Gender-based Violence (GBV) Response Services in Ethiopia: Empowering Women and Girls in Conflict-Affected Areas

Many communities in various parts of Ethiopia have been grappling with the compounded impacts of conflict and climate-related shocks. Conflict has claimed countless lives and led to widespread humanitarian crises: homes, schools, and hospitals now lie in ruins, and thousands of people have been displaced and forced to leave behind everything they once knew. Many continue to struggle to access basic necessities such as food, clean water, and medical care. This dire context has made women and girls particularly vulnerable to physical and sexual violence, leading to a surge in gender-based violence (GBV) while the loss of services and breakdown in social support systems has limited the availability of lifesaving GBV response services.

In the midst of these challenges, the Government of Ethiopia is striving to uplift conflict-affected communities through the World Bank-supported Response-Recovery-Resilience for Conflict-Affected Communities in Ethiopia Project, a $300 million lifeline granted by the International Development Association (IDA) which aims to address urgent needs, restore damaged infrastructure, and strengthen community resilience in a sustainable manner. The project has already made significant progress in improving access to vital services and reconstructing climate-resilient infrastructure. It has also enhanced GBV response services by providing medical, psychosocial, and case management support, along with prevention programming designed to both address the underlying norms that influence violence and encourage survivors to seek help.

Since 2023, in the conflict-afflicted Tigray region of Ethiopia, over 681,000 women and girls have been able to access much-needed gender-based violence response services through twenty Women- and Girl-Friendly Safe Spaces - thanks to the efforts of  United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - while more than 281,000 individuals have benefited from mental health and psychosocial support services. Over 4,000 women and girls have been referred to medical, legal, and basic services through the supported health facilities, and over 900,000 people have been reached through community-based sensitization and awareness-raising activities. Building on these successes, the Government of Ethiopia is expanding gender-based violence service delivery via UNOPS, UNFPA and other partners to ensure that care is available across conflict-affected communities.

While the progress made is significant, the demand for comprehensive, multi-sectoral response services remains high across all five regions where the project is implemented, which led the government to ask for an expansion and scale-up of the GBV response activities. As an answer to that request, the Bank just approved $31 million in additional financing, including a generous contribution of $28 million from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank, and $3 million from the Early Learning Partnership (ELP) Trust Fund. Taken together, these funds will support the country’s continuing efforts to respond to the needs of conflict-affected communities in Ethiopia.

“We are deeply grateful to the World Bank, KfW, and other partners for their continued support,” says H. E. Ergogie Tesfaye, Ph.D., the Minister of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA). “In the past two years, we have managed to provide much-needed lifesaving services in Tigray. Though we appreciate the existing funds, given the immense need in the community, the additional funding is essential to meaningfully address the challenges in a way that changes the lives of vulnerable women and children sustainably, in line with the SDGs agenda ‘leave no one behind’. This additional financing will help narrow this gap, enabling us to enhance our services, provide critical mental health and psychosocial support to those affected by conflict, and improve access to essential gender-based violence services across all five regions of Ethiopia. I would like to commend the effort being made in this additional financing for empowering women and improving their livelihoods, which is vital for their long-term mitigation and sustainable recovery.”

The additional funding will significantly expand service delivery and amplify the efforts to reach more beneficiaries, particularly in the Amhara region. By upgrading or establishing more Women- and Girl-Friendly Safe Spaces and offering trauma-focused therapeutic programs, the project will create safer and more empowering environments for communities. Interventions will focus on access to care, women’s empowerment, and livelihood support, addressing the root causes of GBV, and ensuring lasting positive change for survivors and vulnerable women.

Partnerships are key in effectively delivering and scaling support for GBV survivors. MoWSA is currently working with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UNFPA, UNICEF, the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPEIGO), and Vivo International to deliver cross-sectoral services, including the development of evidence-based prevention programs, as well as to build stronger institutional capacities to deliver mental health and psychosocial support services and map out and assess the quality of available GBV services in the country. Such government and non-government partnerships are rare in Ethiopia and will be expanded even further, thanks to the additional funds.  

While the project is mainly focused on providing immediate assistance to conflict-affected communities, it is also paving the way for sustainable recovery. By investing in institutions, communities, and policies, it aligns with the Government of Ethiopia’s ambition to build an inclusive and resilient future and to promote long-term stability and growth despite the present challenges. For Tiblets and others directly affected by conflict, it also serves as a source of optimism: a promise of immediate relief and long-term resilience which will create a brighter, more stable future for the nation.

Disclaimer: Some of the names of individuals featured in this story have been changed to protect their identities and the images used do not depict actual Gender-Based Violence (GBV) victims.