The Assessment and Mapping of Initiatives on Women Protection and Livelihood Support in South Darfur

Citation:

Aletegani, Abass Y., Bashir, Nagla Mohamed, and Mohamed Ahamad Nour. 2012. “The Assessment and Mapping of Initiatives on Women Protection and Livelihood Support in South Darfur.” In The Role of Women in Promoting Peace and Development, edited by Nicklas Svensson. 149-160. Lund, Sweden: Media-Tryck Lund University

Authors: Abass Y. Aletegani, Nagla Mohamed Bashir, Mohamed Ahamad Nour

Abstract:

This research assesses women’s need of protection and livelihood in South Darfur’s IDPs camps and host communities, and makes a database on the organizations (national and international) and government bodies working with livelihood and protection. The humanitarian crisis in Darfur leaves women more vulnerable to high rates of poverty, violence (domestic violence, sexual gender-based violence), insecurity and displacement. Many studies about the effects of war on women have been carried out but most of them focus on IDP populations and do not include the host communities, although they contain some of the IDPs. The objectives of the need assessment were to quantify IDP women’s needs around their human rights protection and livelihoods in South Darfur and to establish a database on institutions working on women’s protection and livelihood needs including national and international agencies, women’s organizations, and government bodies in South Darfur. This needs assessment uses participatory rapid assessment techniques, applying gender analysis tools and processes and combines qualitative and quantitative tools (interviews, focus group discussions, story telling, participant observations, active listening). The first part of the research concerned the training of the team in holding field surveys, how the team deals with IDPs inside the camp to give the right information. The result showed that women in IDPs camps practice different income-generating activities (IGAs) to earn money. They need more training in IGAs and in new forms of work that let their products compete in the market and earn more money. Regarding protection, women need more training programs in human rights and violence. Most women need to see that reporting violence against them has a result. This report is the result of a study undertaken by a team of academic staff from the Peace Studies and Community Development Centre, invited and supported by UNIFEM and the University of Nyala in 2007 and comparing and assessing the situation in 2011.

Topics: Displacement & Migration, IDPs, Refugee/IDP Camps, Economies, Poverty, Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Livelihoods, Sexual Violence, SV against Women Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Sudan

Year: 2012