Gender-based violence has surged by 63% since the conflict erupted in Yemen in 2015, aid groups said on Monday, warning that the pandemic was exposing inadequate funding for protection services in war zones around the world. Globally, at least 40 million people affected by war are at risk of sexual exploitation, abuse and trafficking due to “chronically underfunded” protection programmes, said a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the United Nations. “When people don’t have any other option, they will take desperate measures which put them at high risk of trafficking, sexual exploitation, abuse or forced labour,” said Suze van Meegen, NRC’s interim director of advocacy. “(We need) to actually start talking about protection and prioritising the protection … Continue reading Pandemic, funding gaps seen fueling gender-based violence in Yemen