Introduction
Natural disasters and conflicts affect every member of the society differently. In active fighting zones, women and girls constitutes the majority of victims of sexual violence and vicious technics of oppression. This victimization rates increase as a result of traditional and socially constructed gender roles. Women and girls are also make up the majority of refugee populations as they lose access to resources and employment opportunities before men, during any given crisis situation. Due to these reasons, during humanitarian interventions, gender-based discrimination and exclusion of female members of the society must be carefully considered. As humanitarian assistance aims to save lives and eliminate suffering of recipients, being aware of a gendered approach to any type of assistance remains crucial for effective results. Cash and voucher assistance can be one of the most effective aid systems if successfully incorporated with gender. It can helps practitioners to promote gender equality, societal transformation and most importantly, it can help most vulnerable groups to avoid further victimisation.
What is ‘cash and voucher assistance’?
Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is one of the most common options under the umbrella of humanitarian interventions. According to the official definition of this response, it refers to the aid programmes that includes direct cash transfers or vouchers for goods and services to recipients. It basically means the receivers are free to decide their urgent needs and how to satisfy them. Under the cash and voucher assistance framework, the direct aid can only be delivered to individuals, rather than governments or official actors.
Why CVA?
The IFRC says CVA is the most effective way of aid during the emergency responses which also lets recipients to recover with dignity and be present in their empowerment process. The programme also helps local economies to benefit and create further opportunities for the affected community. The recipients can decide what is the urgent need, how and where to buy it with the direct cash aid. They can follow their choices rather than being only the receiving end of goods that deemed appropriate by third-party organisations. The recipients may use the CVA to pay their rents, pay school fees and for other non-food items. Spending direct money in the local markets also helps the economic recovery following emergencies and works as a stimulus. CVA responses are also more rapid compared to other humanitarian interventions with inclusive delivery mechanisms and exclusion of distribution and personnel costs.
CVA and Gender
With direct cash assistance, women and girls who normally do not have access to monetary means, can receive amounts to help them achieve an independence and control over resources. When they have a voice over decision-making processes, women and girls become less vulnerable to sexual exploitation, forced conditions and child marriages. When discriminatory and gendered standards are eradicated by economic equality, it leads to a positive transformation in the society and women’s participation can be ensured. The CVA method can promote the self-reliance among vulnerable groups and improve their living conditions, leading to better and faster recovery. Cash assistance can also contribute to improving female health conditions which can be a major challenge during disasters or displacement areas.
Risks and conditions
, the actors responsible for the cash and voucher assistance should work in close contact with the recipients to ensure the best implementation of the aid that can comply with the existing context and gender dynamics. The direct cash aid to women and girls cannot improve the restrictive gender roles in a community by itself. Therefore, the aid workers should identify the challenges, opportunities and monitor every step taken during the deliverance of assistance. The responsible groups must assess the environment, traditionally accepted roles and possible outcomes of gender-based CVAs. Direct access to money and vouchers can also put women and girls in risk and further vulnerability which should be evaluated carefully.
Example of Syria
The Syria crisis, which has started with the civil war, entered its eleventh year as millions look refuge in neighbouring states. COVID-19 pandemic, active fighting and geographical difficulties largely restricted the access to humanitarian aid in the war-torn country. The CVA distribution in Syria has met with various drawbacks as there are no trusted payment mechanisms and growing corruption concerns. As a result of the ongoing civil war, the country remains highly divided in terms of politics which leads to unstable markets and therefore, worsening downturn. The Syria Joint Response delivered around 45,000 SYP of cash and voucher assistance to 14,300 people in need in 2020, the latest report indicates. According to the findings, the well-being of women, who received direct aid, improved overtime with declining level of stress. However, the percentage of female recipients who were able to make independent decisions remained the same with 38 percent but the percentage of shared decision making with the male household member increased to 51 percent from 22 percent at the baseline. In terms of the domestic violence, 56 percent of beneficiaries who reported brutality before the aid deliverance, recorded a decrease while 44 percent claimed no change during the humanitarian intervention.
Practical Considerations for Gender in CVA
Practical considerations are important when designing, implementing, and monitoring gender-sensitive CVA that puts people at the center. A gender-sensitive CAV should conduct gender analysis and needs assessment to understand the gender dynamics in the community. During the program registration and implementation, systems should collect, and store recipient data disaggregated explicitly by gender and age. Since the humanitarian contexts are open to exploitation, gender-responsive programs must proactively seek to mitigate these issues rather than respond reactively. Thus the application of complaint and feedback mechanisms will be helpful. Further, selecting partners who have expertise on gender is vital, and partnering with women’s groups should be considered. Lastly, constant monitoring of the women’s and girls’ safety through the response is essential and must be built into the program’s monitoring framework.
Conclusion
A gendered-approach to cash and voucher assistance can be transformative in a recovering society and promote more sustainable and equal roles for women. As the most vulnerable members of a community, women and girls, can access healthcare, education and even legal services as a protection method with the deliverance of direct cash and vouchers. They can establish themselves as decision-makers and strengthen their livelihoods. The humanitarian aid providers must be aware of societal structures and incorporate the assistance system without causing any further damage by putting women and girls into the focus in active conflict or disaster zones.
About the Author
Ayça Kiris is a Junior Officer at Trust’s TPM/Research department. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution program at the Sabanci University. Her focus areas are women peace and security agenda, Resolution 1325 and post conflict peace building.
Sources
UN Women – How to promote gender-responsive localisation in humanitarian action – Guidance Note.pdf
Norwegian Refugee Council – Rape as a weapon of war by Kristine Gronhaug/NRC
CARE – What does gender-sensitive cash and voucher assistance look like? / October 2019
UNHCR – Cash assistance and gender
UNHCR, WFP – Examining Protection and Gender in Cash and Voucher Transfers / September 30, 2013
International Federation of Red Cross – Cash and Voucher Assistance
