In Somalia, the weight of years of drought, conflict, and displacement does not fall equally. Women, girls, and marginalised groups carry a disproportionate burden — and for many, that burden includes the threat and reality of gender-based violence. Somalia remains one of the countries with the highest rates of GBV in the world.
Yet even in deeply difficult circumstances, communities are finding ways to protect one another.
Trocaire, as part of the Caafimaad Plus Consortium and with funding from EU Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), is working alongside these communities in the Gedo region. Rather than treating GBV as a separate concern, the programme weaves protection services into health, nutrition, and WASH interventions — meeting people where they are, with the full support they need.
Strengthening the Frontline Response
The people most likely to first encounter a survivor of GBV are not always specialists — they are community health workers, hygiene promoters, and outreach workers. Recognising this, the programme has trained 296 frontline staff (149 women, 147 men) on GBV guiding principles, safeguarding, Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and safe referral pathways.
The results have been tangible. Workers across different sectors are now better equipped to recognise early warning signs, offer basic psychosocial support, and connect survivors to the care they need — safely and without delay.
Said Hamdi, a Case Manager based in Baled Hawa, has seen the difference this training has made in practice.
“Before, people didn’t always know who to go to or what to say. Now, when a frontline worker meets someone who needs help, they know exactly what to do — how to listen, how to support, and how to refer. Survivors are reaching us sooner, and that matters enormously.”
She also speaks to how awareness has shifted within the wider community:
“People are talking about GBV differently now. They understand it better, they know help exists, and some survivors are even calling the GBV hotline — 2111 — themselves. That’s a real change.”
Bringing GBV Services Closer to Communities
Knowing services exist is not enough if people cannot access them. GBV caseworkers and Community Health Workers have led information sessions across IDP and host communities, making sure people know what support is available and how to reach it.
With informed consent at every step, survivors have been safely referred to One-Stop Centres where they can access medical care, GBV case management, psychosocial support, emergency assistance, and dignity kits — all under one roof, with their dignity and privacy protected.
A Coordinated, Life-Saving Response
Time matters deeply in cases of sexual violence. The 72-hour window for medical intervention is critical, and the close coordination between health, protection, and mobile outreach teams has made it possible to reach survivors within that window more consistently.
Beyond individual cases, joint awareness sessions at health facilities and IDP sites are also strengthening prevention at the community level — shifting norms, building trust, and making protection everyone’s shared responsibility.
A Model Worth Replicating
In Gedo, survivors are accessing services earlier. Referrals are more effective. Health, nutrition, and protection needs are being addressed together, not in isolation.
The ECHO-funded programme is a powerful reminder that embedding protection within life-saving services is not a luxury — it is a necessity. In a context where vulnerability runs deep, an integrated approach is one of the most meaningful ways to uphold the dignity, safety, and resilience of the women and girls at the heart of this work.
