As a humanitarian actor with a protection mandate, UNHCR has the commitment to prioritize actions regarding the prevention, mitigation, and response to gender based violence, and to create response mechanisms that tend to the needs of survivors.
Gender based violence is a grave violation of human rights, and a serious public health issues. The large majority of the cases are not reported, but it’s known that they happen in every context. All refugees, asylum seekers, stateless and at risk of statelessness, internally displaced and returnees (jointly designated as persons UNHCR serves) run the risk of suffering gender based violence, regardless of their age, gender and other diversity considerations.
What is Gender Based Violence?
Gender based violence refers to any act perpetrated against a person based on gender norms and unequal power relations. This includes:
- Domestic violence
- Physical aggression
- Psychological and emotional abuse, and manipulation
- Sexual harassment and aggression
- Trafficking in persons
- Child marriage
Where to seek help
If you are a survivor of gender-based violence and need orientation and/or information regarding services and assistance (legal, safety, psychological) you can contact UNHCR and request support from our gender based violence Focal Point.
If you have a gender-based violence emergency, contact one of the existing emergency lines.
Go to link: Emergency Lines
Reporting and Access to Justice
Gender and family violence, as well as sexual agresión are considered crimes. You can report them through the Unidades Integrales de Atención a la Violencia de Género, Intrafamiliar y Delitos Sexuales (Comprehensive Care Units for Gender and Intrafamily Violence and Sexual Crimes) of the Ministerio Público (Fiscalía).
See contact information below:
Source: Ministerio Público, República Dominicana (2017)