Responding to Disclosure of a GBV Incident

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) incidents are often hidden, and supporting survivors is always complex and sensitive. This film is for humanitarian workers who may meet people disclosing GBV incidents during a humanitarian operation. Other than English, this video is available in Spanish (   • Respuesta a un incidente de violencia...  ), French (   • Comment réagir à la divulgation d’un ...  ) and Arabic (   • الاستجابة للكشف عن حوادث العنف القائم...  ) as well.

Gender-Based Violence is among the most widespread forms of violence. Women and girls are especially vulnerable to GBV, but it can also affect boys, men, adolescents, elderly people and those with disabilities GBV Incidents are often hidden, and supporting survivors is always complex and sensitive.
If a survivor approaches you and discloses an incident, ensure that any urgent needs receive immediate attention. And that you are both safe. Listen carefully and treat any information given as confidential. Do not ask details, do not record any information about the incident or the survivor. Inform the survivor of the options available to them - ONLY share accurate and up to date information about services available in the area and explain how to access them.

If you are asked to help contact any type of service, the survivor must understand and agree to who will be informed, and what will happen next. This is informed consent. If they give consent, follow the referral pathway defined by GBV specialists in your area. Respect their choice. Do not counsel them or try and force assistance. Do inform them that help can also be sought at a later stage.

Regardless of if a survivor chooses to access services or not, do not share details of the incidents or personal identifiers unless the survivor asks you to do so.

REMEMBER the key principles of Safety, Consent, Confidentiality, and Respect.

You can ONLY offer support if the incident is disclosed directly to you by the survivor. Under no circumstance should you look for GBV survivors. This can endanger them and yourself. If someone other than the survivor approaches you, give them information about available assistance that they can share with the survivor. Explain that safety and confidentiality must be preserved.

Training and guidance from GBV specialists are essential to understand how you can assist survivors safely. Ask your manager what is available. You, and your team, should also be familiar with your agency’s Code of Conduct, and know that any sexual exploitation or abuse by humanitarians is strictly prohibited. If unsure of what to do - at any point - seek advice from a GBV specialist, whilst upholding confidentiality.

The GBV Constant Companion is a portable tool that provides practical step-by-step advice on how to react to disclosure of GBV case. It includes a decision making flow chart, Do's and Dont's of Psychological First Aid, and a space to list available services in the given location. This tool can be printed, folded, and carried at all times. You can find this tool here: https://www.sheltercluster.org/gbv-sh...