PROTECT - Preventing sexual and gender-based violence against migrants and strengthening support to victims

Project Status: Complete

Sexual and gender-based violence is a violation of human rights.

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) may be physical or psychological and it can take the form of domestic violence, sexual harassment, social exclusion or even exploitation and trafficking in human beings. Women and men, boys and girls and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI) can all become victims of sexual and gender-based violence. However, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency confirmed that the majority of the victims are women and girls.

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The project “PROTECT - Preventing sexual and gender-based violence against migrants and strengthening support to victims” aims to strengthen national support services for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
PROTECT also aims to make these services available to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, be them children or adults and including LGBTI people. PROTECT included awareness-raising activities on preventing sexual and gender-based violence among these communities.

In coordination with national authorities, first responders and service providers, IOM and the partners work together to tailor the following activities to the national contexts and implement them:

1. Strengthen and adapt existing national support services for victims of sexual and gender-based violence to coordinate better and include refugees, asylum seekers and migrants;
2. Build capacity for professionals who work with and for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to identify and address the needs of victims and potential victims of SGBV more effectively;
3. Empower and inform refugees, asylum seekers and migrant communities about SGBV and how to protect themselves from the risk of becoming a victim of sexual and gender-based violence.

PROTECT training material

According to the Mapping Report on Legal Frameworks and Assistance Available to Migrant Victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) prepared in the inception phase of the PROTECT project, there is a clear need for professionals who are working with migrant people to receive specialized trainings on the topic of sexual and gender-based violence in the migration context.

These training tools aim to be a useful interactive tool for training professionals (e.g. social workers, police officers, interpreters, teachers, health care professionals) who regularly meet and work with migrants, refugees or asylum-seekers who might also be a victim of SGBV.

PROTECT Information Material

The PROTECT project developed country-specific information material on sexual and gender-based violence tailored to adults and children needs.

Mapping Report on Legal Frameworks and Assistance Available to Migrant Victims of Sexual and Gender‑Based Violence (SGBV)

As part of the inception phase of the PROTECT project, national mapping exercises have been conducted by IOM country offices together with project partners in 12 countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Spain) to map the existing legislative frameworks, available services to migrant victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) to and identify the key gaps and challenges.