Case Studies and Learnings from Pilot Experience

SGBV has tremendous implications for victim-survivors  , including physical, psychological, and social harm. Further, SGBV affects survivors’ economic capacity in various ways. It can affect survivors’ meaningful participation in economic activity psychologically by limiting their self-confidence and self-efficacy, or physically, through limits on mobility or through disability and injury.

The pilot intervention on post-shelter economic empowerment of survivors of SGBV, thus, was conceptualised with a recognition of the importance of economic security in reducing vulnerability to future incidence of SGBV and ensuring holistic rehabilitation of survivors. The typical course of rehabilitation for survivors of SGBV consists of transitional stay at a shelter home, with the provision of legal aid to access the justice system, physical health support, and psychosocial support to address trauma. The pilot provided technical and financial support to five CSOs who were running shelters and providing rehabilitation support to survivors of SGBV, to conceptualise and implement an economic empowerment model, as a complement to the shelter-based rehabilitation support. This consisted of providing training and support, as well as business support such as provision of inputs, market linkages, and small business grants to enable survivors to pursue income generation activities.

The pilot therefore recognizes that protection and justice responses must be complemented by practical economic empowerment support. Economic recovery is not only about income generation; it is closely linked to emotional recovery, safety, confidence, decision-making, family wellbeing, and social reintegration. When victim-survivors are supported to build skills, earn income, manage finances and engage safely with markets and communities, they are better able to rebuild their lives with dignity and independence.