Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 68
It is important that the international aid sector recognises the risks that the covid-19 pandemic...
Recommendation
It is important that the international aid sector recognises the risks that the covid-19 pandemic and measures taken to contain it pose to women. Any reduction in aid supplies will make them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse and should be avoided. This comes at the same time that safe spaces and confidential services for women are becoming more difficult to access. International aid organisations should work with local, community-based organisations in-country to continue to provide gender-based support and access to services throughout the covid-19 pandemic. This should be taken as an opportunity to consider how these services can be more locally led in future too.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government response discusses existing provisions for criminal record checks for aid workers and the establishment of a working group to explore related issues, which is entirely unrelated to the committee's recommendation regarding COVID-19 impact on women and local, community-based gender support services.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
68
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
The FCDO’s guidance to staff and implementing partners for the Covid-19 period states that Gender-Based Violence and child protection support services should be considered a core part of any humanitarian response and that SEAH survivors as well as victims and survivors of wider Violence Against Women and Girls and child abuse can be referred to those services. The guidance also says that in contexts where service provision is patchy, programme staff should consider whether their programme or team can support improved service provision for SEAH survivors, which could well be locally-led.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗