This report aims to draw greater attention to the humanitarian crisis facing people on the move along the Central Mediterranean Route and includes the IRC's ‘Ten Point Action Plan’ for EU leaders to promote a values-driven approach to migration on the route.

Asylum seekers living at Moria, the reception and identification center on the Greek island of Lesvos, are under enormous mental strain. With no choice but to live in unacceptable conditions, with little concrete information about their futures and long waits to have their asylum claims heard, suicide rates among clients of the IRC mental health centre are astonishingly high: thirty percent of our clients have attempted suicide. Sixty percent have considered attempting suicide. Over the past six months, the IRC has been gathering the testimony of clients who attend our mental health centre in Mytilene, the capital of Lesvos. This brief outlines our findings and puts forward recommendations for the Greek local and central government, EU leaders and donors, to ensure that all asylum seekers at Moria in need of mental health services are able to access it and that living conditions do not trigger or exacerbate existing trauma.

At a time where populist voices in member states dominate the debate on migration and displacement, the EU can provide principled leadership.

Securing a safer future for Syrians: IRC’s recommendations for the Brussels Conference on Syria

This study draws on three case countries – Nepal, Sierra Leone and South Sudan – to address gaps in evidence and understanding on violence against women and girls (VAWG) during post-conflict transition. It highlights the potential for state-building and peacebuilding processes to address VAWG, and the effect this has in advancing sustainable peace. This is the first time that a systematic approach has been taken to bridge the gap between VAWG and post-conflict state-building / peace-building policies and processes. The study was led by the George Washington Institute (GWI), CARE International UK and International Rescue Committee (IRC), and was conducted as part of the What Works to Prevent VAWG in Conflict and Humanitarian Crises programme, funded by UK aid.

Up to 82% of fragile and conflict affected states - or up to 4 in 5 - are off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal targets according to a new report by the International Rescue Committee and the Overseas Development Institute.

This report serves as a call to action for private sector and international humanitarian actors to build on the initiative that city governments are showing in building inclusive communities for displaced populations.

Women are more likely to live in poorer households globally than men. Countries where this is evident are predominantly fragile or conflict-affected. In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure no one is left behind, women’s economic empowerment must be prioritised and resourced in crisis contexts. Choices, Chances and Safety in Crisis discusses the impact of crisis on women’s economic empowerment and the limitations of recent responses. It proposes a practical model for increasing women’s safety as well as their use and control of resources in crisis contexts. It outlines the preconditions that must be met to genuinely transform harmful gender norms and empower women economically along with examples from IRC’s work. It concludes with recommendations for governments, international actors and the humanitarian sector.

This policy brief provides an overview of the entrenched gender inequalities and vulnerabilities which affected women and girls before the war and which have been exacerbated over the past 4 years.

Violence against women and girls is a global problem of epidemic proportions. Evidence shows that over one-third of women and girls globally will experience some form of violence in their lifetime. Regardless of where they live, their religion or culture, or what stage of life they are in, each is a target of violence specifically because of her gender and the gender discrimination that persists globally. Gender-based violence (GBV) is exacerbated in emergencies, where vulnerability and risks are higher, and family and community protections have often broken down. Rohingya women arriving in Cox’s Bazar have reported rape at the hands of the Myanmar military, while in the refugee settlements, women and girls are often not allowed to leave their tents, isolating them from services and increasing their risks of violence from partners and family. In South Sudan, as many as 65 per cent of women and girls have experienced physical or sexual violence. Sexual exploitation of women and girls in emergencies – including by aid workers and peacekeepers – is also increasingly recognised as a problem that the humanitarian sector must address.