This helpdesk report identifies some of the key resources on gender and humanitarian action. The most widely relevant, rigorous and accessible resources have been selected. This selection is based on the author’s own review of the available literature and on recommendations from a number of gender experts and practitioners. Within their sections, the resources have been ...» more
Social Development
International Instruments and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
This report outlines the international instruments available that address female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). It covers the international instruments, the regional instruments and resolutions and declarations currently available. The report also looks at the roles of committees and special procedures to implement some of these international instruments. It highlights the ...» more
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and gender indicators
FGM/C is rooted in gender inequality and is used as a form of social control over women. While the practice and the decision of putting a girl through FGM/C may be taken by the girl’s mother or another female relative, there is a need to contextualise these decisions within societies that are strongly patriarchal. Underpinning early marriage, early pregnancy, lack of girls ...» more
Early marriage and sexual and reproductive health
Although the marriage of adolescent girls has been declining in many regions of the world, significant proportions are still marrying at a young age. Early marriage is most common in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Central America. This report focuses on the relationship of age of marriage with: Age of onset of sexual activity: A delay in marriages has in some cases ...» more
Women’s control of productive natural resources
This report looks at women’s access to and control of natural resources, especially water and forests. While it does not specifically look at women’s access to land, access to other natural resources are strongly linked to ownership and control of land (IFAD 2007; FAO 2007). As women continue to face restrictions on land ownership and control over land due to socially ...» more
The impact of human trafficking on people and countries
Human smuggling and trafficking have become a world-wide industry, incorporating millions of people annually, and generating an annual turnover of billions of dollars. The impacts of trafficking are felt both in the countries from which people are trafficked, and the countries to which they are trafficked. In both sets of countries there are implications for: Society, including ...» more
Combating human trafficking – approaches and lessons
Human Trafficking is a global problem. International legal consensus on the issue was reached with the ratification of the Convention on Organised Crime in Palermo in 2000, ratified to date by 117 countries (146 Parties in total), and its associated Protocols (the Palermo Protocols), including the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially ...» more
Political Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa
This report uses data from the World Governance Indicators dataset, the Ibrahim Index, Freedom in the World, Afrobarometer and Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) to map political trends in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2010 both in terms of numbers and weighted by population. The population-weighted values are strongly influenced by the performance of Nigeria, Ethiopia, ...» more
Beneficiaries’ perspectives in research on cash transfer and social protection programmes
The extent to which beneficiaries are included in cash transfer/social protection programmes, and the success and nature of this inclusion depends on a variety of factors, including the circumstances surrounding the programme’s inception and implementation; the ethos of the organisation(s) involved; and the nature of the programme itself. Researchers recognise that ...» more
Good practice findings of donor efforts to support sustainable gender equality
This report reviews a selection of academic and donor literature examining donor work on gender equality and female empowerment. Most of the available literature focuses on organisational strategies to achieve gender sensitive programming rather than directly on equality outcomes. While promising donor approaches to gender equality and female empowerment were found, less ...» more
Evaluations of programmes on women and work in low income countries
This report provides an overview of the findings of evaluations of programmes aiming to create jobs for women, improve their working conditions, and address unpaid work in low income countries. Most organisations that have programmes covering these issues work under the umbrella of women’s empowerment in general. Programmes aiming to create employment possibilities for women ...» more
Key messages from research on women and work in low income countries
Women in low-income countries continue to face significant barriers to obtaining paid work, and when employed suffer worse pay and working conditions than men. Although in the 1980s and 1990s women’s participation in labour markets in developing countries grew substantially, over the past ten years, the tendency toward increased participation has slowed down. Women are ...» more
Mapping key authorities on women and work in low income countries
This helpdesk research report provides an overview of key academics researching women and (paid and unpaid) work in low-income countries. The authorities live in, and work on, different geographical regions, and are based at universities and other research institutions. Many of the themes to do with women and work are crosscutting, demonstrated by the multiple areas of research ...» more
Religious Identity and Inequality in the MENA region
The Middle East region (and Egypt in North Africa) is considered to be rife with religious tension. Proponents of this view argue that this is so because religion constitutes a significant part of the political culture in the Middle East and in particular, in states with a Muslim religious tradition. However, more generally, a 2009 comparative study (Akbaba 2009) of religious ...» more
Understanding Sectarianism in MENA countries
There is some debate about how sectarianism, particularly as it relates to the Middle East is commonly conceptualised. For many in the Middle East, it has come to be defined as the process of ascribing political and social claims or rights on the basis of religious adherence and belonging. However, scholars stress the importance of developing an appropriate conceptual framework ...» more
Youth and Governance
This report seeks to identify the key governance issues in relation to youth, and to examine how these may be shifting.There has been growing awareness of the need to develop comprehensive and integrated approaches to youth policy, which move beyond sectoral interventions, and which address governance challenges alongside education, training and skills barriers. The report ...» more
Cooperatives and Development
A cooperative is an autonomous association of people united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. Although the reliability of figures is poor, ...» more
Communication initiatives to change attitudes/behaviours
Key Findings: Behaviour change communication has been widely used in health education, and much of the literature included in this report is related to the health sector. Initially, communication initiatives adopted a diffusion approach, aimed at changing individual attitudes and behaviour. More recently, attention has also been paid to face-to-face and participatory ...» more
Evidence-based strategies for preventing child/early marriage
Early marriage is still prevalent in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It exposes millions of girls to the risks associated with early sexual activity and pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, social exclusion, limited education and livelihood opportunities, and gender-based violence. Factors influencing the age at which girls marry include the extent of their education and of household ...» more
Evidence on Women’s Access to Financial Services
The evidence considered in this report suggest that women lack access to particular financial services, and that accessing financial services has the potential to lead to economic empowerment. The literature indicates that men have better access to formal services such as formal credit loans or formal savings accounts. However, there is also strong evidence that informal ...» more
