Creating access to social network and comprehensive GBV service through mobile protection team to displaced  and isolated women and children in priority one hotspot Woredas in West Hararge Zone in Oromia Region Oromia regional state is affected by the current drought, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)-induced drought, and inter-ethnic conflict. As a result, most of Oromia’s woredas are classified as hotspots and the region is hosting 367,557 IDPs (48.9% male and 51.1% female), according to IOM’s DTM Round 5. This figure represents an increase of 87,690 IDPs (31.3%) in Oromia since DTM’s Round 4 assessments in March/April 2017. The Round 5 assessment also found an increase in IDP settlement areas in Oromia: 18.8% of surveyed IDP sites opened before 2016, while 39.6% opened in 2016 and 41.6% opened in 2017. Conflict was the primary cause of displacement for an estimated 69% of the displaced population, followed by drought (16%). The most commonly cited obstacles to returning home were lack of food (68%), damage to houses (65%), and lack of safety and security (62%).

The latest DTM  also highlighted the incidence of GBV, harmful traditional practices, and child protection violations – issues that were also raised in previous protection assessments. The 2016 Protection Analysis Mehre assessment found that women and children face protection risks when their parents and male counterparts migrate and leave them behind. It found that when girls migrate to urban areas they are exposed to trafficking, child labour, and sexual exploitation. It found high rates of early marriage (346 cases reported), child labour (1,121 cases reported), and violence against women and children at home (4,591 cases reported), including instances of women being forced to exchange sexual favors for food. The DTM also found that early marriage is used as a coping mechanism to address the depletion of household assets and livelihoods in acute emergency settings and a reason for girls dropping out of school. It also found that girls are usually tasked with fire wood collection, fetching water, and petty trade, and that these activities expose them to sexual exploitation and abuse by the host community. More generally, the assessment found that women and children are at higher risk of violence in IDP areas, where they are often isolated from social networks and GBV services. 

In response, the IRC proposes to establish a mobile protection team (MPT) in Oromia to reach women and children with comprehensive CP and GBV services that reduce risks of violence and stress. The MPT will provide survivor-centered services in accordance with international standards to guarantee safe, confidential, and high quality GBV and CP services. These services will include the provision of Women and children wellness center (WCWC) mapping of GBV referral pathways, technical capacity building of local government staff and NGOs, and awareness-raising in the community about GBV and CP risks and preventive measures. The MPT model will allow the IRC to access hard-to-reach populations of women and children, including IDPs. The team will be deployed in Oromia’s Arsi Zone and its priority one woreda’s Gololcha Arsi, and chole woredas.