EXPLORING THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF CASH-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON PROTECTION RISK OF WOMEN IN EMERGENCIES
– A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NORTH AND SOUTH KIVU PROVINCES OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
To a large extent, CBIs are expected to guarantee the reduction of protection risks among persons of concern, especially women. However, the question that preoccupies humanitarian actors, protection experts, people of concern, government, and policymakers alike is the differential effects of CBI on women’s protection risks. Brady (2011) and Wasilkowska (2012) noticed that there has been limited conversation on how CBI might affect the protection risk. A large or small transfer amount directed to women comes with its associated risk. If it surpasses what male partners earn, it can be a threat. To date, there is mostly anecdotal evidence from humanitarian settings on how the size and duration of a transfer might influence women’s exposure to protection risks. It is against this background that this paper is developed to provide a comparative analysis of the differential effects of CBI on women’s protection risks in North and South Kivu Provinces of the DRC.
The paper, therefore, presents a practical and conceptual definition of CBI as a protection risk reduction mechanism for women affected by crisis in the North and South Kivu Provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It assesses the prevalence of women’s protection risk in the two provinces before the introduction of CBIs. The paper also compared the differential effects of CBI on the various protection risks of women affected by crisis in the North and South Kivu Provinces of the DRC. It concludes its analysis by examining the minimum cash threshold that is needed to ensure that women are not exposed to protection risks in an emergency setting.
The findings of the paper will enable humanitarian actors including communities to appreciate the minimum cash threshold that should be delivered by humanitarian actors to reduce women’s exposure to protection risks in the two provinces given their unique differences. This will in effect provide insights into designing humanitarian and protection programming that promotes successful protection risk reduction strategies for women affected by crisis.