Gender-based violence policies and practices in humanitarian settings: a qualitative policy analysis, North Ethiopia

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a major public health issue, further intensified in humanitarian crises. In Ethiopia's northern conflict (2021-ongoing), the scale of GBV underscores the urgent need for context-sensitive policy and service delivery. We conducted a policy analysis of national GBV-related policies within the context of the northern Ethiopia conflict. This was complemented by 9 focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders, i.e., community representatives and 10 key informant interviews with key policymakers at sub-national and national levels. Data were analyzed thematically using the Health Policy Triangle framework. No reviewed policies were contextualized for humanitarian emergencies or inclusive of all GBV forms. Most focused exclusively on sexual violence against women, overlooking other GBV types and male survivors. Policy development was largely top-down, involving government bodies and international actors, with minimal input from frontline providers or affected communities. There was also a lack of consensus on which policies are implemented, driven by poor dissemination, resource constraints, limited prevalence data, and weak coordination. Ethiopia lacks a government-led, humanitarian-specific GBV policy. This hinders a coordinated health response. Strengthening community participation in policy formulation, ensuring inclusive and context-relevant policy content, improving coordination among all governmental and non governmental GBV actors, and addressing funding gaps are critical for effective GBV response in humanitarian settings.