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Gender-Based Violence Guidance for Development Programming

CARE’s Gender-Based Violence Guidance for Development Programs is a practical tool for implementing high-quality GBV interventions. It covers CARE’s GBV approaches, key principles to ensure best practice, and 10 practical steps for designing, implementing and evaluating safe and ethical GBV programming.

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About the guidance

This Guidance is for both non-GBV-specialists and specialists. It supports program staff across all impact areas to reduce GBV risks and follow ethical best practice across the project cycle. The focus of this guidance is development programming in any country where CARE works, which may include fragile, nexus and chronic contexts. It aims to complement CARE’s Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Guidance Note, which focuses exclusively on emergency settings.

  • GBV Guidance for Development Programs (full version)
    CARE’s GBV Guidance is divided into two main sections. PART I supports program staff by explaining how CARE approaches GBV, outlining the ethical principles which guide CARE’s GBV work and explaining CARE’s minimum standards for integrating GBV across different types of programming. PART II supports program staff by providing detailed implementation guidance across the project cycle through CARE’s 10 steps for GBV integration and linking to supporting tools and resources. Additional versions in French, Spanish, and Arabic to be published soon.
  • GBV Guidance summary
    A four-page overview of WHY CARE prioritizes GBV, WHO we work with, WHAT we focus on and HOW we apply this in our programming, with a summary of CARE’s minimum standards for integrating GBV across all programming and 10 steps for GBV integration.
  • GBV Guidance for Development Programs (full version with annexures included)
    This version includes the above full version along with the following annexures, and more resources. This is the complete and comprehensive version of CARE’s GBV in Development Guidance which can be used and adopted by all projects, across impact areas, when integrating a GBV mitigation, prevention or response approach.

Accompanying documents

Below, you can find accompanying resources which complement and add to CARE’s GBV Guidance for Development Programs.

GBV principles and approaches

These short accompanying resources complement and expand upon the principles and approaches outlined in the GBV Guidance.

Impact Area scenarios for GBV integration

The GBV Guidance for Development Programs is accompanied by brief, illustrative scenarios detailing potential GBV risks and opportunities for intervention for each CARE impact area:

Some of the scenarios are based on actual CARE projects, while others are based on projects at other organizations.

GBV integration tool and resources

These tools and resources accompany PART II of the GBV Guidance for Development Programs and support staff as they work through the 10 steps for GBV integration.

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