When disaster strikes—be it violent conflict, economic downturn, pandemic or a natural event— children are among the most vulnerable to negative effects. Children may fall victim to any number of threats, including psycho-social distress, family separation, interruption in education, physical and emotional abuse, trafficking and neglect. Through our work in protection, education, resilience and risk reduction, we place the safety and well-being of children at the centre of our programming.
Gender Based Violence
As a global study from UNFPA (2018) reveals that girls and young women with disabilities face up to 10 times more gender-based violence than those without disabilities. Those with intellectual disabilities are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.

In Somalia, Physical assault continues to be the most commonly experienced GBV incident, followed by sexual assault and rape

Medical and psycho-social services available to survivors in the target locations are insufficient, inappropriate and below the expectation of survivors. This coupled with low levels of community awareness on issues of GBV; stigma and other cultural barriers which encourage impunity for breaches in laws and convections. In Somalia there has been a steady increase in GBV cases since with this been attributed to the increasing levels of conflict and natural disasters (recurrent drought and floods).

All DAF project activities are carried out to maximize community participation. Regular meetings and capacity building activities at the established women and girl safe spaces seek to engage the community and support the establishment and development of community networks in order to strengthen local mechanisms for prevention and response. By providing support to existing community structures DAF projects seek to ensure the following:

Comprehensive Case management/Medical support, including specialized clinical care for sexual assault survivors (CCSAS) through trained nurses and case management teams to ensure survivors are followed up and quality support is provided. Central to the service provision at our centers will be a strong referral mechanism.

Psychosocial support and counseling through survivor centered approached provided by trained counselors.