VSO webinar: Addressing social exclusion and gender inequality in Ethiopia

1. www.vsointernational.org
Addressing social
exclusion and gender
inequality in Ethiopia
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2. The situation
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• Anecdotal and fragmented pieces of information from mainstream and social media reports
pointed to an alarming picture of the increase in vulnerability of young girls and women in the
country
• May 7 the State Minister of Women, Children and Youth publicized a press release that
Ethiopian girls and women are being exposed to different forms of rights violation in the context
of the pandemic.
• Different regional states reported the resurgence of a harmful traditional practice amidst the
pandemic especially of early marriage.
• The Addis Ababa Women, Children and Youth bureau reported that increasing incidents of
child sexual abuse specifically rape in the city
• The alarming news about the increasing violence including violence committed by close family
members have caused public outrage and outcry in different media outlets

3. Response strategies
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1. Engaging in partnership
Support the set up of a GBV webinar team –more than 100 organizations joined. The team:
Share information and research reports
Released position papers; conducted press release, and engaged in various media campaigns
call for the Government to ensure C-19 response plan(including resilience and recovery efforts)
adequately mainstreamed GBV
Call for support and protection of domestic workers who stranded in Lebanon due to COVID-19
flight bans., and were exposed to extreme rates of physical and sexual abuses
Call for de-escalation of conflict and peaceful resolution-Tigray region with especial focus on
prevention of GBV
Reinstate, strengthen and promoted hotlines and one stop service centers

4. Response strategy
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2. Risk communication and community engagement using appropriate channels and platforms
Focused on most vulnerable segment of community:
− Street children
− Commercial sex workers
− People with disabilities
− Internally displaced children and girls

5. Response strategy
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Contextualized information, education and communication materials
Loudspeaker (megaphone) announcement
Community notice boards, events and meetings
National TV and radio spots, and Community radios programs with more than 5 local languages
Televised panel discussion on GBV
Virtual training to community volunteers and teachers in conflict affected areas: focus on GBV
and, psychosocial and emotional support
• Group counselling to vulnerable groups
Capacity development of implementing partners, CBOs, and community volunteers
Provided training to the Ethiopian Artists who initiated a social media campaign entitled #ዝምአልልም
(literally I won’t keep silent)

6. Risk communication
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7. Response strategy
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• Direct support to Sexual abuse survivors (both children and adult)
• Alongside the psychosocial support, it was able to provide cash-handout to vulnerable
pregnant and lactating women, People with Disabilities, Commercial sex workers, GBV
survivors mainly n the age range of 5-16 years to get the required medical, legal and
psychosocial support.
• Empower children and girls in targeted areas to be active agents of their safeguarding and
wellbeing
• Provided psychosocial support through engagement of trained community volunteers, teachers
and health workers

8. Lessons
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1. Integrating GBV in our education, health and youth volunteering program helped to reach a
greater number of influential groups, communities and primary actors.
Examples:
1.1. Adolescent Youth Health –E course developed and uploaded in the FMOH system. One of
the module focuses on GBV and this believed to enhance the understanding and skill of health
workers.
1.2. VSO has integrated SIG in the Government National Youth Voluntary Community Service
Program. Recently, 10,000 youth volunteers have received the training
1.3. The Education in Emergency program has incorporated GBV and emphasizes on the
importance of psychosocial and emotional support to enhance the psychological resilience of
internally displaced children.

9. Graduation program of trained community volunteers –
all 10,000 volunteers have taken SIG training.
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10. Recommendation
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• During any kind of emergency, GBV increases. The breakdown of social infrastructures, the
disintegration of families and communities and the disruption of responses leave women and
girls vulnerable to sexual and other forms of gender-based violence, including rape. In
Ethiopia, Tigray region initially due to covid -19 and now due to conflict, rape cases are
reached alarming stage.
• All human rights organizations, CSOs, Government, and the community at large should put
strong and sustainable mechanism to protect vulnerable groups from GBV during emergency