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Knowledge and Policy Dialogue Unit for the Protection of Children and Youth on the Move (KAPCYM)

Thematic Brief # 3

Addressing Gender-Based Violence in a Migration Context

May 2026

With support of:

Background

Why This Matters

Gender-based violence (GBV)1 among children and youth on the move (CYM) is a critical protection concern that affects their safety, dignity, and long-term wellbeing. Displacement, irregular migration pathways, family separation, and limited access to services increase exposure to sexual exploitation, trafficking, child marriage, intimate partner violence, and other forms of abuse. Girls and women are disproportionately affected, but boys, men, and other vulnerable groups also face significant and often overlooked risks.

Violence experienced during transit, at borders, in reception facilities, or in host communities can have lasting physical and psychological consequences, disrupt education, and undermine prospects for durable solutions. Fear of stigma, retaliation, detention, or deportation frequently prevents survivors from seeking help. Addressing GBV in migration contexts is therefore a prerequisite for meaningful participation, recovery, and safe integration. Without targeted prevention, survivor-centred services, and accountability mechanisms, CYM remain exposed to repeated harm across every stage of their journey.

Addressing GBV among CYM is a high priority for the projects “Enfants et Jeunes sur les Routes Migratoires d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Nord” ( EJM ) and “East African Migration Routes” ( EAMR) which are implemented in the eight countries Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. 2 Both projects implement targeted interventions and deliver concrete outputs aimed at strengthening GBV prevention and response. For Switzerland, addressing GBV is a priority of its foreign policy and international cooperation, particularly in humanitarian and migration contexts. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ (FDFA) new guidelines on human rights for 2026–29 3 identify GBV as a priority area, further reinforcing Switzerland’s commitment to addressing this issue across its international engagement. Recognising that GBV is a human rights violation rooted in gender inequality, Switzerland promotes gender equality and SDG 5 while placing specific emphasis on protecting girls, boys, and young people on the move – especially those who are displaced, unaccompanied or otherwise at heightened risk. Through commitments such as the Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA) Compact, the Call to Action on Protection from GBV in Emergencies, and the implementation of United Nations’ (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325 via its National Action Plan, Switzerland supports prevention, protection, and accountability measures in crisis settings. At the Global Refugee Forum 2023, it further pledged to strengthen child protection and GBV services, enhance access to survivor-centred care, and support community-based and women-led organisations to better safeguard children and youth affected by displacement and migration.

The topic of addressing GBV in a Migration Context was found to be one of six priority topics within the work of the Knowledge and Policy Dialogue Unit for the Protection of Children and Youth on the Move (KAPCYM) Unit4, grounded in the evidence mapping conducted by the KAPCYM Unit and validated by concerned key stakeholders, including leaders of the regional EJM and EAMR Projects as well as experts from the Swiss federal administration.

Aim of This Brief

The aim of this thematic brief is to formulate key advocacy messages to support advocacy activities and policy dialogues, grounded in good practices and lessons learned which were collected from the EJM and EAMR Projects, and from a variety of governmental actors such as the Swiss and other national authorities.

How to use this document:

The advocacy messages in this brief can be used as standalone elements for different policy dialogues and advocacy purposes. Each message is self-contained and supported by relevant good practice. As a result, some good practices may appear more than once. This is intentional and ensures that each message can be used independently without referring to other sections of the document.

Research Questions

The research questions answered in this thematic brief are as follows:

• How does GBV affect the safety, wellbeing, and development of children and youth on the move in North, East, and West Africa?

• What are good practices and lessons learned regarding GBV prevention, risk mitigation, and survivor-centred response for children and youth on the move, particularly within the EJM and EAMR Projects?

• Are there additional good practices by Swiss whole-of-government actors or other Swiss stakeholders (beyond EJM and EAMR) who are addressing GBV among children and youth on the move in North, East, and West Africa?

• Which advocacy messages can be formulated to improve GBV prevention and response among children and youth on the move?

Conceptual Framework

Gender-based violence refers to “any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and based on socially ascribed differences between women and men and is rooted in deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful norms”.5 It encompasses physical, sexual, psychological and economic harm, disproportionately affecting women and girls but can also impact men, boys, and gender-diverse individuals. GBV is recognized as a serious human rights violation and a critical protection concern globally.6

In the context of migration and displacement settings, GBV can be both a driver of migration – as a threat or a concrete experience – as well as a risk factor along the entire journey, from origin to transit to destination. Protective systems may be weakened, social networks disrupted, and individuals exposed to unsafe environments. Migrants who are undocumented, travelling alone, or reliant on irregular routes are particularly vulnerable, as are those in crowded or under-resourced reception settings.7

The manifestations of GBV in migration settings are varied and can include, but are not limited to:

• Sexual violence and exploitation: Rape, sexual assault, coercion into unwanted sexual acts, femal genital mutilation, and trading sex for basic needs and services.

• Physical violence: Beatings, forced labour, and other violent acts.

• Trafficking and exploitation: Including trafficking for sexual or labour purposes, often facilitated through coercion or deception.

• Child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM): Any formal or informal union where at least one party is under the age of 18, or where full and free consent is not given. It constitutes a human rights violation and is associated with serious negative consequences for girls’ health, education, protection, and future life opportunities. CEFM is primarily driven by harmful social norms, gender inequality, and structural vulnerabilities. In contexts of crisis and displacement, it may also be used as a perceived coping or “protection” strategy for girls and young women, sometimes driven by families or community networks, despite its long-term detrimental impacts.8

• Intimate partner and domestic violence: Violence within relationships and/or families that may be triggered by or escalate under stress and displacement pressures.

• Psychological and economic abuse: Threats, control of resources, denial of access to services, and coercive control.9

These manifestations do not occur in isolation but are shaped by structural conditions, such as poverty, restrictive migration policies, lack of access to documentation and services, and discrimination, that can trap individuals in cycles of vulnerability throughout their journeys. Migration laws and policies may themselves reproduce or reinforce gender inequalities, particularly in transit and destination contexts. Migrant women and girls, especially those who are undocumented, often face barriers to decent work and social protection, pushing many into informal or precarious employment with little or no labour safeguards, thereby heightening their exposure to GBV, abuse, and exploitation including sex work/prostitution. Fear of losing employment, legal status or family unity often prevents migrant women and girls from reporting violence. Those who depend on a partner for residency, or are subjected to trafficking, may be particularly reluctant to seek help due to threats, reprisals, deportation risks, or fear of being treated as offenders rather than survivors.10

Children and youth on the move experience unique and compounding risks. Unaccompanied and separated children are at particular risk of trafficking, sexual exploitation, recruitment into criminal activities, forced labour and other forms of abuse, as the absence of parental care and protective networks significantly reduces safeguards.

Adolescent girls often face disproportionately high levels of sexual violence, coerced sex, survival sex, and CEFM, which is driven by gender inequality and may be used by families as a negative coping strategy in situations of displacement, poverty, or insecurity. Boys, men, and genderdiverse youth are also subject to violence and exploitation in transit and destination settings.11 The disruption of family and community protection, limited access to child-sensitive services, and weak legal safeguards further exacerbate these risks.

These risks are further compounded by harmful social norms, including stigma and victim-blaming, which discourage reporting and can reinforce practices such as CEFM or exclusion from education after abuse. In addition, conditions along migration routes, such as detention, overcrowded reception centres, and reliance on smugglers, can heighten exposure to violence and exploitation. Coercive migration policies, including detention, refoulement, and strict border controls, can further increase the risk of GBV and broader violations of the rights of CYM. Existing legal and administrative barriers, combined with limited access to specialised GBV and mental health services, language obstacles, and weak referral systems, often prevent children and youth from seeking or receiving adequate support, increasing the risk of re-victimisation.

Understanding these manifestations is essential for designing gender- and age-responsive GBV prevention and response mechanisms in migration contexts, including safe referral pathways, protective services, legal support, and community-based protection systems that address the intersecting needs of children and youth on the move. These efforts should be underpinned by integrated mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and guided by principles of safety, confidentiality, and Do No Harm, ensuring that interventions are age-appropriate, gender-sensitive, and responsive to the specific risks of migration contexts.

Context

Across the eight countries, children and youth on the move are exposed to deeply rooted and structurally embedded risks of GBV throughout all stages of mobility. GBV occurs before departure, during transit, at borders and checkpoints, in displacement settings, detention environments, and within host communities.12 In conflict-affected settings such as Sudan and Ethiopia, widespread insecurity, forced displacement, the breakdown of social structures, as well as reliance on smugglers and traffickers, have significantly increased exposure to rape, sexual exploitation, trafficking, CEFM, and other forms of violence affecting women, girls, men, and boys.13 In transit and destination contexts such as Morocco, Tunisia, Niger, and Mali14, securitised migration control practices, interceptions, raids, fear of arrest, and informal living conditions heighten risks of physical violence, humiliation, exploitation, and sexual abuse, while also limiting survivors’ ability to seek support.15 In several contexts, shrinking civic space and politically sensitive migration environments further constrain outreach and reduce the visibility of GBV as a protection priority.

Children and youth on the move face compounded vulnerabilities linked to age, gender, legal status, disability, and socio-economic marginalisation. Girls and young women are disproportionately exposed to sexual violence, trafficking, CEFM, domestic servitude, and harmful coping strategies in contexts of economic precarity and displacement.16 At the same time, boys and young men, particularly in Tunisia and Morocco, experience under-documented forms of sexual violence, physical abuse, and degrading treatment, often linked to gendered and racialised perceptions portraying migrant men as security threats.17 Unaccompanied and separated children and those with disabilities face additional barriers to protection and access to services.18

Across countries, GBV is widely and consistently underreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, cultural pressures, trafficking control, and mistrust of authorities. This is further exacerbated among people on the move, who may fear being identified, reported, or even arrested when seeking support, leaving many survivors invisible within protection systems19. Economic deterioration, overcrowded living conditions, school disruptions, and increased exposure to harmful online content have further heightened risks of intra-family violence, trafficking, and sexual exploitation in several settings. 20 Negative coping strategies, such as child marriage, transactional sex, and hazardous informal labour, are increasingly reported among women and adolescents facing limited livelihood and protection services. 21

Despite these systemic challenges, several countries have made efforts to strengthen GBV-sensitive protection frameworks. These efforts have largely been directed toward response and risk mitigation, with comparatively less emphasis on preventive approaches which address the root causes. Integrated and multisectoral approaches have been developed, including one-stop centers and regional multifunctional centres in Mali and Niger, safe spaces and community centres in Sudan and Morocco,22 integration of GBV identification within health and socio-economic programmes in Morocco and Egypt, and participatory capacity-building on Gender, Inclusion and Mobility (GIM) in Tunisia. 23 Community-based models, partnerships with local and women-led organisations, digitalisation of GBV data systems, and the strengthening of referral pathways have contributed to improved identification and coordination in several contexts. However, implementation remains uneven. Severe funding gaps, shrinking civic spaces, insecurity, limited specialised capacity, insufficient adolescent-specific services, and fragmented referral mechanisms continue to constrain effective prevention and responses. 24 This is further compounded by the nature of migration routes, where high mobility, short stays in specific locations, and exposure to differing systems across countries make continuity of care and coordination particularly challenging.

Methodology

This thematic brief was developed following a multi-method qualitative approach, beginning with an extensive evidence-mapping exercise to identify and synthesize the latest research, policy documents, and project documents. Further, a comprehensive desk review of regional frameworks, legal instruments, and institutional reports was conducted to contextualize these findings. To enrich our understanding with on-the-ground perspectives, particularly regarding good practices, the KAPCYM Unit carried out 16 in-depth key informant interviews and five focus group discussions with consortium members from the EJM and EAMR Projects and partners, as well as focal points from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Swiss embassies. This combination of methods ensures that the brief’s recommendations are both evidence-based and informed by stakeholder experiences.

Advocacy Messages

The section below provides a structured framework to support the development of advocacy messages aimed at strengthening the protection and rights of CYM. Each advocacy objective is presented through three concise components:

THE WHY

A short explanation of the underlying issue and its relevance as an advocacy priority.

THE MESSAGES

Pertinent key advocacy messages and calls to action, adaptable to specific policy, and institutional contexts.

THE GOOD PRACTICES

References to selected evidence-based examples from the EJM and EAMR Projects or whole-of-government actors that illustrate effective approaches.

1. Recognize GBV as a structural risk of mobility.

WHY Gender-based violence is not incidental to migration, it is embedded in the structural conditions that shape mobility. Children and youth on the move face heightened exposure to sexual violence, trafficking, CEFM, exploitation, and psychological abuse throughout their migration journey – before departure, during transit, at borders, in detention, and within host communities. These risks are exacerbated by insecurity, a precarious migration situation (i.e., irregular, unstable, and transitory), financial instability, and exclusion from services.

Frequently, and especially in politically polarized environments marked by gender backlash and restrictive migration policies, GBV is often treated as a secondary or sensitive issue rather than a predictable outcome of structural inequalities.

Evidence from the EAMR and EJM Projects shows that integrating GBV into protection needs assessments, schoolbased inclusion initiatives, youth health and sexual reproductive health services, participatory trainings, and systematic monitoring enables early identification of risks, strengthens referral pathways, and embeds survivor-centered approaches across migration, and child protection systems.

MESSAGES Policy and programming approaches must move beyond stand-alone GBV projects and instead embed GBV prevention and response within core migration and child protection systems. This requires embedding GBV considerations into migration policies and national action plans, including through structured risk-informed planning, allocation of responsibilities, and accountability mechanisms across relevant sectors. It also requires clear institutional mandates, and the allocation of dedicated GBV expertise within migration governance systems.

Treating GBV as structurally linked to migration requires predictable domestic financing, cross-ministerial coordination, and meaningful partnerships with local civil society and community actors, alongside accountability mechanisms that ensure CYM can safely and equitably access services. At the multilateral level, GBV must be explicitly integrated into highlevel migration and child protection frameworks, global progress reviews, and reporting on CYM – recognizing it not as a peripheral issue, but as a core dimension of mobility.

GOOD PRACTICES

• Egypt: The EAMR Project conducted protection needs assessments in Aswan, including for children and new arrivals from Sudan, complemented by gender-focused assessments led by a gender specialist. These assessments strengthened understanding of GBV risks affecting refugees and supported more targeted identification and response.

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project provided capacity building to local authorities (e.g., police, border officials, social workers) on child protection, GBV risks, and referral mechanisms.

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project engaged with transport and community stakeholders to identify unaccompanied minors and refer suspected trafficking/GBV cases to services.

• Tunisia: EJM Project partners supported a multi-day, participatory training on Gender, Inclusion and Mobility (GIM), which systematically addresses GBV as one of the key risks associated with youth mobility, alongside legal, social, and economic barriers. Through case studies and collective analysis, participants examined how and where CYM may be exposed to violence at different stages of their mobility and insertion pathways. This approach helps position GBV as a structural and predictable risk linked to migration, rather than an isolated protection issue.

• Tunisia: The EJM Project prioritised mapping and coordination of protection actors, enabling clearer referral pathways for cases involving violence, abuse, or exploitation. In a context of constrained institutional engagement, this intervention strengthened access to first-line protection and specialised services for women and youth facing urgent protection risks.

• Tunisia: The AVER “Éduquer Ensemble” intervention within the EJM Project combined positive education with schoolbased inclusion mechanisms to prevent violence, bullying, harassment, and discrimination affecting refugee and socially marginalised children, particularly Sudanese refugee children in Medenine. Through inclusion clubs established in six schools, the project brought together refugee and Tunisian children in mixed activities (e.g., games, sports, group learning), creating safe spaces that reduce stigma, promote peer interaction, and mitigate violence linked to exclusion. Teachers and facilitators reported decreased aggressive behaviours and improved classroom dynamics, while children developed emotional expression, empathy, and non-violent conflict resolution skills, which are key protective factors against early forms of GBV. Further, the AVER intervention developed a good practices guide for educators and supported replication across schools, with an expansion underway in collaboration with UNICEF.

• Mali: The process of systematic protection monitoring by documenting human rights violations beyond GBV cases alone also helps to guide the overall humanitarian response and advocacy process aimed at improving the general protection system, including against GBV. This approach is supported by Switzerland through the Programme de renforcement de l’environnement protecteur au Mali (PROTECT) Project, in particular through its partnership with the Malian Association for Survival in the Sahel ( Association Malienne pour la Survie au Sahel AMSS ).

• Mali: The community-based psychosocial approach ( approche psychosociale communautaire – APC ) has been implemented by the SDC during many years in the Great Lakes region, with many positive results. 25 This approach has been taken up by other stakeholders and projects in the region, such as the Swiss-funded PROTECT Project, which actively involves communities in protecting vulnerable people, and creating or revitalising community centres for victim care. In addition, the involvement of local communities has been integrated into the project’s five-year development programme.

2. Systemically mainstream GBV across all interventions.

WHY Survivors of GBV often do not access standalone GBV services due to stigma, fear of retaliation, lack of awareness, and restrictive legal or social environments. Instead, they are more likely to disclose violence when services are embedded within trusted and accessible entry points such as education, child protection, health, psychosocial support, or socio-economic inclusion programmes. Barriers to disclosure are further compounded when information is not accessible in child- and youth-friendly, culturally appropriate, and multilingual formats.

Evidence from the EJM and EAMR Projects shows that integrating GBV-sensitive approaches across child protection, education, socio-economic inclusion, and psychosocial support programmes – including through one-stop centers, multifunctional hubs, participatory trainings, and structured frameworks like Gender, Inclusion and Mobility (GIM) – enhances identification of survivors, reduces stigma, strengthens referral pathways, and ensures timely, holistic, and coordinated care.

MESSAGES GBV must be systematically integrated as a cross-cutting risk across child protection, case management, psychosocial support, education systems, and socio-economic inclusion programmes. This requires that all different service entry points are equipped with safe, ethical, and survivor-centered identification and referral procedures, enabling discrete disclosure, appropriate first-line support, and timely referral to specialized services without exposing survivors to further harm. When accompanied by clear roles, resources, and accountability, such integration promotes intersectoral coordination, reduces fragmentation, and ensures survivors receive comprehensive, continuous, and dignified support across systems.

Education, particularly for adolescent girls, should be recognized and financed as a central GBV prevention and protection intervention, reducing exposure to CEFM, exploitation, and other harmful practices.

Governments, donors, and implementing partners should institutionalize integrated, one-stop and multisectoral protection models to ensure timely, dignified, and coordinated support for GBV survivors.

This must include targeted programming for adolescents and youth, including those transitioning out of child protection systems, to prevent service gaps at critical life stages.

GOOD PRACTICES

• North and West Africa: The EJM Project applied a Gender, Inclusion and Mobility (GIM) framework that systematically integrated GBV into all areas of intervention rather than treating it as a standalone sector. This approach emphasises intersectionality (i.e., gender, age, migration status), prioritises the inclusion of highly marginalised groups (i.e., young women, survivors of violence, domestic workers, women in prostitution), and provides continuous technical support to implementing partners.

• Egypt: The EAMR Project used multiple confidential entry points to identify GBV cases, including hotlines, complaint boxes, walk-ins, short surveys, and accountability mechanisms. In addition, one-to-one follow-up by social workers are highlighted as particularly effective for sensitive disclosures, especially for children who are unable or unwilling to speak in group settings.

• Sudan: Community centres function as one-stop structures providing multiple services in the same location. When GBV cases are identified, survivors can access immediate referral, case management, and follow-up, reducing delays and fragmentation in response.

• Sudan: The EAMR Project integrated GBV prevention and awareness messages into other sessions and services, rather than delivering them as stand-alone activities. This approach increases reach, reduces stigma, and allows GBV information to be shared more safely and widely.

• Morocco: Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and youth health services were used by the EJM Project as non-stigmatising entry points to identify GBV, sexual violence, and unmet protection needs among adolescents and young people on the move. Through consultations and health education, service providers are able to detect risks and provide referrals without requiring survivors to self-identify as GBV cases, reducing barriers linked to fear, stigma, and underreporting

• Morocco: Skills-development and innovation-based programmes within the EJM Project integrated continuous psychosocial support alongside technical and softskills training. Social workers attended the sessions to observe participants over time, allowing for the progressive identification of distress, trauma, or GBV-related risks, including psychological trauma. This integrated model ensures that protection and GBV needs are addressed in a discrete, survivor-centred manner

• Morocco: Local civil society organisations play a central frontline role in GBV prevention, psychosocial support, and accompaniment of CYM. The EJM Project partners highlighted that local NGOs are better positioned to build trust, adapt language and approaches, and maintain continuity of care in a sensitive environment.

• Morocco: The EJM Project partners emphasised the importance of carefully adapted terminology and communication strategies when addressing GBV in Morocco. Framing interventions around wellbeing, health, and protection, rather than explicit legal or status-based categories, helps maintain access to services and reduce risks for service users. It also contributes to shifting the narrative by positioning GBV not only as a protection concern but as a public health issue. This approach enables continued GBV-related support within existing socio-cultural and security constraints, while broadening acceptance, and facilitating engagement with a wider range of stakeholders.

• Tunisia: In Tunisia’s restrictive political and social context, SDC uses culture, arts, and media as indirect entry points to address GBV without framing it as a stand-alone issue. One example is the use of podcasts created for girls and young women, which provides an accessible space to express experiences, discuss violence, and reflect on rights and wellbeing without requiring visibility or public disclosure. Other examples are a drama film portraying multiple forms of violence against women in detention, as well as theatre productions highlighting extreme violence against migrant women. By embedding GBV narratives in artistic formats, these initiatives help reduce stigma, humanize survivors’ experiences, and engage broader and younger audiences beyond traditional awareness, and protection approaches.

• Niger: The EJM Project facilitated access of GBV survivors to regional multifunctional centers through awareness-raising and capacity-building activities. These centers provide holistic, multisectoral (i.e., medical, psychosocial, legal, etc.) care for survivors of GBV, regardless of their status, through a one-stop system. In addition, listening centers operated at the community level, while facilitating survivors’ access to certain essential services in remote areas where state structures are scarce. These mechanisms contribute to the identification of survivors, while facilitating their referral to regional multifunctional centers, community health centers, and hospitals.

• Mali: The establishment of the one-stop center approach as a protection mechanism enabled the EJM Project and its partners to provide holistic care (e.g., medical, psychosocial, and legal) in a single location, ensuring the effectiveness of interventions for survivors, including their safety, and respect for their dignity.

• Mali: The process of systematic protection monitoring by documenting human rights violations beyond GBV cases alone helps to guide the overall humanitarian response and advocacy process aimed at improving the general protection system, including against GBV. This approach is supported by Switzerland through the Programme de renforcement de l’environnement protecteur au Mali (PROTECT) Project, in particular through its partnership with the Malian Association for Survival in the Sahel ( Association Malienne pour la Survie au Sahel – AMSS ).

3. Guarantee inclusive access to services regardless of nationality, migration status, documentation, or age.

WHY Fear of detention, deportation, retaliation, trafficking networks, and social stigma significantly reduces GBV reporting and service uptake among children and youth on the move. Legal and administrative age thresholds often create abrupt protection gaps when young people turn 18, despite ongoing vulnerability. When protection services are linked, or perceived to be linked, to migration enforcement, children and youth on the move avoid seeking care. Restrictive legal environments and blurred institutional mandates create structural barriers to access and undermine international protection standards.

Evidence from the EAMR and EJM Projects shows that inclusive approaches – such as extending services to displaced and migrant children regardless of nationality, establishing school-based inclusion and peer-support mechanisms, and using legally neutral terminology – improve access, reduce stigma, and help ensure that at-risk children and youth can safely receive GBV prevention and response services.

MESSAGES All children and youth on the move, including those at risk of GBV and survivors, must have safe, confidential, and non-discriminatory access to GBV-related health, protection, and psychosocial services, regardless of nationality, migration status, documentation, or age. Turning 18 must not result in the abrupt loss of protection or access to essential services where vulnerabilities persist. This also requires that children, youth, and communities are actively informed about available, safe, and confidential GBV services, as access depends on knowing where and how to seek support.

Governments must clearly distinguish between service provision and migration enforcement. Access to essential services should never trigger administrative penalties or immigration consequences. Protection actors must adopt inclusive, age-responsive, and context-sensitive approaches that safeguard confidentiality and ensure operational access in restrictive environments.

Services must also meet minimum standards of confidentiality and safe case management, including secure handling and sharing of case information and the integration of psychosocial support mechanisms, to ensure that children and young people can access support without fear of secondary victimization.

GOOD PRACTICES

• Sudan: The EAMR Project applied an inclusive definition of CYM, covering both displaced Sudanese children and migrant children from East Africa, ensuring that GBV-related services are not restricted by nationality or status.

• Sudan: EAMR Project partners worked with authorities and service providers to ensure inclusive, non-discriminatory access to protection and essential services for survivors of sexual violence and their children, including in complex legal and administrative contexts.

• Tunisia: In the current Tunisian legal and political context, the EJM Project uses inclusive and legally neutral terminology, such as referring to “persons exposed to vulnerabilities” rather than explicitly to migrants or people on the move, contributing to shifting the narrative around migration by framing access to protection and GBV-related services as a universal concern affecting the entire population, regardless of administrative status, and as a broader public health necessity. By avoiding nationality- or status-based labels that may trigger legal or administrative constraints, implementing partners are able to maintain GBV prevention and response activities, including school-based interventions, psychosocial support, and coordination with regional protection mechanisms by local authorities.

4. Protect, sustain, and expand survivor-centered infrastructure.

WHY Safe spaces, multifunctional centres, and one-stop models serve as critical entry points for disclosure, psychosocial support, referral, case management, and recovery. However, across contexts, these services are often underfunded, project-based, or vulnerable to political and financial shifts. Funding cuts and shrinking civic space result in service closures, leaving survivors without assistance and increasing risks of re-traumatization.

Evidence from the EJM and EAMR Projects demonstrates that dedicated safe spaces, protection centers, and regional multifunctional hubs, which offer holistic, multisectoral care, provide trusted, confidential, and accessible environments that improve survivor engagement, enable timely referrals, and reduce further exposure to violence, particularly for adolescents and youth aging out of child protection programmes. Service gaps are particularly acute for youth aging out of child-focused programmes. Without sustained investment, survivors face delayed care, repeated trauma, and increased exposure to further violence.

MESSAGES Safe spaces, community protection hubs, onestop centres, and confidential referral systems must be recognized and funded as essential protection infrastructure – not as optional or discretionary services.

Sustained investment is required to maintain survivor-centred, accessible, and multisectoral support mechanisms, particularly for youth aging out of child protection programmes. Protection infrastructure should be embedded within national systems and supported through predictable, multi-year financing to ensure continuity of care.

Given the mobility and access constraints faced by CYM, this infrastructure should be complemented by mobile and community-based service delivery, including safe access to MHPSS along migration routes. Such approaches are essential to reach those unable to access fixed facilities. All service delivery must adhere to strict standards on confidentiality, neutrality, and secure data management to ensure the safety, and protection of survivors.

GOOD PRACTICES

• Sudan: Dedicated safe spaces for girls and young women are used for GBV awareness, psychosocial support and reproductive health information, and supported by the EAMR Project. These spaces are reported to produce positive results by offering trusted and protected environments where girls can speak openly and seek support.

• Morocco: Across the country, protection centres supported by the EJM Project are perceived by beneficiaries as safe, respectful, and non-judgmental environments, particularly valued by young women who identify them as rare spaces where they can speak freely about violence and distress.

• Niger: The EJM Project facilitated access of GBV survivors to regional multifunctional centers through awareness-raising and capacity-building activities. These centers provide holistic, multisectoral (e.g., medical, psychosocial, legal, etc.) care for survivors of GBV, regardless of their status, through a one-stop system. In addition, listening centers operate at the community level, while facilitating survivors’ access to certain essential services in remote areas where state structures are scarce. These mechanisms also contribute to the identification of survivors, while facilitating their referral to regional multifunctional centers, community health centers, and hospitals.

5. Strengthen frontline responders and communitybased actors.

WHY Local NGOs, women-led organizations, community mobilizers, youth networks, as well as educational and health institutions, are often the first and safest point of contact for GBV survivors and those at risk, particularly where state institutions lack resources, are inaccessible, or feared. They offer cultural and linguistic proximity, higher levels of trust, and continuity of care in restrictive environments.

Evidence from the EJM and EAMR Projects shows that capacity-building, participatory training, community mobilization, and the use of structured frameworks like Gender, Inclusion and Mobility (GIM) significantly improve frontline actors’ ability to identify at-risk children and youth, provide survivor-centered support, and embed GBV-sensitive practices within broader programmes. Yet localization remains rhetorical without predictable funding, institutional recognition, and technical support.

MESSAGES Frontline and community-based actors, such as NGOs, women-led organizations, community mobilizers, youth networks, schools, and health facilities, must receive direct, predictable funding, and institutional recognition as frontline GBV responders in migration contexts.

Strengthening their technical capacity, safeguarding standards, and coordination roles enhances trust, accessibility, and sustainability of protection responses. Donors and governments should move beyond subcontracting models and toward equal partnerships that embed local actors within national and regional protection systems.

The strengthening of community-based organisations must be accompanied by formalised oversight mechanisms, psychosocial support for staff, and strict safeguarding protocols, to ensure that the support provided to CYM remains safe, ethical and in line with GBV standards.

GOOD PRACTICES

• Sudan: At the onset of the conflict, GBV-related interventions of the EAMR Project in Sudan have been severely constrained, particularly in Khartoum, where security conditions have led to the suspension of most activities. Nevertheless, the project continued survivor support through local partnerships, notably with the partner SEEMA, which has enabled the provision of GBV-related support where access remains possible.

• Sudan: Interventions in the EAMR Project relied heavily on community mobilisers deeply rooted in communities and women-led organisations, which are recognised as effective in building trust, sharing information on services, and supporting GBV survivors in displacement-affected contexts.

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project established communitybased child protection mechanisms and awareness-raising to identify and prevent unsafe migration and trafficking.

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project provided capacity building to local authorities (e.g., police, border officials, social workers) on child protection, GBV risks, and referral mechanisms.

• Morocco: Local civil society organizations play a central frontline role in GBV prevention, psychosocial support, and accompaniment of CYM. The EJM Project partners highlighted that local NGOs are better positioned to build trust, adapt language and approaches, and maintain continuity of care in a sensitive environment.

• Tunisia: The EJM Project partners supported a multi-day, participatory training on Gender, Inclusion and Mobility (GIM) for local partners, which introduced and tested practical tools such as inclusive checklists, analytical grids, and monitoring indicators. These tools support early identification of vulnerability and help institutionalize GBV-sensitive practices within programmes. Continuous feedback mechanisms (i.e., pre-/post-tests, daily evaluations) further support institutional learning and adaptation.

• Niger: As part of the EJM Project, training sessions were organized for social workers on the topic of GBV. These sessions helped improve knowledge and skills in early identification, prevention, and care for cases of GBV involving CYM. This approach contributed to the quality of psychosocial support and care by establishing a climate of trust between survivors and social workers, and facilitating open discussion, and communication on this subject.

• Niger: Community mobilization is at the heart of inclusive social dialogue initiatives on ending all forms of GBV in Niger, and has been implemented by various actors (i.e., state structures, NGOs, CSOs, community leaders). It is carried out through consultations with traditional authorities, youth groups, and women/girls on national, regional, and community level to strengthen their commitment to preventing and combating GBV. These include activities such as dialogues, forums, capacity building, and awareness raising through community discussion groups, village committees, and dialogue platforms. The EJM Project has supported this dynamic by providing support and capacity building to national associations and NGOs active in community mobilization, such as the Mouvement Africain des Enfants et Jeunes Travailleurs (MAEJT).

• Mali: The EJM Project has supported Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in implementing community awareness-raising activities that incorporate specific messages on GBV. Three CBOs have been supported in Mali since the start of the project, including one in Bamako and two in Sikasso. This approach makes it easy to reach target groups.

• Mali: The EJM Project supported capacity building activities on topics such as initial psychosocial support, basic human rights concepts, and referral systems were organized for focal points within the community, technical services and local authorities. This support helped to increase the number of cases identified and referred to care services. It also helped to raise awareness within the community of the need to identify and provide timely care to survivors.

• Mali: The community-based psychosocial approach ( approche psychosociale communautaire – APC) has been implemented by the SDC during many years in the Great Lakes region, with many positive results. 26 This approach has been taken up by other stakeholders and projects in the region, such as the Swiss-funded Programme de renforcement de l’environnement protecteur au Mali (PROTECT) Project, which actively involves communities in protecting vulnerable people, and creating or revitalising community centres for victim care. In addition, the involvement of local communities has been integrated into the project’s five-year development programme.

• Guinea: The EJM Project conducted capacity-building sessions for different stakeholders on vulnerability and inclusion, which enabled them to better understand the challenges of integrating vulnerability and inclusion into their projects. Before the training, many of these actors did not take disability issues into account. This support has helped to improve the quality of the interventions of the various organizations, particularly on the issue of inclusion.

6. Address intersectionality and invisible vulnerabilities.

WHY GBV affecting boys, young men, children with disabilities, and other marginalised groups remains significantly underreported due to stigma, discrimination, and social taboos. Failure to explicitly recognise these groups perpetuates invisibility, underfunding, and inadequate services. Intersectional vulnerabilities – shaped by gender, age, disability, migration status, and social exclusion – compound exposure to violence and barriers to care.

Evidence from the EJM and EAMR Projects shows that targeted approaches, such as applying a Gender, Inclusion and Mobility (GIM) framework, engaging local actors to reach marginalized children and youth, and providing capacity-building for stakeholders on inclusion, significantly improve identification of at-risk groups and the quality of services delivered.

MESSAGES GBV strategies must explicitly recognise and respond to violence affecting boys, young men, children with disabilities, other marginalized groups.

Intersectional risk analysis should inform data collection, service design, referral pathways, and policy development. Inclusive programming must move beyond gender-binary assumptions and ensure accessibility, confidentiality, and tailored person-centred support for those facing compounded vulnerabilities.

GOOD PRACTICES

• North and West Africa: The EJM Project applied a GIM framework that systematically integrated GBV into all areas of intervention rather than treating it as a standalone sector. This approach emphasizes intersectionality (i.e., gender, age, migration status), prioritizes the inclusion of highly marginalized groups (i.e., young women, survivors of violence, domestic workers, women in prostitution), and provides continuous technical support to implementing partners.

• Guinea: As part of the implementation of its gender and inclusion fund and in partnership with the NGO OSH Guinea, the EJM Project targeted marginalized CYM, specifically those with disabilities. This approach reduces the vulnerability of this target group and the risks of abuse and exploitation they face. The support included vocational training, integration through income-generating activities, and stable jobs that take into account their specific needs (e.g., disability, gender, etc.).

• Guinea: Information and awareness-raising activities were carried out by local partners of the EJM Project, in particular the Youth Counseling and Guidance Centers (Centre d’Écoute de Conseils et d’Orientation pour Jeunes – CECOJE) and local protection committees. These awareness-raising sessions are carried out within host communities and among CYM through educational talks and television programs on the prevention of GBV risks and existing care mechanisms. This approach has facilitated exchanges with target groups on topics that are sometimes considered sensitive.

7. Strengthen coordination mechanisms.

WHY Fragmented GBV responses undermine timely, survivorcentered support for children and youth on the move. Poor coordination between government authorities, NGOs, community actors, and institutional services leads to gaps in referrals, duplication of efforts, and inconsistency and discontinuity of care.

Evidence from the EAMR and EJM Projects shows that coordinated efforts, including cross-border SOPs, partnerships between authorities, NGOs, women-led organisations, community actors, and regular service mapping strengthen referral pathways, enable rapid response for high-risk cases, and ensure continuity of care for children and youth at risk and survivors of GBV. Strong coordination enables rapid response for high-risk cases, harmonizes humanitarian and state-led interventions, and embeds local knowledge and trust within protection systems. 27

MESSAGES Gender Based Violence strategies must prioritize functional coordination mechanisms at local, national, regional, and global levels. Multi-stakeholder platforms, including government authorities, civil society, women-led organizations, community mobilisers, and relevant educational and health institutions, should be supported to harmonize SOPs, share information, and coordinate referrals. Coordination should ensure continuity of care, embed local expertise, and strengthen systemic protection for children and youth at risk, and survivors of GBV.

GOOD PRACTICES

• East and North Africa: The EAMR Project contributes to strengthening GBV-sensitive protection frameworks through coordination with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Regional Child Protection Network , supporting the development of cross-border Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for CYM and reinforcing survivor-centred case management standards.

• Sudan: Severe GBV cases are referred to government trauma centres, supported by INGOs and the Combat Violence Against Women (CVAW) Unit. Collaboration between community centres, NGOs, and trauma centres enables rapid, and coordinated referral for high-risk cases.

• Sudan: EAMR Project partners work with authorities and service providers to ensure inclusive, non-discriminatory access to protection and essential services for survivors of sexual violence and their children, including in complex legal, and administrative contexts.

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project has child protection case management systems and family tracing support, and engages with transport and community stakeholders to identify unaccompanied minors, refer suspected trafficking/ GBV cases to services, and deliver appropriate care.

• Tunisia: EJM Project supported direct GBV interventions through institutional partnerships, notably through the EuroMed Rights organization, supporting coordination bodies within ministries responsible for protecting women survivors of violence and managing shelters. This support contributed to strengthening protection, survivor assistance, and coordination mechanisms as core pillars of the national GBV response system.

• Niger: The EJM Project strengthened strategic partnerships with public institutions and organizations specializing in the promotion of human rights and GBV. This enhanced coordination and synergies in the care of GBV survivors and CYM at risk, using a systemic approach. This approach helps to ensure continuity and sustainability of access to protection, psychosocial support, legal assistance, and referral to services for CYM.

• Mali: At the operational level, the EJM Project team has developed a good partnership with specialized NGOs and one-stop centers. This collaboration strengthens the synergy of action and complementarity in the care of CYM victims of GBV through secure and appropriate mechanisms.

• Mali: A national and regional coordination structure – operating as a GBV working group – is in place. This working group includes the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the National Program to Combat GBV ( Programme National de Lutte contre les VBG – PNVBG) and ensures a harmonized response between humanitarian and state actors. Several organizations that receive funding from Switzerland as part of protection and humanitarian assistance initiatives that integrate the issue of GBV are active within this platform.

8. Invest in confidential, safe, and ethical GBV information and data systems.

WHY Effective GBV prevention and response depends on timely, accurate, and ethically collected data that captures the risks and needs of CYM. Without robust safeguards, the collection and use of sensitive information can expose survivors to harm, undermine trust, and limit the effectiveness of protection systems.

Evidence from the EAMR and EJM Projects highlights the importance of ethical data collection and management practices, including trained data collectors, non-intrusive methodologies, and strict confidentiality protocols to minimize harm and protect survivors. Centralized systems such as GenderBased Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS), supported by Swiss partners, improve trend analysis, planning, and evidence-based advocacy, while safeguarding confidentiality.

MESSAGES Governments and protection actors must invest in ethical, confidential, and child- and youth-friendly identification and data systems that safely capture GBV risks and needs while minimizing harm. This includes establishing robust data protection standards, ensuring informed consent, and implementing secure and interoperable systems that safeguard privacy, and confidentiality.

Data should be actively used to inform programming, strengthen referral pathways, and guide evidence-based advocacy for inclusive, survivor-centred GBV responses.

GOOD PRACTICES

• Egypt: Social workers of the EAMR Project actively used child protection data to conduct separate follow-up calls with children and families. This practice has supported identification of protection and GBV risks that were not disclosed initially and has contributed to increased reporting over time.

• Sudan: The EAMR Project partners conducted highly sensitive protection monitoring, including Key Informant Interviews on GBV and coping strategies, without involving authorities. These exercises are coordinated with clusters and preceded by specific training for data collectors, ensuring confidentiality and ethical data collection

• Mali: The Swiss-funded Programme de renforcement de l’environnement protecteur au Mali (PROTECT) Project contributed to the GBVIMS (Gender-Based Violence Information Management System) – a global inter-agency initiative for the coordinated collection, analysis, and use of GBV incident data – by sharing information from its implementing partners.

9. Raise awareness of GBV, promoting norm-change, and prevention.

WHY Awareness-raising is essential to prevent GBV and shift harmful social norms that tolerate or conceal violence. Children and youth on the move often face stigma, social taboos, and limited understanding of what constitutes abuse, which reduces reporting and access to services. Additionally, limited awareness about existing services and support mechanisms limits survivors’ access to such services.

At the same time, awareness-raising alone is insufficient to drive sustainable social norms change. Effective prevention requires complementing awareness with empowerment-based approaches that strengthen the agency of children and youth, particularly adolescent girls. Evidence from programming highlights that interventions such as safe spaces and peer-led initiatives help build confidence, negotiation skills, and collective support systems, enabling individuals to challenge harmful norms and adopt safer behaviours. Integrating these approaches is critical to fostering lasting change at individual, household, and community levels.

Evidence from the EAMR and EJM Projects demonstrates that targeted, culturally adapted awareness initiatives – including community sessions, school- and peer-based activities, educational media, and integrated messaging within other programmes – increase knowledge of GBV, help distinguish gender from sex-based norms, and enable early identification of cases.

MESSAGES Governments, donors, and protection actors must invest in and sustainably fund culturally appropriate, childand youth-friendly awareness and community engagement initiatives that normalize discussions on GBV, challenge harmful gender norms, and promote prevention. This should be complemented by evidence-based prevention approaches, including community mobilization strategies that engage diverse stakeholders and foster collective reflection and behaviour change.

In highly sensitive contexts, interventions must be carefully tailored to local conditions, safeguarding participants, respecting social norms, and minimizing risks. Awareness-raising should be integrated across sectors and leverage peer networks, schools, local organizations, and media to ensure sustained, community-wide impact, and improved access to protection.

GOOD PRACTICES

• Egypt: In Cairo and other locations, EAMR Project partners conducted regular awareness sessions addressing the distinction between gender and sex, as well as different forms of violence and violations affecting children and adolescents. These sessions are measured through pre- and post-tests, showing increased understanding

and contributing to greater visibility of GBV cases over time. This approach helps break taboos and enables communities to better recognise what constitutes violence, which was previously underreported due to stigma.

• Sudan: The EAMR Project integrated GBV prevention and awareness messages into other sessions and services, rather than deliver them as stand-alone activities. This approach increases reach, reduces stigma, and allows GBV information to be shared more safely and widely.

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project has in place communitybased child protection mechanisms and awareness-raising to identify and prevent unsafe migration and trafficking.

• Niger: The EJM Project partner Mouvement Africain des Enfants et Jeunes Travailleurs (MAEJT) conducted awareness raising sessions among children and youth on the move in migrant communities about the risks and GBV prevention mechanisms. They strengthened CYM’s knowledge on the subject and enabled them to express their experiences and stories. This approach also created a dynamic of peer awareness, with CYM who have been made aware of the issue taking it upon themselves to pass on the messages to new CYM who are arriving or who were absent from the sessions.

• Mali: The EJM Project has supported CBOs in implementing community awareness-raising activities that incorporate specific messages on GBV. Three CBOs have been supported in Mali since the start of the project, including one in Bamako and two in Sikasso. This approach makes it easy to reach target groups.

• Guinea: The EJM Partner organization OSH Guinée provides coaching for CYM, which enables them to strengthen their leadership and self-defense skills against GBV through a good understanding of the risks and prevention and protection mechanisms. It also empowers CYM through a good understanding of existing opportunities and facilitates their access to protection services and socio-economic integration opportunities.

Endnotes

1 The KAPCYM Unit uses the term “gender-based violence” (GBV) in line with current SDC terminology. While earlier frameworks referred to “SGBV” (sexual and gender-based violence), the term “GBV” reflects the continuum of gendered violence – including sexual and conflict-related sexual violence – and avoids singling out one form of violence over others, particularly in crisis and displacement contexts. See SDC, GBV Programming. A Toolkit for SDC staff (May 2023): www.sdc-pge.ch/dam/en/sd-web/e-UZn2kH8IwR/PGEGender-GBVProgramming-CompleteEdition-SDC-2023_ EN.pdf.

2 Accordingly, “North, East, and West Africa” is used to refer exclusively to these eight countries.

3 Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Guidelines on human rights 2026–29 (19 March 2026): www.eda.admin.ch/en/ publication?id=BCfOmATVnx5h.

4 For information about the KAPCYM Unit, see the box at the end of the document.

5 UN Women, From Evidence to Action: Tackling GenderBased Violence Against Migrant Women and Girls (2021): www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/ Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2021/Policy-briefFrom-evidence-to-action-Tackling-GBV-against-migrantwomen-and-girls-en.pdf.

6 UN Women, From Evidence to Action: Tackling GenderBased Violence Against Migrant Women and Girls (2021): www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/ Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2021/Policy-briefFrom-evidence-to-action-Tackling-GBV-against-migrantwomen-and-girls-en.pdf.; UNHCR, Gender-based violence (no date): www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/ protection/gender-based-violence.

7 UN Women, From Evidence to Action: Tackling GenderBased Violence Against Migrant Women and Girls (2021): www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/ Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2021/Policy-briefFrom-evidence-to-action-Tackling-GBV-against-migrantwomen-and-girls-en.pdf.

8 UNFPA, Child marriage (no date): www.unfpa.org/childmarriage; UNICEF, Child marriage (no date): www.unicef.org/ protection/child-marriage.

9 UNHCR, Gender-based violence (no date): www.unhcr.org/ what-we-do/protect-human-rights/protection/gender-basedviolence; UN Women, From Evidence to Action: Tackling Gender-Based Violence Against Migrant Women and Girls (2021): www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/ Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2021/Policy-briefFrom-evidence-to-action-Tackling-GBV-against-migrantwomen-and-girls-en.pdf; European Institute for Gender Equality, Gender-based violence in migration and conflict (no date): https://eige.europa.eu/gender-based-violence/genderbased-violence-migration-and-conflict.

10 UN Women, From Evidence to Action: Tackling GenderBased Violence Against Migrant Women and Girls (2021): www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/ Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2021/Policy-briefFrom-evidence-to-action-Tackling-GBV-against-migrantwomen-and-girls-en.pdf.

11 Also sexual violence towards men and boys is a form of gender-based violence. See SDC, GBV Programming. A Toolkit for SDC staff (May 2023): www.sdc-pge.ch/dam/en/ sd-web/e-UZn2kH8IwR/PGE-Gender-GBVProgrammingCompleteEdition-SDC-2023_EN.pdf.

12 EJM, Maroc analyse genre et diversité (2023); Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) & UN Women, Women on the move in Ethiopia, (2025): https://mixedmigration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/ 08/un_women_report_-_women_on_the_move_in_ethiopia_ 3065_30jul.pdf; Chandiru Drama, J., Elizeo Abdalla, B., Lindrio, P.I. et al. ’This caused our journey’: the relationship between sexual and gender-based violence and cross-border Sudan to South Sudan migration (2025).

13 EAMR Context Update, Q1 2024; UN Women, Sudan Crisis in-Depth Gender Assessment Report (2024): https://africa.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/sudan_ crisis_-_in_depth_gender_assessment_.pdf, 2024; UN Women, Sudan Gender Alert NO. 2 (December 2024): www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/sudan-genderalert-no_excuse_en_2024.pdf; IOM, Sudan Crisis ResponseProtection Advocacy Brief (2024): https://sudan.iom.int/sites/g/ files/tmzbdl1606/files/documents/2024-12/iom-sudancrisis-response-protection-advocacy-brief-2024.pdf; Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) & UN Women, Women on the move in Ethiopia, (2025): https://mixedmigration.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025/08/un_women_report_-_women_on_ the_move_in_ethiopia_3065_30jul.pdf; The Guardian, Mass rape, forced pregnancy and sexual torture in Tigray amount to crimes against humanity – report (31 July 2025): www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/31/ mass-rape-forced-pregnancy-sexual-torture-in-tigray-ethiopianeritrean-forces-crimes-against-humanity-report.

14 KII with Tdh Mali and Helvetas Niger (February 2026).

15 EJM, Annexe 8, Rapport étude VBG et fiches techniques (2025); EJM, Annexe 13, Etudes de cas AVER et FTD Tunisia (2024).

16 UNHCR, Egypt Participatory Assessment (2024): www.unhcr. org/eg/media/2024-participatory-assessment; UN Women, Sudan Crisis in-Depth Gender Assessment Report (2024): https://africa.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/sudan_ crisis_-_in_depth_gender_assessment_.pdf; UN Women, Sudan Gender Alert NO. 2 (December 2024): www.unwomen. org/sites/default/files/2024-12/sudan-gender-alert-no_excuse_ en_2024.pdf.

17 EJM, Annexe 8, Rapport étude VBG et fiches techniques (2025).

18 EJM, Maroc analyse genre et diversité (2023) ; EJM, Rapport annuel (2022); Practices International Consultancy, Note conceptuelle «Étude Sur La Migration Des Mineurs Non Accompagnes Tunisiens» (2023) ; KII with EJM Guinea (Tdh et OSH) (February 2026).

19 EJM, Maroc analyse genre et diversité (2023); FGD with SCI Egypt (January 2026); UN Women, Sudan Gender Alert NO. 2 (December 2024): www.unwomen.org/sites/default/ files/2024-12/sudan-gender-alert-no_excuse_en_2024.pdf; EJM, Note conceptuelle projet étude MNA Tunisie (2023).

20 FGD with SCI Egypt (January 2026); UN Women, Sudan Crisis in-Depth Gender Assessment Report (2024): https://africa. unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/sudan_crisis_-_in_ depth_gender_assessment_.pdf.

21 Ibid.

22 FGD with SCI Sudan (January 2026); EJM, Annexe 6 –Rapports d’auto-évaluation (2025); KII with EJM Mali (TdH), EJM Niger (Helvetas), and DRC Mali (February 2026).

23 FGD with EJM partners in Tunisia (November 2025); KII with EJM Mali (TdH), EJM Niger (Helvetas), and DRC Mali (February 2026).

24 FGD with EJM partners in Tunisia (November 2025).

25 SDC, L’approche psychosociale communautaire (APC) «Guérir ensemble». L’expérience de la région des Grands Lacs (2023): www.sdc-pge.ch/dam/fr/sd-web/KbEqn0aW8lqo/PGE-PeaceCPA-HealingTogether-SDC-2023_FR.pdf.

26 Ibid.

27 See also KAPCYM Thematic Brief #2: “Strengthening Regional Cooperation of Case Management Systems” (February 2026): https://cms.caritas.ch/sites/default/files/2026-03/kapcym_ thematic_brief_2_en_0.pdf.

About the KAPCYM Unit

The Knowledge and Policy Dialogue on Protection of Children and Youth on the Move (KAPCYM) Unit supports two projects: Enfants et Jeunes sur les Routes Migratoires d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Nord (EJM), implemented by a consortium led by Helvetas, and East African Migration Routes (EAMR), implemented by Save the Children. Both projects are financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The Unit’s mandate is to enhance Switzerland’s positioning on migration and child protection; foster and contribute to a community of practice; promote regional synergies; and facilitate the exchange of evidence-based lessons learned and good practices. In doing so, it contributes to a more strategic and coherent approach to policy advocacy among Swiss partners.

The KAPCYM Unit warmly thanks all contributors – especially the national focal points of the EJM and EAMR projects, embassy representatives, and other SDC staff – for their valuable collaboration in compiling the good practices presented in this brief.

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