Gender Based violence & sexual diversity

REPORT ALL ACTS OF VIOLENCE TO SAFEGUARD YOUR SAFETY OR THAT OF YOUR CHILDREN

SEXUAL, GENDER BASED VIOLENCE & EXPLOITATION

People who find themselves in an abusive and exploitative situations where their rights are being violated such as domestic violence, discrimination against sexuality, Trafficking and inhumane domestic work conditions can received redress.

Please Contact us to know your rights, receive counselling or referral and legal redress. There are all sorts of help available to safeguard your safety or that of your children.

SEXUAL, GENDER BASED VIOLENCE & EXPLOITATION

Back ground information

By definition, Sexual and Gender-based violence (hereafter SGBV) refers to any harm that is perpetuated against a person’s will; that has an impact on the physical or psychological health, development, and identity of the person; and that is the result of gendered power inequalities that exploit distinctions between males and females, among males and among females (Ward 2002).

 

AFFECTS ALL CULTURES

As widely recognised, SGBV is a global phenomenal and constitutes a common trend that cuts across all types of states, racial groups and social settings but as widely observed, although not exclusive to women and girls alone but also to male, SGBV principally affects them across all cultures and gender.

AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS

The major manifestations of SGBV include domestic violence, rape, torture, assault, trafficking, forced labour, forced or coerced marriages.

Secondly, SGBV takes place under various contexts, be it in conflict or non-conflict situations, yet carries a distinctively noticeable element – it is perpetuated on women and girls, primarily as a result of their already disadvantaged status in society (Save the Children 2004);

Violence against women is an obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of equality, development and peace.  Violence against women violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment of women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms”

TARGET GROUP

The Sub-Sahara African migrants would continue to be more vulnerable to becoming a victim of SGBV due to various unfavourable circumstances surrounding their development, e.g. mass violations of civil and political rights that affect whole communities, as well as discrimination against particular groups, such as girls, women or minorities, harmful traditional practices, social exclusion, lack of functioning governments and political persecution in countries of origin and poverty.

In most cases victims are controlled by means of physical and emotional abuse, passport theft, physical restraint and threats against them or their families.

Significant stigma is attached to SGBV due to cultural mind set, traditions and fear of their abuser.  They fear of deportation in is also a major constraint in seeking redress. Therefore great numbers of SGBV victims in migrant community do not seek redress and the consequences are detrimental, sometimes resulting to death.

OUR ACTIONS

Vital Aid foundation is pro-active in providing crucial services for migrant women and educating them on their basic human rights under international law such as convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, UN Resolution 1325 and the Beijing Platform for Action.

We are also committed to supporting initiatives that prevent trafficking and exploitation by:  creating greater awareness of trafficking patterns through education, research, training and outreach, engaging with and empowering of women at risk of trafficking such as

women migrants, LGBT group, asylum seekers, sex workers and domestic workers, and broadening the understanding of the factors of vulnerability that lead to patterns of abuse and exploitation.

TO SAFEGUARD YOUR SAFETY OR THAT OF YOUR CHILDREN