The services available will obviously vary from setting to setting. Did you identify any that you thought were missing?

0:07

NARRATOR: Gender-based violence is among the most widespread forms of violence. Women and girls are especially vulnerable to GBV, but it can also affect boys, men, adolescents, elderly people, and those with disabilities. This film is for humanitarian workers who may meet people disclosing GBV incidents during humanitarian crises.

0:35

GBV incidents are often hidden, and supporting survivors is always complex and sensitive.

0:47

If a survivor approaches you and discloses an incident, ensure that any urgent needs receive immediate attention and that you’re both safe.

1:04

Listen carefully and treat any information given as confidential.

1:11

Do not ask details. Do not record any information about the incident or the survivor. Inform the survivor of the options available to them. Only share accurate and up-to-date information about services available in the area and explain how to access them. If you are asked to help contact any type of service, the survivor must understand and agree to who will be informed and what will happen next. This is informed consent. If they give their consent, follow the referral pathway defined by GBV specialists in your area. Respect the survivor’s choice. Do not counsel them or try and force assistance. Do inform them that help can also be sought at a later stage.

2:02

Regardless of if a survivor chooses to access services or not, do not share details of the incidents or personal identifiers unless the survivor asks you to do so. Remember the key principles of safety, consent, confidentiality, and respect.

2:24

You can only offer support if the incident is disclosed directly to you by the survivor.

2:32

Under no circumstances should you look for GBV survivors. This can endanger them and yourself.

2:49

If someone other than the survivor approaches you, give them information about available assistance that they can share with the survivor. Explain that safety and confidentiality must be preserved. Training and guidance from GBV specialists are essential to understand how you can assist survivors safely.

3:15

Ask your manager what’s available.

3:21

You and your team should also be familiar with your agency’s code of conduct and know that any sexual exploitation or abuse by humanitarians is strictly prohibited.

3:36

If unsure of what to do at any point, seek advice from a GBV specialist whilst upholding confidentiality.

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The video you have just watched is specific to accessing gender-based violence support services for adults in humanitarian response settings. The same principles can be seen to apply in other settings, not least the key elements of the referral pathway:

• Safety – make sure that providing, accessing or referring somebody to support does not put you, the survivor or others at risk.
• Consent – the survivor must understand and agree who will be informed and what will happen next.
• Confidentiality – whether or not the survivor chooses to access support, do not share details of incidents or personal identifiers unless the survivor asks you to do so.
• Respect – respect the survivor’s choices. Do not try to counsel them or force them to seek assistance. It is the survivor’s right to refuse support, decide upon their own needs and which kind of support they want to access and when.
• Support – if you don’t know what to do, seek support from a safeguarding specialist, whilst making sure to uphold all four elements of the referral pathway.
• Understanding legal context – in some jurisdictions you have to report to the police or existing law enforcement agencies. Carefully manage the challenge of confidentiality and mandatory reporting by risk assessing and taking into account the wishes of the survivor.