Young girls in Sierra Leone listen in on an IRC event held to raise awareness of gender based violence. In the communities where we work, the IRC helps foster an environment where common attitudes and beliefs about violence against women and girls can be discussed and explored.

A displaced woman finds a peaceful respite and a moment of quiet at one of the 11 IRC-supported women’s centers throughout Darfur, Sudan. The center provides a safe space where women and girls can come together and take part in a variety of activities. Many of the women say they come to the center because it is a place where their voices are considered.

Women try their hand at knitting at an IRC-supported women’s center in Darfur. All the activities at the center are chosen by the women themselves. They vary from crafts to coffee gatherings to information sessions on security and reproductive health. The centers offer a place where women and girls can come together and socialize in safety.

Burmese refugee women living in a camp along the Thailand-Burma border role play as part of their training to become gender based violence “focal points” in their community. The training prepares them to provide basic psychosocial support, referrals and services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence who come to them for help.

Two women weave fabric on a loom at an IRC-supported women’s center in Liberia. The IRC gives each woman the raw materials. The woman chooses what to do with the finished product – whether use it for herself or her family, or sell in the local market.

Women outside a women’s center in Kailahun, Sierra Leone. The IRC develops and supports similar centers throughout the country which give women and girls a safe place to meet, socialize and participate in a variety of activities.

Two young women in the Shimelba refugee camp in Ethiopia act out a role play for their community on the importance of sending girls to school. The lesson being taught? That denying a girl her right to education is a form of violence.

The IRC trained government and non-governmental organization staff in Aceh, Indonesia, on how to work with survivors of sexual violence.

IRC staff members and government representatives from Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia met earlier this year to discuss innovative ways they can work together to help protect women and girls in West Africa.

(March 2007) When war forces women to flee their homes, the risk of rape follows them and the threat of domestic violence grows. Through education and advocacy the International Rescue Committee partners with communities and local institutions to prevent sexual violence and protect the human rights of women and girls. Our counseling programs help survivors to cope and heal. And the IRC works at the local and international levels to change the beliefs, attitudes and practices that perpetuate violence against women.