At least two in five women report experiencing gender-based violence (GBV) along the journey. Photo: World Bank
For those migrating or being displaced across Central America, violence in transit often has a woman's face. Of the total people in transit, an estimated 47% are women and 21% are children. Alarmingly, at least two in five women have witnessed some form of gender-based violence (GBV) along the journey.
Though pervasive, GBV remains a complex topic for most governments and international organizations to address, since data is scarce or difficult to obtain systematically. For women in situations of human mobility, transit is the stage where they are most vulnerable to situations of GBV –even though its prevalence remains high before and after migration or displacement.
Access to gender-based violence response services remain a critical challenge for women in transit across Central America. The Survivor-centered Accessibility Framework Evaluation (SAFE), supported by the State and Peacebuilding Fund (SPF), sheds light on the physical, legal, social, and institutional barriers which prevent many from seeking help or securing protection. This innovative project safely and ethically gathered meaningful data through surveys of women in transit and interviews with service providers. A noteworthy finding of this study is that 41% of respondents reported knowing women who had experienced physical, psychological, and/or sexual violence — a figure likely to underestimate the true prevalence due to underreporting.
Share of women in transit who report being aware of GBV incidents during their migration journey, by type of violence up to Costa Rica, and Guatemala
Essential GBV services are often located far from main transit routes, making women on the move travel long distances —sometimes more than a kilometer— to access support, increasing their risks of violence and exploitation. SAFE’s analysis demonstrated that only 39 percent of GBV service providers are located within 1 km of the nearest migratory route.
Source: SAFE : Gender-Based Violence Response Services for Women in Human Mobility in Central America Report
Social Barriers
Since GBV is often normalized, women may not realize their experiences are forms of gender-based violence. Service providers interviewed report that women in human mobility often seek basic care services instead of specialized GBV support because they do not identify themselves as survivors of violence. Additionally, societal stigma and prejudice against migrants further discourage them from seeking help. Communication gaps, including lack of verifiable information about available services and their rights, exacerbate these social barriers.
“Many women live with it, thinking it's normal and have normalized it. When we say, this is not normal they reply, 'but I have lived like this all my life”.
GVB Service Provider, El Salvador
"Not so much here in Costa Rica, but in Panama and places like that, [there was] the contempt towards us because we are Venezuelans, [people] constantly blame us. That's tough.”
—Venezuelan woman in transit upon arrival in Costa Rica
Legal Barriers
Many women in human mobility travel without proper identification documents, which are often required to file formal complaints. Additionally, jurisdictional issues arise when women in transit experience violence in one country but seek for help in another country, with the latter often lacking jurisdiction to act on the complaint. The fast-paced nature of migration exacerbates this issue, making it difficult for women to keep track of their location and the corresponding legal jurisdictions. Existing legal frameworks and protocols often fail to address the specific needs of migrant women, who require flexible and fast legal support that considers their transient status. Additionally, financial limitations further constrain the effective implementation of GBV prevention and response protocols.
"[…] On paper, everything exists, but in implementation, where there is no financial resource or personnel, it is very difficult, especially when thinking about migrants in transit.”
Service provider, Costa Rica
Institutional Barriers
Existing services are often designed for national populations and fail to address the unique needs of women in transit. Additionally, coordination challenges between governmental and non-governmental organizations further complicate the situation, making it hard for civil society organizations to establish formal agreements for referrals and case management with the former. Furthermore, there is a significant gap in reliable data on GBV prevalence among migrant women, leading to a lack of understanding of the necessary investment and effective policy development to address the specific needs of migrant women. Finally, the limited capacity of shelters and other service providers, along with mismatched operational hours, creates significant gaps in essential services such as medical care, legal assistance, and shelter for women in transit.
"We would need to strengthen the mapping of regional services that work by regions related to services for both women and girls and unaccompanied minors because they are groups in those conditions. […] Strengthen the coordination with the different humanitarian actors to avoid duplicating efforts and have one actor that manages and leads the coordination.”
Service provider, Honduras.
The way foward
Addressing these barriers requires a comprehensive approach. This includes establishing services near migration routes that have the capacity to understand and quickly respond to the specific needs of migrant women who have experienced multiple forms of GBV along their journey.
Service providers who provide basic care services should be trained to screen for GBV survivors and understand how to address these cases. There is also a need for improving legal frameworks to protect migrant women, and creating interventions aimed at destigmatizing GBV.
Other crucial steps include providing multilingual support services and incorporating gender-sensitive policies focused on migrant populations into national and regional frameworks. These policies need to be funded and their implementation monitored.
Finally, interinstitutional coordination within countries and regionally to assist survivors and to avoid duplicating efforts is paramount. By understanding and addressing these barriers, access to essential GBV response services for migrant women can be ensured, promoting their safety and well-being during their journeys and while seeking support from those who should stand ready to help them.
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