Strengthening health response to gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies

Nearly 1 in 3 women globally face sexual and/or physical intimate partner violence (IPV) or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. During humanitarian emergencies, the risk of these and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV) increases due to mass displacement and the breakdown of social protections. GBV has significant and long-lasting impacts on physical and mental health including injury, unintended pregnancy and pregnancy complications, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and even death. Adequate health services to address GBV are essential to ensure life-saving care for women, girls and other at-risk groups, and also foundational to supporting health system recovery and resilience from natural disaster, conflict, and disease outbreak.