1. Free Comprehensive Medical and Psychosocial Support
Medical Management
GVRC is currently treating 3,600 survivors on average per year. Since its establishment in 2001. GVRC has provided free medical treatment and psychosocial support to over 55,000 survivors and their families. Medical examination and treatment provided to survivors includes Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), emergency contraceptives (for women and girls within the reproductive age), and specialised treatment (incontinence and fistula), Hepatitis B vaccination, as well as various laboratory tests.
Psychological and social support
Besides medical management and initial counselling, survivors receive various types of psychological and social services, including individual therapy and group therapy, with facilitation of support groups in each of GVRC’s centres for various target groups, including Fadhili (for adult survivors of sexual violence), Dove (for adult survivors of domestic violence), and Children Groups (for children aged 0 to 18 survivors of physical and/or sexual violence). GVRC also facilitates support groups for police officers as service providers (on how to effectively deal with GBV survivors, and how to manage traumatic experiences in their work, organise their workload and avoid burn-out).
In addition, temporal shelter is provided to survivors, and access to justice is enhanced through chain of evidence management and providing expert medical testimony in court. Social assessment enables timely and appropriate referral services, such as long-term shelter, legal aid, and empowerment programmes among others to enhance holistic interventions for the survivor.
Emergency Response Programme
GVRC also provides medical and psychosocial support to survivors during emergency and conflict situations in Kenya and has preserved evidence and crucial information enabling survivors’ access to justice. Emergency situations have included; the Post-Election Violence in 2007/2008, the Mount Elgon conflict in 2011, the Tana Delta clashes in 2012 and the West Gate Mall terror attack in Nairobi in 2013.
Covid- 19 Response – During the covid-19 period (2020) the GVRC provided medical treatment to 4,067 GBV survivors by enhancing access to services and commodities through rescues and toll-free line. GVRC created awareness on GBV prevention and response services, provides mental wellness to the survivors, public and frontlines workers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzh0DtIKTzo
2. Primary Prevention
GVRC engages the public and community in creating awareness on Gender Based Violence through various Behavioral Change Communication (BCC) interventions, such as development and dissemination of target friendly BCC materials, public barazas (public forums that engages community members), trainings, school-based activities and campaigns. Target groups include: Most at Risk Populations, school children, adolescents and adult women and men; community members; service providers (health workers, teachers, and police officers), private sector agencies, Faith-Based Organizations, National and County Administrations.
Capacity enhancement of service providers
GVRC has become a resource centre for capacity enhancement on GBV management (prevention and response) of service providers. It has strengthened GBV response capacity of a number of public and private healthcare providers, and facilitated the establishment of new GBV centres inside Kenya and in the East and Central Africa.
3. Advocacy
Evidence Advocacy Approach has been used to influence key national initiatives including the enactment of the Sexual Offenses Act 2006, establishment of other Gender Based Violence Recovery Centers and contributions on electoral related Gender Based Violence conducted by the Waki led commission of inquiry into the post-election violence. Courtesy of the previously used information management system, GVRC has preserved evidence and information crucial to bringing those responsible for the violent acts to justice. GVRC and partners through the evidence advocacy approach realized the repeal of section 38 of the Sexual Offences Act and the gazettement of the revised Post Rape Care Form, thus, making management and legislation for survivors effective. Currently, GVRC has been engaging in discussions and offering expert opinion in relation to passing of the PADV Bill (Protection Against Domestic Violence)
Offences Act of 2006(relieves burden of proof from the survivor and subsequent punishment) and the gazettement of the revised Post Rape Care Form, thus, making management and legal redress for survivors effective. Through collaboration with the Nursing Council of Kenya, GBV protocols have been developed and incorporated into the Bachelor of Science – Nursing degree curriculum currently being used in 14 universities.
Campaigns
GVRC is spearheading two nation-wide GBV awareness and prevention campaigns. The “72-hour campaign” aims to educate the public on the need to seek medical attention within 72 hours after experiencing Gender Based Violence. The 1 Million Fathers Movement – launched in July 2012 – is a national social movement created to address the root causes of GBV by building positive male culture in Kenya and encouraging men to actively engage in various activities that build social – cultural rejection of GBV. Thus, GVRC works with men not only as perpetrators of GBV but also as GBV survivors and mobilises them to reject all forms of GBV. Recently, GVRC supported an ultra-marathon in Baringo County in partnership with Solian Athletic Club through their world-renown marathoner, Mr. Kirui Kurui who covered 1,000km within Baringo County creating awareness to over 75,000 community members and launching the Baringo County Gender Based Violence Recovery Centre (GBVRC) in the Eldama-Ravine sub-county hospital.