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HOW CAN (NATIONAL) INSTITUTIONS ACT TO PREVENT GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AGAINST MIGRANTS?
HOW CAN (NATIONAL) INSTITUTIONS ACT TO PREVENT GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AGAINST MIGRANTS? National institutions play an essential role in preventing GBV against migrants and supporting GBV survivors. First, States are the primary actors in terms of human rights implementation. Second, many public institutions are actively involved in health care and immigration services; in the countries of implementation of the project, most refugees’ accommodation centres and shelters for GBV survivors are managed by public authorities. Third, as policymakers, national governments and legislators have the power to embed GBV guidelines and procedures into the national legal framework, allowing those protocols to be sustainably implemented. Therefore, it is critical to highlight the main actions national institutions can take in the field of GBV and migrations. Many applicants for international protection as well as recognised refugees live in state-run refugee centres. The nature and the management of these centres are crucial for ensuring adequate violence prevention and protection. Because they are usually mass facilities located in the periphery, protection from violence and access to support services are often not possible in practice. Refugee centres should be located close to existing services and transportation to those services should be accessible for migrants to ensure their right to medical services, independent legal consultation, and access to counselling centres. Centres and shelters should be built as small, decentralised accommodations, in which the residents know and can support each other. In addition, including residents in the centre management (e.g., organisation of catering/cooking, use of common rooms, organisation of social activities) would promote the empowerment of residents. People who can organise their everyday
lives are more likely to speak up for themselves and are therefore less vulnerable to GBV.
States are the primary actors in terms of human rights implementation. As policymakers, national governments and legislators have the power to embed GBV guidelines and protocols into the national legal frameowrk, aloowing those protocols to be sustainably implemented.
National institutions should also ensure that identification procedures in refugee accommodation centres are adequate and culturally sensitive. Indeed, those procedures may lead to secondary traumatisation, stigmatisation, and/ or discrimination against vulnerable persons. This recommendation applies to all support services. The well-being, security, and (mental) health of people must always be treated as the highest priority when identifying and providing support to survivors. State action should never expose people to any additional risk. Finally, institutional measures for violence
