Exploring the effectiveness of the output-based aid voucher program to increase uptake of gender-based violence recovery services in Kenya: a qualitative evaluation

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: Few studies in Africa have explored in detail the ability of output-based aid (OBA) voucher programs to increase access to gender-based violence recovery (GBVR) services. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in 2010 and involved: (i) in-depth interviews (IDIs) with health managers, service providers, voucher management agency (VMA) managers and (ii) focus group discussions (FGDs) with voucher users, voucher non-users, voucher distributors and opinion leaders drawn from five program sites in Kenya. Results: The findings showed promising prospects for the uptake of OBA GBVR services among target population. However, a number of factors affect the uptake of the services. These include lack of general awareness of the GBVR services vouchers, lack of understanding of the benefit package, immediate financial needs of survivors, as well as stigma and cultural beliefs that undermine reporting of cases or seeking essential medical services. Moreover, accreditation of only hospitals to offer GBVR services undermines access to the services in rural areas. Poor responsiveness from law enforcement agencies and fear of reprisal from perpetrators also undermine treatment options and access to medical services. Low provider knowledge on GBVR services and lack of supplies also affect effective provision and management of GBVR services. Conclusions: The above findings suggest that there is a need to build the capacity of health care providers and police officers, strengthen the community strategy component of the OBA program to promote the GBVR services voucher, and conduct widespread community education programs aimed at prevention, ensuring survivors know how and where to access services and addressing stigma and cultural barriers.The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundatio

Understanding the impact of a microfinance-based intervention on women's empowerment and the reduction of intimate partner violence in South Africa

This document presents Understanding the impact of a mocrofinance-based intervention on women;s empowerment and the reduction of intimate partner violence in South Africa. We sought to obtain evidence about the scope of women's empowerment and the mechanisms underlying the significant reduction in intimate partner violence documented by the Intervention With Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equity (IMAGE) cluster-randomized trial in rural South Africa. The IMAGE intervention combined a microfinance program with participatory training on understanding HIV infection, gender norms, domestic violence, and sexuality. Outcome measures included past year's experience of intimate partner violence and 9 indicators of women's empowerment. Qualitative data about changes occurring within intimate relationships, loan groups, and the community were also collected

Sexual and gender based violence in Africa: Key issues for programming

The Population Council is supporting a multisectoral and multicountry network of partners dedicated to strengthening sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) services. Initiated in 2006, the network aims to promote a comprehensive approach to preventing and managing SGBV throughout the region. The implementing partners aim to develop feasible, effective, and efficient models for a comprehensive response to the needs of SGBV survivors; strengthen services that address the health, psychological, and criminal justice consequences of violence; and reduce the determinants of violent behavior within communities. This brochure summarizes the key points of a literature review by the Population Council on SGBV designed to inform partners across Africa. The review is a resource for developing a comprehensive model of care, support, and prevention that partner countries can adapt, as a whole or in part

Evaluation of Court’s Decision as Effort of Legal Protection for Victims of Domestic Violence

This research discusses about evaluation of court decision as effort of legal protection for domestic violence victim in and how is the effort in realizing the legal protection for domestic violence victim in Indonesian criminal system. This research is a normative juridical using statute approach and case approach. Data collection conducted by literary study and document study, observation, and interview. Analysis is conducted qualitatively to obtain proper conclusion from the observed problem. This research found that some judge decisions show the absent of legal protection for domestic violence victim, because judge still imposed the decision merely based on statement in Acts and only imposed punishment to the perpetrator Keywords: Legal protection, victim, domestic violence, court’s decisio

Por um histórico da violência de gênero na América Latina e Caribe: “possibilidades” para as pesquisas em Educação Sexual

Gender-based violence is an important topic for studies on sexual education. Debating the theme in the macro-region of Latin America and the Caribbean is even more important when it proposes to think about research paths for young researchers. This is the purpose of this short text of a bibliographic nature: to indicate possibilities for a study on the historicity of gender violence in the macro-region. Two investigative possibilities are proposed: a starting point in official international documents; another starting point are the researches that speak of gender violence, since the 1970s with theories that tried to explain gender violence, such as patriarchy, southern epistemologies, as examples. The study concludes with referrals and incentives for these investigations in an attempt to find an important gap: gender violence before the European presence, which demands that a third possibility of studies in the area of Sexual Education be guided by ethno-history and anthropology. The third possibility is still a construction to be developed in the area of Sexual Education.La violencia de género es un tema importante para los estudios sobre educación sexual. Debatir el tema en el macrorregión de América Latina y el Caribe es aún más importante cuando se propone pensar en trayectorias de investigación para jóvenes investigadores. Este es el propósito de este breve texto de carácter bibliográfico: indicar posibilidades para un estudio sobre la historicidad de la violencia de género en el macrorregión. Se proponen dos posibilidades de investigación: un punto de partida en documentos internacionales oficiales; otro punto de partida es la investigación que habla de violencia de género, desde la década de 1970 con teorías que intentaron explicar la violencia de género, como el patriarcado, las epistemologías del sur, como ejemplos. El estudio concluye con referencias e incentivos para estas investigaciones en un intento por encontrar una brecha importante: la violencia de género, ante la presencia europea, que exige que una tercera posibilidad de estudios en el área de Educación Sexual sea guiada por etno-historia y antropología. La tercera posibilidad es aún una construcción por desarrollar en el área de Educación Sexual.A violência de gênero é um tema importante para os estudos da Educação Sexual. Debater o tema na macrorregião da América Latina e Caribe alcança ainda maior importância quando se propõe a pensar caminhos de investigação para jovens pesquisadoras(es). Este é o objetivo deste pequeno texto de natureza bibliográfica: indicar possibilidades de um estudo sobre uma historicidade da violência de gênero na macrorregião. São propostas duas possibilidades investigativas: um ponto de partida em documentos internacionais oficiais; outro ponto de partida são as pesquisas que falam da violência de gênero, desde os anos 1970 com teorias que tentaram explicar a violência de gênero, como o patriarcado, as epistemologias do sul, como exemplos. Conclui-se o estudo com encaminahamentos e incentivos para estas investigações na tentativa de se encontrar uma importante lacuna: a violência de gênero, antes da presença europeia, o que demanda que uma terceira possibilidade de estudos na área da Educação Sexual seja pautada na etno-história e na antropologia. A terceira possibilidade é ainda uma construção a ser desenvolvida na área da Educação Sexual

One stop crisis centres: A policy analysis of the Malaysian response to intimate partner violence

BACKGROUND: This article aims to investigate the processes, actors and other influencing factors behind the development and the national scale-up of the One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) policy and the subsequent health model for violence-response. METHODS: Methods used included policy analysis of legal, policy and regulatory framework documents, and in-depth interviews with key informants from governmental and non-governmental organisations in two States of Malaysia. RESULTS: The findings show that women's NGOs and health professionals were instrumental in the formulation and scaling-up of the OSCC policy. However, the subsequent breakdown of the NGO-health coalition negatively impacted on the long-term implementation of the policy, which lacked financial resources and clear policy guidance from the Ministry of Health. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm that a clearly-defined partnership between NGOs and health staff can be very powerful for influencing the legal and policy environment in which health care services for intimate partner violence are developed. It is critical to gain high level support from the Ministry of Health in order to institutionalise the violence-response across the entire health care system. Without clear operational details and resources policy implementation cannot be fully ensured and taken to scale

Qualitative discussion about reducing grain postharvest loss with mobile storage in Ghana, West Africa

Farming sustainably and protecting gross harvest production correctly provides growers with “health care, school fees and peace-of-mind” (net benefits). Reducing Postharvest and input loss sustains the components of agriculture’s triple-bottom-line which are “accessible nutrition, reduced green-house emissions, and foreign exchange reserves”. Lacking storage that stops grain PHL, agriculture suffers critical problems like the Aspergillus fungi that leaves grain contaminated with invisible aflatoxin that growers cannot consume or market. The objective of the Ghana pilot study was to understand why new ideas/findings like, applying biologicals to the soil before harvest, gross production inputs, virtual markets and especially the spread of stationary grain warehouses have failed to improve the net benefits of farming or agricultures’ triple-bottomline in sub-Saharan Africa. Qualitative comparison methods were used to identify roadblocks to improvement as scientific monitoring and storage eliminate grain Postharvest loss on the drylands in many parts of the world. Observations suggest net benefits are being ignored as reviews and assessments of primitive or council storage exchange scientific rigor for Stationary Warehouse Prejudice. Scientific rigor illuminates how the qualitative cost of aflatoxin, and quantitative expense of pests, recycling plastic, and empty stationary warehouses impact enduser- cost per unit stored per month. We conclude that Postharvest loss is expensive, and that relatively inexpensive mobile metal storage assets would improve net benefits and the triple-bottom-line.Farming sustainably and protecting gross harvest production correctly provides growers with “health care, school fees and peace-of-mind” (net benefits). Reducing Postharvest and input loss sustains the components of agriculture’s triple-bottom-line which are “accessible nutrition, reduced green-house emissions, and foreign exchange reserves”. Lacking storage that stops grain PHL, agriculture suffers critical problems like the Aspergillus fungi that leaves grain contaminated with invisible aflatoxin that growers cannot consume or market. The objective of the Ghana pilot study was to understand why new ideas/findings like, applying biologicals to the soil before harvest, gross production inputs, virtual markets and especially the spread of stationary grain warehouses have failed to improve the net benefits of farming or agricultures’ triple-bottomline in sub-Saharan Africa. Qualitative comparison methods were used to identify roadblocks to improvement as scientific monitoring and storage eliminate grain Postharvest loss on the drylands in many parts of the world. Observations suggest net benefits are being ignored as reviews and assessments of primitive or council storage exchange scientific rigor for Stationary Warehouse Prejudice. Scientific rigor illuminates how the qualitative cost of aflatoxin, and quantitative expense of pests, recycling plastic, and empty stationary warehouses impact enduser- cost per unit stored per month. We conclude that Postharvest loss is expensive, and that relatively inexpensive mobile metal storage assets would improve net benefits and the triple-bottom-line

Sexual violence and girls’ performance in Rwandan schools: a case study of some 12 year basic education schools in Muhanga District

This study aimed at investigating the nature of sexual violence among schoolgirls in Rwanda and its impact on their school performance. In addition to the structured questionnaire administered to 182 respondents sampled from four 12 YBE schools in Muhanga District and the interviews, the study used respondents' grades at the Ordinary Level national examinations of 2012 to validate the study hypotheses.As for the nature of sexual violence faced, the study indicates that a half of adolescent schoolgirls experience either sexual abuse or sexual exploitation. The major causes of sexual violence include perpetrators who pretend to be inoffensive while committing sexual abuse; curiosity of adolescents to perform sexual acts and the need for money and/or materials. The main perpetrators of sexual violence against schoolgirls include their boyfriends, schoolboys, relatives living with the victims and family friends. The findings show also that sexual violence is one of the factors for the girls‟ low school performance.Keywords: Sexual violence, schoolgirls, school performance, 12 YB

Breaking the commute barrier: How women in Jabodetabek overcome daily challenges on commuting for work

Ensuring safe and convenient transportation is vital for promoting gender equality. Unfortunately, women in Jabodetabek, Indonesia, frequently express insecurity in public transport due to harassment and violence, particularly in crowded buses and trains. This is a critical issue since secure and reliable transportation enables women to engage fully in education, employment, and daily activities.  To better understand women's experiences with public transportation in Jabodetabek, a study was conducted using a case study method. Six women commuters who used public transportation to travel within and between Jabodetabek were recruited based on their willingness to share their experiences and the diversity of their routes. The study used qualitative research methods to collect data, including in-depth interviews and observations of informants' commutes. The study discovered that women in Jabodetabek consider safety concerns and social norms crucial when deciding their transportation mode and route. Women's route choices are influenced by the presence of other women, well-lit areas, and visible security personnel, which contribute to their perceived safety and comfort. Gender plays a significant role in shaping these decisions. The implications of these findings are significant for transportation policy and planning in Jabodetabek. The research underscores the need to develop gender-responsive transportation policies and programs that address women commuters' unique challenges and needs. For example, transportation planners can take steps to increase security personnel presence and improve lighting in areas frequented by women. Moreover, providing women-only transportation options can enhance the safety and comfort of women during their travel. The present research is distinguished by its investigation of women's route choices and the multifaceted factors that shape their decision-making process. In addition, this research represents a gap in the existing literature that has yet to be extensively examined, thereby rendering this study a distinctive and valuable contribution to the field