GBV service provision remains low as compared to the needs and geographical landscape response. Limited specialized services such as rape treatment for rape survivors, case management, psycho-social support and higher levels of mental health care for traumatized women and girls are major hindrances to expanding provision of timely, confidential and quality GBV services. Limited GBV specialized service provider continues to impact both quality and reach of services.

Services most affected include legal support (with the closure of courts) and community awareness campaigns (due to need for social distancing), psychosocial support services, GBV Shelters and child friendly spaces. Cash and voucher assistance provides a buffer for vulnerable poor women and girls to meet their basic needs for food, medical and basic needs for protection of dignity. While demand for cash through direct and the integrated GBV case management is growing; the lack of proper targeting, inadequacy of reach, and lack of sensitization of immediate family relatives on the use of cash are a major source of concern for increasing IPV.

Humanitarian workers need to deliberately ensure the inclusion of PLWDs and girls and women from minority clans/groups in cash interventions. The absence of a strong legal framework for the protection of women and adolescent girls discourages survivors from reporting GBV cases and seeking justice. Related issues include the application of obsolete laws; lack of capacity of security personnel to apply a survivor centered approach to manage GBV survivors; mismanagement of forensic evidence; undue reliance of the justice system on evidence of rape to prosecute; interference of community/family-based mediation; survivor shaming/stigmatization and limited support for legal services. States such as Puntland with a sexual offences’ legislation need strong enforcement mechanisms and accelerated justice process to build confidence women and girls to seek justice and reparation.

Vulnerable women and girls in IDP camps and host communities express the need for dignity protection and material support (such as dignity and hygiene kits, solar lanterns, torches, mats and mattresses) to meet both basic and protection needs. The need for GBV Shelters for vulnerable women and girls (including GBV survivors) is a prominent concern as they are trapped violent relationships due to lack of secure temporary shelter. Weak or lack of capacity for coordination of GBV prevention, response and mitigation services continues to be a major gap for GBV AoR Somalia. Lack of presence and capacity of local actors are major barriers to localization of GBV services especially in rural areas. Importantly, the limited number of female-led NGOs with capacity to implement GBV focused activities.

Coordination is also hampered by inadequate availability of valid sex, age and gender disaggregated data to inform targeting and focus. Referrals for service mobilization – Service mobilization remains low due to sustained operations of women and girls’ safe spaces and GBV one-stop centers. With increasing population in needs and paucity of resources that these spaces remain open and accessible; vulnerable women and girls and GBV survivors are prevented from access services that enable them to heal from the trauma.391 Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and strengthened community feedback mechanisms. Humanitarian actors must integrate comprehensive strategies to prevent Sexual Exploitation and Abuse while delivering humanitarian services to the communities. Such risks can come directly from aid workers or community leaders engaged. Humanitarian actors need to allow community to hold them accountable and provide feedback mechanisms that are safe and accessible to all persons.