Djibouti: IGAD, Partners Move against GBV

By Development Diaries
June 6, 2022

United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has encouraged actors in gender-based violence (GBV) response and prevention in Djibouti to have as much knowledge as possible to ensure adequate support.

The call was made at a training of frontline workers in the area of GBV prevention in the village of Merkazi in Obock.

The training was carried out by UNICEF, TradeMark East Africa, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

It was gathered that 25 members of various committees from the refugee village of Merkazi attended the training.

‘It is important to remember that GBV and violence against children have as much in common as there are differences’, UNICEF’s Child Protection Officer, Karen Andriamampianina, said.

‘Actors in GBV response and prevention should be aware of these links and differences to ensure adequate support, especially for victims, but also to better prepare preventive actions’.

According to UNICEF, the training will better equip frontline workers in the support and care of victims, and also to enable them to establish the links and differences between GBV and violence against children.

The UN agency also noted that frontline workers play a key role in the fight against different types of violence, particularly GBV.

‘As a community leader, this training helped me a lot on my roles and responsibilities within the community for prevention and response to gender-based violence’, a ccommunity leader at Merkazi refugee village, Nasser Ali, said after the training.

‘I thank UNICEF for this and I hope that this type of training will be offered to us a little more often’.

The Markazi camp has been home to more than 2,900 refugees, mainly from Yemen, since 2015.

Data from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that Djibouti hosts approximately 35,000 persons of concern, including over 23,000 refugees and 11,000 asylum-seekers, residing in Ali Addeh, Holl Holl, Djibouti city and Markazi refugee villages.

Conflict, drought and violence in the Horn of Africa have forced many to seek protection in Djibouti. Its position has also made it a transit country and the main route for migration towards Yemen and beyond.

Djibouti aims to improve the welfare of migrants and that of host communities through the country’s first national strategy for Migration, launched with the support of the IOM in 2021, Development Diaries had reported.