This project piloted a global tool Strengthening the Medico-Legal Response to Sexual Violence in Conflict, which had previously been developed with UN Action funding, to enhance access to justice for survivors of sexual violence in Somaliland. This project contributed to knowledge-building by bolstering technical skills among key actors in the criminal justice chain on how to collect and treat medico-legal evidence to facilitate legal redress for sexual violence survivors, and how to coordinate between actors in the criminal justice chain to ensure the correct handling and treatment of medico-legal evidence. Achievements included a successful sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) situation assessment within Somaliland that informed the development of a training curriculum on medico-legal examination. Furthermore, based on the global toolkit, a Sexual Assault Protocol with the Ministry of Justice was finalised, translated into the Somali language and distributed to stakeholders for use within their regions as a reference tool in responding to SGBV cases. 

This project provides direct support to survivors of CRSV systematically committed by AS as a tactic of war. Specifically, it supports women formerly associated with AS and the communities they return to, to reduce their vulnerabilities and improve their overall human security, using human-centric and prevention-oriented approaches. The project provides strengthened Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services and socio-economic reintegration support to 100 women formerly associated with AS, including survivors of CRSV; and builds local and national capacities to respond to the complex and sensitive needs of women formerly associated with AS and increase leadership among women from communities affected by AS to mitigate the risks of violent extremism and CRSV.