Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to tackle gender-based violence in relation to refugees covered by the Khartoum process in East Africa.

The UK is a respected international leader on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all forms, and is taking a range of actions to prevent and address the effects of gender-based violence on refugees, including in East Africa. In November 2017, the Secretary of State for International Development announced £12 million of new funding over a three-year period for the UN Trust Fund to End VAWG, with dedicated funding to prevent and address violence against women and girl refugees. The UK is also investing £25 million over five years in a flagship research and innovation programme in preventing and addressing VAWG, which includes working with women and girls among Somali refugees in Kenya. The UK is a member of the steering group for the Khartoum Process, and has ensured the €46 million Better Migration Management programme that supports the process includes projects to improve the protection and support of migrants.