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The consultant will design, lead and report on a study on communicating about gender and violence in the context of the war in Ukraine and resulting humanitarian emergency.

Communication is critical to understanding, preventing and responding to gender-based violence, but in wartime that communication can become more challenging and sensitive, even as GBV (gender-based violence) risk rises. Domestic and other gender-based violence is often hard to talk about - because it is intimate, and the stigma attached to it means that it is often viewed as a source of shame, and bound up with fundamental ideas about (gender) identity and individual value (https://rm.coe.int/chapter-1-gender-identity-gender-based-violence-and-human-rights-gende/16809e1595). By reinforcing traditional gender roles, disrupting social support networks and promoting an “us and them” mindset, war can make it harder to report or acknowledge GBV by anyone except the opposing forces. The language used to discuss gender and violence in wartime contains clues to the beliefs and prevailing narratives that can perpetuate GBV and silence GBV victims and survivors. Understanding these beliefs and narratives provides a basis for challenging and countering them.

The impact of war is stretching Ukraine’s systems for promoting gender equality and preventing and responding to GBV, strengthened to legislation in 2017, and placing them under immense pressure. Ukrainian women’s rights organizations supported by Oxfam are responding to an increase in domestic violence since February 2022. A range of factors heighten GBV risk, including overcrowding in collective centers, disruption of support services and the increased circulation of weapons (https://iwpr.net/global-voices/russian-invasion-overshadows-domestic-violence-ukraine).

At the same time, the war has forced many men to take the classic “manly”/ masculine roles of defenders and fighters and many women to assume an even greater share of family caregiving roles. These changes run counter to trends towards less rigid gender norms in Ukrainian society, and inevitably generate pressure and tensions for many individuals, potentially making some more prone to  and others more vulnerable to violence. But in a context of war, a critical assessment of this situation and its unintended consequences can be viewed as unpatriotic, narrowing the space to prevent, address, and support survivors and victims of GBV.

Research by CLEAR Global (previously known as Translators without Borders) and Oxfam in other contexts has found that the words people use to discuss sensitive topics reveal underlying beliefs which impact reporting behavior. Identifying what words make people comfortable or uncomfortable offers a guide to ensuring effective two-way communication on sensitive issues. Uncovering the concepts and power dynamics behind them can offer a basis for challenging harmful narratives and promoting accountability.