Tigray region community service referral directory for gender-based violence survivors (GBV)
Purpose of Directory
Communities, especially women and girls are resilient. With appropriate care and support, they can recover and return to living a productive life. The directory aims to provide community members and institutions with information on locally available Gender-based Violence (GBV) response services within their communities that survivors can make a choice of being referred to in a timely manner. The services captured within the directory are: Health, Psychosocial and Case Management and Psychosocial Support; Security/Police, Legal/Justice and Shelter/Safehouse.
Quality assurance: The operating environment in Tigray is constantly evolving due to airstrikes and other security related issues. Also, service providers are currently operating from temporary locations such as schools, that are planned for reopening. As such, institutions named within the report/directory might have withdrawn staff from the facilities, reduced their operational hours and/or their operational mandate changed. It is therefore recommended that a regular review and update of the directory be undertaken to ensure the availability of ongoing provision of quality services by the listed service providers.
Referrals
GBV survivors have varied needs. Rarely, does any one institution have the capacity and resources to meet those needs. However, through partnerships with other institutions working on GBV responses, the survivor can be appropriately linked to the required specialized service in a timely manner; informed by agreed action plan, respecting the choice, confidentiality, and safety of the survivor.
Referring a survivor to another facility, does not mean your institution has to close the case and stop servicing the survivor. Agreed follow-up actions by the referring agencies can be simultaneously completed with the other, provided both schedules do not conflict and are agreeable with the survivor.
Referral Guiding Principles
- Respect for the wishes and choices of the survivor:The decision about what services to access, primarily lies with the survivor. Agreement reached, should be fully complied with, without any repercussions to the survivor;
- Confidentiality:It is her/his story and therefore has the rights to decide whom to talk with and not. As such, the privacy of the survivor must always be maintained, except, if the survivor is a child (actions to be taken must be clearly explained to the child before proceeding).
Source: United Nations Population Fund