Humanitarian Academy

GBV

Gender-based violence in emergencies: prevent, mitigate and respond

Survivor-centred approach, safe referral, care within 72 hours, risk mitigation and data ethics: act against gender-based violence from the first day of a crisis.

  • 4 days · 24 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 3 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 4 one-day modules
  • 3 scenarios and 12 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Explain the forms of GBV, their root causes and risk factors in emergencies, and the principles that guide every intervention.
  • Receive a disclosure using the survivor-centred approach and refer safely and confidentially to services, including timely clinical care.
  • Integrate GBV risk mitigation into all sectors, support prevention and coordinate with the GBV sub-cluster while respecting data ethics.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
24 hours over 4 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) · UNFPA, GBV AoR · IASC, GBV Guidelines Reference Group

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A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Define GBV and recognise its main forms.
  • Apply the principles of safety, confidentiality, respect and non-discrimination.
  • Receive a disclosure and give accurate information about services.
  1. Day1Understanding GBV in emergenciesDefining gender-based violence · The forms of GBV · Causes, risk factors and consequences · The principle: assume GBV is happening, and do no harm · Analysing the GBV situation in the first weeks: a step-by-step method · The normative and legal framework every practitioner must master · Data and figures: what we know, what we can say, what we must never do · Groups at heightened risk and an intersectional approach · Full example: the initial GBV risk analysis in Mabéla district · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: A confidence by the borehole
  2. Graded case study : A disclosure at the distribution point Kalanga displacement site, hygiene kit distribution · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Refer according to the referral pathway and clinical time limits (72 h, 120 h).
  • Understand the steps of case management and the safety plan.
  • Integrate risk mitigation into one's own sector in line with the IASC Guidelines.
  1. Day2Survivor-centred approach and referralThe guiding principles · Receiving a disclosure without being a specialist · Clinical management of rape · GBV case management · Building, testing and updating a referral pathway · Informed consent in practice, including for children · Clinical management of rape: protocol and organisation of the service · Case management: tools, risk levels, supervision and psychosocial support · Full example: Amina's journey, from disclosure to case closure · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: The case that will not close
  2. Day3Prevention, risk mitigation and coordinationThe 2015 IASC Guidelines: GBV is everyone's business · Mitigating risks sector by sector · Safe spaces and prevention · Coordination and data ethics · Conducting a safety audit and exploratory walks · Integrating risk mitigation into the programme cycle: indicators, budget, donor requirements · Full example: the multi-sector mitigation plan for Dongolo site · Safe spaces and prevention programmes: design and operation · Coordinating the GBV response: SOPs, 4W, information-sharing protocol and links with other mechanisms · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: The meeting that wants figures
  3. Graded case study : Frightening latrines Bowé refugee camp, 18,000 people · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Design and manage a specialised GBV programme in line with the Minimum Standards.
  • Manage complex cases (children, close perpetrators, sexual exploitation).
  • Analyse and share data ethically (GBVIMS, sharing protocol).
  1. Day4Advanced module Specialised GBV programmes, complex cases and ethical data managementThe Inter-Agency Minimum Standards (2019) · Supporting complex cases · GBVIMS, Primero and the sharing protocol · Quality, accountability and staff care · Designing a specialised GBV programme: from analysis to logical framework · Full example: a twelve-month programme in Haute-Séno province · Complex cases: analysis and decision-making frameworks · GBVIMS in practice: from the intake form to the quarterly report · Quality, accountability to survivors and staff care · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references
  2. Graded case study : A sub-cluster under pressure Tessara province, influx of 60,000 displaced people in one month · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Protection and GBV teams, caseworkers, health workers, safe space facilitators, project managers from all sectors (shelter, WASH, food security, CCCM, education), GBV sub-cluster members and any humanitarian worker who may receive a disclosure of violence.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

GBV
Gender-based violence: a harmful act perpetrated against a person's will and based on socially ascribed differences between males and females.
Survivor
A person who has experienced GBV; the preferred term in psychosocial services.
Survivor-centred approach
An approach that places the survivor's rights, needs and choices at the centre: safety, confidentiality, respect, non-discrimination.
Risk mitigation
Designing aid in all sectors to reduce exposure to GBV.
PEP
HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, to be started at the latest within 72 hours.
Emergency contraception
A method of preventing pregnancy that can be used up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse.
GBV case management
Structured and confidential support for a survivor, in six steps, by a trained caseworker.
GBVIMS
GBV Information Management System: classification, forms, recording tool and sharing protocol.
SOPs
Standard operating procedures: roles, referral pathway and sharing rules between GBV actors.
GBV AoR
GBV Area of Responsibility of the Global Protection Cluster, led by UNFPA.
PSEA
Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse committed by humanitarian personnel.
Women and girls safe space
A place where women and girls feel safe, with support, information and discreet access to services.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (2015). Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action. gbvguidelines.org
  2. UNFPA, GBV AoR (2019). Inter-Agency Minimum Standards for Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Programming. www.unfpa.org/minimum-standards
  3. IASC, GBV Guidelines Reference Group (2018). How to support survivors of gender-based violence when a GBV actor is not available in your area (GBV Pocket Guide). gbvguidelines.org
  4. WHO, UNFPA, UNHCR (2020). Clinical management of rape and intimate partner violence survivors: developing protocols for use in humanitarian settings. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240001411
  5. Gender-Based Violence Information Management System Steering Committee (2017). Interagency Gender-Based Violence Case Management Guidelines. www.gbvims.com
  6. World Health Organization (2007). WHO ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241595681
  7. Sphere Association (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. spherestandards.org/fr/manuel-2018
  8. GBV AoR, Global Protection Cluster (2024). Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility. gbvaor.net