PROJECT
Sexual and Gender-based Violence in East and Southern Africa

Through various partnerships, the Population Council has undertaken substantive research and programming on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in a number of countries in Africa.

In South Africa, of 804 rape and sexual assault clients seen in one hospital in the period September 2001–May 2003, some 56 percent were under the age of 16 years, and of 1,472 survivors of domestic violence, 7 percent were minors. In Zambia, survivors of domestic violence range from 10 to 14 years of age. In Kenya, studies reveal major problems around prosecuting cases of SGBV, including lack of a comprehensive framework for storing and using evidence for legal redress as well as limited community involvement in addressing the problem.

From the Council’s work it is clear that most existing programs on SGBV do not address the determinants and consequences of SGBV in an integrated manner. Responses by NGOs, governments, and public and private institutions are implemented on an ad hoc basis, and there are no connections between existing interventions. In addition, few guidelines or frameworks exist to guide policymakers and program managers in developing and implementing the comprehensive responses necessary to address the health, psychological, and criminal justice consequences of violence, and to reduce the determinants of violent behavior within communities.

In response, the Council has initiated a multicountry partnership project that seeks to strengthen national programs to better meet the medical, psychological, and justice needs of survivors of SGBV and to enhance strategies for its prevention. Experiences emerging will be systematically documented and synthesized and shared widely to offer a policy framework and implementation guidelines.

The project's overall objective is to reduce the incidence of SGBV, including intimate partner/domestic violence, and to meet the medical, psychological, and justice needs of survivors of sexual violence.

The project’s immediate goals are to:

• Create a functioning network of implementing partners and seed grantees in six or seven countries in East and Southern Africa (ESA);
• Produce a comprehensive review of programmatic experiences and best practices in the ESA region for providing appropriate medical management of sexual violence, which will enable effective criminal justice responses to all cases of SGBV and reduce levels of violence at the community level;
• Increase the comprehensiveness of existing SGBV programs through strengthening or adding component services so that the programs can become national models of a comprehensive approach;
• Initiate planning for comprehensive programs in three to four other countries through providing seed grants to national groups of committed and enthusiastic stakeholders;
• Develop innovative and valid indicators and methods for evaluating SGBV programs; and
• Draw and synthesize lessons from the experiences of expanding and introducing comprehensive approaches to addressing SGBV to generate practical guidelines for policy development and program implementation relevant for the region.

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Locations

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Nyanza and Nairobi Districts, Kenya

Lilongwe District, Malawi

Senegal

Thulamela Municipality, Vhembe and Bohlabela Districts, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Ndola, Kitwe, and Chingola Districts, Zambia

Midlands Province,  Zimbabwe

Duration

August 2006–December 2008

Population Council researchers

Ian Askew, Jill Keesbury, Gladys Kabura Mwangi

Donor

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

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See Also

• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Malawi
• Senegal
• South Africa
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Gender-based Violence

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