COMMUNITY PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • What We Stand For >
      • Our Values and Guiding Principles
      • Partnership Principles
    • Financial Information
    • Our History
    • Policies and Governance >
      • Donor and Online Privacy Policy
      • Board of Directors Conflict of Interest Policy​
      • Document Retention and Destruction Policy
      • Compensation and Approval Process for the Executive Director
      • Financial Conflict of Interest for Investigators Policy
      • Whistleblower Policy
  • Where We Work
    • Myanmar
    • Bangladesh
  • What We Do
    • COVID-19 Response >
      • California COVID-19 Relief
    • Health & Nutrition >
      • Health Systems Strengthening
      • HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care >
        • USAID HIV/AIDS Flagship (UHF) Project >
          • UHF Blog
          • UHF Resources
          • UHF Media Coverage
          • Contact UHF
      • Infectious Disease
      • Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
      • Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights/Gender-Based Violence
      • Community First Aid
      • Nutrition
    • Sustainable Development
    • Emergency Response >
      • Rohingya Refugee Response
    • Research
  • Field Notes & Updates
  • Learn & Explore
    • Film
    • Events
    • Press Releases
    • Annual Reports
    • Publications Library >
      • Public Health/HSS
      • Infectious Disease
      • Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
      • Sexual and Reproductive Health/Gender-Based Violence
      • Trauma and Emergency Care
      • Health and Human Rights
      • Other
    • Technical Resources
    • Calls for Proposals
  • Give
    • Donor-Advised Funds
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Other Ways To Give
    • Community Funding Partnerships >
      • KDHW Emergency Field Medics
      • Mae Tao Clinic
      • Myanmar Liver Foundation
  • Join CPI
  • Contact Us

Breaking the Silence: Innovative Approaches to Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Cox’s Bazar

7/1/2018

 
For Rohingya women and girls sheltering as refugees in Cox’s Bazar, the shadow of gender-based violence (GBV) is never far away. While many have directly experienced or witnessed traumatic incidents during the recent violence in northern Rakhine state, the precarious circumstances and lack of protection that they experience as refugees continues to expose them to a high risk of GBV and human trafficking. Among Rohingya communities, as in many communities in Myanmar and elsewhere, stigma and cultural norms can hinder discussion and acknowledgment of these issues, making prevention and response more challenging.  Survivors of GBV often have little or no access to support, and awareness-raising and prevention efforts can face resistance. Community Partners International (CPI) is working in partnership with Rohingya communities in Cox’s Bazar to find creative and innovative ways to break the silence around GBV, and support community initiatives that help ensure women and girls are protected from violence.
CPI is supporting local partner, HELP Cox’s Bazar (HELP), to train and support 10 Rohingya ‘GBV volunteers’ to conduct awareness-raising sessions in Kutupalong Camp (Camp 5). The volunteers – six females and four males – conduct sessions with groups of women, men, adolescent girls and adolescent boys, in which they use fictional storytelling to facilitate dialogue on domestic violence, trafficking, and harassment, and to inform communities of services available to GBV survivors.  The volunteers are also trained in how to respond to a GBV disclosure and to confidentially refer survivors for further care. In addition to awareness sessions, the volunteers conduct door-to-door visits, where they are able to have deeper one-on-one conversations to build trust in communities and support increased access to services.

The project also includes the use of creative arts to share information and promote community dialogue on gender topics. In June 2018, a group of traditional folksingers will travel around the camp performing songs, with lyrics written with support from CPI and HELP, to promote peace in the household and to reduce stigma of GBV. Additionally, the project is partnering with a local production company to develop a short animated film to reduce the stigma of GBV and raise awareness about available services for GBV survivors. The film can be loaded onto tablets and shared door-to-door with communities.

The project is also launching one-on-one mentoring and weekly emotional support groups for adolescent girls. The groups will include discussion on topics such as self-care and emotional well-being, as well as recreational activities. Within the camps, adolescent girls have been identified as one of the hardest-to-reach groups due to community norms which often restrict girls’ movement outside of the house. The mentoring and group activities are meant to increase adolescent girls’ access to information, provide a forum for discussion, and build solidarity among group members.

In addition to these activities, CPI has trained 44 Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) on GBV concepts, guiding principles for GBV response, and how to inform communities of services available for GBV survivors. In August, the project plans to work with four male and four female CHVs who will serve as “GBV focal points,” conducting group GBV awareness sessions and door-to-door visits.

Through these approaches, CPI is working to empower Rohingya communities to address gender-based violence and promote a safe and supportive environment for women, girls and all refugees living in Cox’s Bazar.

Comments are closed.

    Author

    CPI Admin

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    Bangladesh
    Client Profile
    Community First Aid
    COVID 19
    CPI Organization Update
    Emergency Response
    Energy
    Gender Based Violence
    Harm Reduction
    Health Education
    Health Systems Strengthening
    Health Worker Profile
    HIV/AIDS
    Infectious Disease
    Livelihoods And Microfinance
    Malaria
    Maternal And Child Health
    MHealth
    Myanmar
    Nutrition
    Primary Care
    Research
    Sexual & Reproductive Health
    Sustainable Development
    USA
    WASH

    RSS Feed


Let us inspire you!

* indicates required
COMMUNITY PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL
580 California Street, 16th Floor,
San Francisco, CA 94104, USA

CONTACT
info@cpintl.org
+1 510 225 9676
Picture
© Community Partners International
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • What We Stand For >
      • Our Values and Guiding Principles
      • Partnership Principles
    • Financial Information
    • Our History
    • Policies and Governance >
      • Donor and Online Privacy Policy
      • Board of Directors Conflict of Interest Policy​
      • Document Retention and Destruction Policy
      • Compensation and Approval Process for the Executive Director
      • Financial Conflict of Interest for Investigators Policy
      • Whistleblower Policy
  • Where We Work
    • Myanmar
    • Bangladesh
  • What We Do
    • COVID-19 Response >
      • California COVID-19 Relief
    • Health & Nutrition >
      • Health Systems Strengthening
      • HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care >
        • USAID HIV/AIDS Flagship (UHF) Project >
          • UHF Blog
          • UHF Resources
          • UHF Media Coverage
          • Contact UHF
      • Infectious Disease
      • Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
      • Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights/Gender-Based Violence
      • Community First Aid
      • Nutrition
    • Sustainable Development
    • Emergency Response >
      • Rohingya Refugee Response
    • Research
  • Field Notes & Updates
  • Learn & Explore
    • Film
    • Events
    • Press Releases
    • Annual Reports
    • Publications Library >
      • Public Health/HSS
      • Infectious Disease
      • Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
      • Sexual and Reproductive Health/Gender-Based Violence
      • Trauma and Emergency Care
      • Health and Human Rights
      • Other
    • Technical Resources
    • Calls for Proposals
  • Give
    • Donor-Advised Funds
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Other Ways To Give
    • Community Funding Partnerships >
      • KDHW Emergency Field Medics
      • Mae Tao Clinic
      • Myanmar Liver Foundation
  • Join CPI
  • Contact Us