Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides for services for survivors of gender-based violence in the Central African Republic and efforts to empower women and girls in that country.

DFID is supporting a number of agencies in the Central African Republic to provide services for survivors of sexual violence, including Save the Children, International Medical Corps, Mercy Corps, ICRC and UNHCR. DFID funds are supporting health projects where the clinical needs of survivors of sexual violence can be met, and women's listening centres in order to address some of the psychological needs of survivors of gender-based violence.

Women in the Central African Republic have been particularly affected by the ongoing conflict. DFID programmes aim to address these vulnerabilities, for instance by catering for the specific needs of mothers, pregnant and breastfeeding women, supporting women's associations in resuming income-generating activities or by mobilizing communities to reduce the risks of gender-based violence.