGM: Requirement before marriage & prevention of premarital sex; Social acceptance; Personal hygiene; Religious identity.

In remote Amazon communities, women face daily threats: domestic violence, cultural exclusion, and lack of citizenship.Although programmes have targeted these challenges, many gender-related issues are accepted due to a patriarchal arrangement. This has been poorly addressed by the lack of proper tools of engagement and education. This has intensified a conservative culture, with no proper participation of women in communities' decisions -- jeopardising their social power, health and life.

Madagascar reste le 4e pays le plus pauvre au monde avec 90% de ses habitants vivant sous le seuil de pauvreté. Dans un tel contexte, la situation des femmes demeure inquiétante. Près du tiers des femmes (même jeune ou urbaine) pense qu'un homme a le droit de les battre, pourtant 50% des femmes violentées montre des hématomes. La coalition de la société civile dénonce la quasi indifférence du gouvernement vis-à-vis de la VSCS vu le faible budget alloué à la promotion de l'égalité des sexes.

Access to Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) is a major barrier to most girls in Zimbabwe. This is due to legal restrictions on adolescent access to SRHR, lack of knowledge, lack of available SRHR commodities, distance from services, harmful cultural practices and an insensitive justice delivery system. These factors exacerbate Gender Based Violence, early child marriages, teenage pregnancies and community case resolution. They also limit the girls' right to health and other human rights.

GBV remains underreported and GBV services under-utilised in humanitarian settings.[1] Significant barriers to disclosing GBV exist, including fear, stigma, lack of recognition of abuse and lack of knowledge of existing health services. Relying on survivors to self-identify and come forward with their needs will miss the vast majority of them. In turn, by relying on survivors to self-identify, the low uptake of GBV services likely maintains the status quo of impunity for perpetrators.

FGM/C is a global child protection and human rights issue. 98% of young girls and women in Somalia have experienced FGM/C. Ifrah Foundation believes that the implementation of grass roots community education and empowerment programmes will support the behavioural change required to eradicate FGM/C. Research evidences that community led change is the most effective and prefaces long-term sustainable solutions. This coupled together with a national media programme will evidence the change. .