The GBVIMS Steering Committee
The GBVIMS Global Team was established in 2007 in response to the need for a standardized information management system to manage GBV incident data in humanitarian contexts. Today, the GBVIMS is an inter-agency initiative overseen by a Steering Committee made up of representatives from the IRC, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF, and IMC, supporting a range of workstreams.
The GBVIMS Technical Team
The GBVIMS Technical Team consists of GBV Information Management and GBV Case Management Specialists seated in UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, IRC, and IMC, who, together, provide tailored operational, technical support to countries implementing various GBVIMS workstreams, including the GBVIMS basic tools, Primero/GBVIMS+, and the GBV Case Management Capacity Building Initiative. The Team also develops global resources and capacity development opportunities.
- The Inter-agency Coordinator (krougvie@unfpa.org) is first point of contact on queries related to GBVIMS workstreams, and information on all GBVIMS-related issues. The IAC coordinates the the inter-agency global Technical Team, convenes the GBVIMS Steering Committee, and provides backstopping for technical support and training needs.
- Two specialists from UNICEF (one serving in a full-time, inter-agency capacity) provide support in GBVIMS/GBVIMS+, and GBV case management, respectively.
- One specialist from UNHCR provides technical support to ongoing implementations of the GBVIMS, Primero/GBVIMS+, and case management.
- Two specialists from the IRC provide technical support on GBVIMS and GBVIMS+ to IRC’s GBV programming while engaging with inter-agency rollouts and implementations of the GBVIMS and global resource development.
- One specialist from IMC provides support to GBVIMS and Primero/GBVIMS+ rollouts in the Middle East and North Africa and engages in support to global resource and capacity development with a focus on GBV case management.
- Four specialists from UNFPA (three on a regional basis, one at global level) provide support in GBVIMS, GBVIMS+, and GBV case management.
The GBVIMS Technical Team works closely with and is accountable to the GBVIMS Steering Committee.
Meet the GBVIMS Global Technical Team
Kate Rougvie, GBVIMS Inter-agency Coordinator. Kate is based at UNFPA HQ in Geneva, and can be reached at krougvie@unfpa.org, or at gbvims@gmail.com.
For over ten years, Kate has worked across a number of humanitarian coordination, programming and research roles on GBV, gender and child protection in contexts such as Jordan, Liberia, DRC, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Lebanon, and Burundi, with experience within a range of UN (DPKO, UNRWA, UNFPA), INGO (The Carter Center, IRC, ARC, Mercy Corps), and academic institutions. Kate's academic background focused on gender in peace and conflict studies, and interpreting and translating. Kate has been with the GBVIMS global team since 2017.
Kate McCallister, Global GBV Information Management System Specialist with UNHCR, works with refugee and IDP operations. Kate is based in Chicago and can be reached at mccallis@unhcr.org.
Kate has a background in GBV programming and information management and has been working in humanitarian and development settings for over 10 years. Kate was previously a member of the GBVIMS Technical Team from 2009 – 2013. She assumed her current role as a UNHCR GBVIMS Specialist in October 2017, which also includes support on GBV IM more broadly.
Christiana Gbondo, Global GBV Information Management System Specialist with UNHCR, works with refugee and IDP operations. Christiana is based in Sierra Leone and can be reached at gbondo@unhcr.org.
As a women empowerment and protection specialist with over 13 years experience, Christiana has developed, implemented and championed development and humanitarian programs for the prevention and response to GBV in post conflict and emergency contexts. Christiana has vast experience through INGO work in GBV programming including program development, collaboration and consortia-building, and GBVIMS. She previously served as GBVIMS focal person for IRC Sierra Leone and South Sudan and played an integral role in GBVIMS+ rollout in Nigeria. Christiana joined the GBVIMS TT in 2022.
Kristy Crabtree, Information Management and Technology Advisor with the IRC, supports IRC country programs to utilize the GBVIMS/GBVIMS+ and CPIMS+ and to engage in inter-agency implementation. Kristy is based in the United States and can be reached at kristy.crabtree@rescue.org
Kristy leads information management strategy development and implementation for the Violence Prevention and Response sector at IRC. She started her career in the US Peace Corps in Bangladesh in community development. She has 10 years of experience in the protection and GBV field working in information management, academic research, data management and systems development, project management, refugee resettlement, and monitoring and evaluation.
Megan O’Brien, Information Management and Technology Officer with the IRC. Megan is based in the United States and can be reached at megan.obrien@rescue.org.
Megan received an MA in International Development with a focus on Humanitarian Assistance from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. She has been working with the IRC on case management information systems (specifically GBVIMS, GBVIMS+ and CPIMS+) and supporting GBV programming with technology integration since 2018, and she joined the GBVIMS Technical Team in 2020. She has prior experience in case work, community development, research, advocacy, refugee resettlement, and design.
Laura Canali, Regional GBV Advisor with IMC, based in Italy. She can be reached at lcanali@internationalmedicalcorps.org.
Laura has a broad international experience in the field of Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies. Before joining IMC as the Regional GBV Advisor for the Middle East region, Laura held various program management and coordination positions with international NGOs in South Sudan (ARC), Liberia (IRC), and Uganda (with the European Union and COOPI). She graduated from the University or York with a Master of International Human Rights Law and Practice in 2011. She joined the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) Global team in June 2015, when IMC joined the GBVIMS Steering Committee.
Virginia Zuco Silva, Inter-Agency Case Management Specialist with UNICEF. Virginia is currently based in the U.S. and can be reached at vzuco@unicef.org
Virginia received an M.P.A. from
New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Before joining the humanitarian field, she worked in disaster preparedness and response in the U.S., including responding to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Since 2010, Virginia has worked in GBV emergency preparedness and response in humanitarian settings across Africa, predominantly in francophone countries, and in Haiti. In 2006, she took a two-year hiatus from the humanitarian field to work in domestic and sexual violence response in the U.S. as an advocate in a domestic violence shelter and on a rape response team.
Elfriede Kormawa, Inter-Agency GBVIMS Technical Specialist based with UNICEF. Elfriede is currently based in the U.K. and can be reached at ekormawa@unicef.org
A postgraduate degree holder in Social Epidemiology from University College London, Elfriede has worked for UNICEF, UNFPA and international NGOs for over 5 years and specializes in data management, information management, monitoring and evaluation, and coordination for GBV, health and nutrition programs in humanitarian and development contexts. Notably, she supported the first inter-agency rollout of Primero/GBVIMS+ while working as the Inter-agency GBVIMS Coordinator for the North East Nigeria response, and has since led additional rollouts of Primero/GBVIMS+ in Libya and Bangladesh as part of the GBVIMS Global Team. She is the acting Primero/GBVIMS+ System Administrator, and provides technical support to countries across West Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia.
Erin Gerber, Case Management Specialist with UNFPA, works in the Humanitarian Office. Erin is based in Boston and can be reached at egerber@unfpa.org.
Erin is a clinical social worker with 12 years of experience managing and coordinating GBV in emergency and development contexts. She has worked with the IRC and NRC in Thailand, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Iraq. Erin has worked with UNFPA since 2016 when she created the GBV Capacity Building Initiative for psychosocial support and health providers in Syria through the GBV Sub-Cluster, cross-border operations in Turkey. Since then Erin worked as Mental Health Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Specialist in Myanmar, Bangladesh, UNFPA's Pacific Sub-Regional Office, and the Asia Pacific Regional Office. In her current role, Erin specializes in survivor-centered care, case management, capacity building, and advocacy on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
Iman Qassis, Regional Roving GBV in Emergencies Specialist with UNFPA East and Southern Africa Region. She can be reached at iqassis@unfpa.org.
Iman is part of the UNFPA's H
umanitarian Roving Specialists, skilled in Humanitarian Assistance, Policy Analysis, Program development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Information Management, and Human Rights. Iman supports GBVIMS and case management implementations in the ESA region. She enjoys more than 20 years of experience in the field of GBV; humanitarian and developmental context, and specialized in GBV in Emergencies, survivor’s support, hotlines, protection of women and girls, Justice and Security for women and girls, sex education, GBV IM, and capacity development. She holds two Master Degrees, the first in Criminology, and the second is in Human Rights Theory and Practice, a BA degree in Education, Sociology and Anthropology.
Sara Tognetti, Regional Roving GBV in Emergencies Specialist with UNFPA Arab States Regional Office in Cairo. Sara can be reached at tognetti@unfpa.org.
Since 2012, Sara has worked across a number of humanitarian coordination, programming and research roles on GBV, gender and forced migration in contexts such as Jordan, Myanmar, Haiti, Zambia, Malawi, the Central African Republic, with both UN and INGOs. Sara’s academic background focused on international studies and human rights. Sara has been with the GBVIMS global team since September 2020
What support can the GBVIMS Technical Team provide?
The GBVIMS global team provides on- and off-site field support on a number of workstreams including:
- GBVIMS Basic Tools ('Legacy' offline, paper-based system)
- Primero/GBVIMS+ (online, GBV incident monitoring and case management system)
- GBV Case Management capacity and resource development
- GBV Data Anaysis capacity and resource development
Who is eligible for assistance from the GBVIMS Technical Team?
The focus of the GBVIMS Technical Team is on conflict-affected or humanitarian contexts and on locations where the GBVIMS or GBVIMS+ has already been introduced or where there are plans to roll it out. This includes countries where the GBVIMS has not been fully rolled out – either in terms of use of all elements of the System or the inclusion of all relevant partners – but is at least being utilized in a basic form by one or more agencies. However, any humanitarian actor can contact the GBVIMS Technical Team for further information on the GBVIMS.
For countries already using the GBVIMS, what assistance can be requested from the GBVIMS Technical Team?
The GBVIMS Technical Team can provide remote technical support and trouble shooting, and in-country technical support, capacity building and training (where feasible and appropriate taking into account pandemic-related restrictions).
For countries not yet using the GBVIMS, what assistance can be requested from the GBVIMS Technical Team?
The GBVIMS Technical Team can provide information on the GBVIMS, including further explanation of documents and tools available on the GBVIMS website and assist to develop requests for roll-out or in-country missions, including completing the preliminary assessment reports.
How can remote trouble-shooting and support from the GBVIMS Technical Team be accessed?
The GBVIMS Technical Team can be contacted for remote support via the interagency Coordinator (krougvie@unfpa.org, or gbvims@gmail.com) or through any member of the GBVIMS Technical Team.
How can in-country support from the GBVIMS Technical Team be requested?
Organizations wishing to have support from the GBVIMS Technical Team can make a request via email to the GBVIMS Technical Team or to any member(s) of the GBVIMS Steering Committee. The request will be submitted to the GBVIMS Steering Committee for consideration. Decisions will be made by the Steering Committee based on need and resources available.
How long can the GBVIMS Technical Team be deployed?
The duration of time for a deployment will vary based on the need and context. However, generally the Technical Team can be deployed for an average of 1 to 4 weeks.
