1. Home
  2. Sexual and gender-based violence

Sexual and gender-based violence

Fieldset
Sexual and gender-based violence

Sexual and gender-based violence is a medical emergency. It shatters millions of lives around the globe and can occur in any society at any time, but is often worsened by unstable situations such as armed conflicts.

The term ‘sexual and gender-based violence’ covers many different acts, ranging from rape to genital mutilation. In conflict, rape is often used as a weapon, as a form of torture, and in some cases as a strategy to spread HIV/AIDS within a community.

Survivors of sexual and gender-based violence may be left with physical injuries, psychological trauma, and the risk of sexually transmitted infections. Unintended pregnancies as a result of sexual and gender-based violence can mean higher rates of abortion – which, when performed in unsafe environments, can have further impacts on reproductive health.

Lavender House has lavender painted interior walls
Barbara Kerre
Barbara Kerre
Mental health specialist
Kenya: "Please follow your dream and chase it"
In the overcrowded Mathare slum area of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, MSF runs a 24-hour sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) care clinic called Lavender House. Barbara Salano Kerre is the sexual and gender-based violence mental health supervisor there, and shares her experience...
08 Mar 2022 / 4 minute read
Gisela Silva Gonzalez - MSF mental health specialist
Gisela Silva Gonzalez
Mental health specialist
Central African Republic: The four musketeers
Survivors of sexual violence can walk a lonely path. Psychologist Gisela shares a story about four women who have come together to find support and resilience in the Central African Republic.
11 Jun 2021 / 5 minute read
Gwladys Ngbanga-Yema - MSF mental health specialist
Gwladys Ngbanga-Yema
Mental health specialist
“I congratulate you on your courage”: Helping survivors of sexual assault overcome stigma
Counsellor Gwladys explains the significant impact of stigma, and how she and her team at MSF's Tongolo project are helping survivors rebuild their lives
02 Jun 2021 / 4 minute read
Gisela Silva Gonzalez - MSF mental health specialist
Gisela Silva Gonzalez
Mental health specialist
Tongolo: A space to talk about everything
In the Central African Republic, MSF counsellors are helping survivors of sexual violence find the inner strength they might not know they have. Psychologist Gisela writes…
07 Apr 2021 / 3 minute read
Gisela Silva Gonzalez - MSF mental health specialist
Gisela Silva Gonzalez
Mental health specialist
Tongolo means hope
At our Tongolo project in the Central African Republic, survivors of sexual violence can find both physical care and psychological support. Mental health specialist Gisela Silva Gonzalez takes us inside this important and powerful place.
23 Feb 2021 / 4 minute read
Using theatre to educate local primary school children about sexual violence
Abi Betts
Abigail Betts
"It is truly harrowing": Tackling sexual violence in the slums of Nairobi
Sexual and gender-based violence is rife in Nairobi's second-largest slum, Mathare, where an estimated 300,000 people live in cramped conditions. On a recent trip to the Kenyan capital, major gifts manager Abi discovers the size of the problem and what our teams are doing to address it. 
07 Jan 2020 / 9 minute read
Russ Filby
Russ Filbey
Field Administration
“We call them survivors”: Treating the trauma of sexual violence
Working on a project to treat survivors of sexual violence in Nigeria, US administrator Russ answers the difficult question of “What’s the work like?”
11 Jul 2019 / 4 minute read
Claire Harper - MSF midwife
Claire Harper
Midwife
“I am proud to offer these services”: How we’re improving women’s healthcare in DRC
The team in Walikale, DRC have seen first-hand the devastating impact sexual violence and unsafe abortion can have on their patients. Together they're ensuring that the services MSF offers can help. Midwife Claire blogs...
10 Jun 2019 / 8 minute read
Luciano Canchelara MSF
Luciano Canchelara
Mental health specialist
Caring for survivors of sexual violence in the Central African Republic
Luciano Canchelara is a psychologist who has been working at MSF’s sexual violence clinic in Bangui for the past three months.
25 Sep 2018 / 4 minute read
Caroline talking at an event on International Women's Day.
Caroline Walker
Health Promoter
Nigeria: How we talk about sexual violence
Caroline is a health promotion manager from South Africa, currently on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Nigeria. In this blog, she reflects on the challenges of working across language barriers to help communities tackle sexual violence, as well as sensitive conditions such as fistula.
12 Jul 2018 / 7 minute read
Lisa Lepine
Obstetrician / Gynaecologist
Sexual violence in South Sudan: A bleak proposal
Lisa, an obstetritian / gynaecologist from the USA, has just returned from an assignment with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Aweil, South Sudan. Here she blogs about helping a young woman who has survived sexual violence... 
30 Apr 2018 / 3 minute read
Mark Sherlock
Doctor
Vlog 4: Puppets speak out against sexual violence
In his latest vlog, Dr Mark spends the day with the Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) sexual and gender-based violence outreach team in a Nairobi.
04 Jul 2017 / 1 minute read

MSB4072.jpg

Florian Lems/MSF
Fieldset
Ready to support the team?
Your donation helps us act fast and save lives
Donate