Gender-based violence (GBV) is the most common human rights violation in the world. In places affected by conflict, almost four in ten women have faced intimate partner violence. This free primer helps health and humanitarian workers recognize GBV risks in their settings and take practical steps to mitigate them. The course is grounded in feminist and decolonial analysis. The Geneva Learning Foundation’s Certificate peer learning programme for gender in emergencies connects practitioners across more than 60 countries.
Who is this for?
This course is for health workers, protection officers, humanitarian responders, and program coordinators who encounter GBV in their work but have had little formal preparation for addressing it. If you run a health facility where women come in with injuries they do not explain, if you manage a displacement site where safety risks go unreported, or if you coordinate emergency responses where GBV is treated as someone else’s responsibility, this course is for you. All experience levels are welcome.
What you will learn and do
- Three colleagues from other emergency contexts read your plan for one concrete GBV mitigation action in your setting and tell you what they see differently. You do the same for three of theirs.
- Analyze how GBV risks shift during a crisis in your area and identify which groups face the greatest danger.
- Apply a feminist and decolonial lens to your own response: whose knowledge counts, who sets the priorities, and who gets heard.
- Identify one hidden gap in your current program or facility that increases GBV risk for the people you serve.
- Write a concrete plan for one action you can take before the next emergency to reduce that risk.
How the course works
Short text-based readings. No video. No heavy downloads. Works on any phone. You read, reflect on your own setting, and write a plan for one practical change. You share that plan with three colleagues in a small private group, who review it and suggest improvements. You review three of their plans in return. About 2 to 3 hours per week over three weeks. This primer is part of The Geneva Learning Foundation’s Certificate peer learning programme for gender in emergencies.
Your certificate
You will earn a certificate from The Geneva Learning Foundation. The certificate documents the reflection and action plan you produced during the course.
How to register
Go to https://go.learning.foundation/tglf/c/31987/ and click the “Enroll” button to create a free account on The Geneva Learning Foundation’s learning platform. Registration is free and takes less than five minutes.
