LAAHA: A VIRTUAL SAFE SPACE FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS
One in three women experience violence in their lifetime and 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. Violence is exponentially made worse during humanitarian crises such as climate-based disasters, areas experiencing civil unrest, and impoverished populations.
Laaha, the first-ever digital web-based platform created by UNICEF with women and girls from crisis-affected regions, strives to increase knowledge on gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) through quality and accurate information to women and girls, and to reduce isolation by building safe spaces of support for adolescent girls through peer-to-peer connection on a moderated user forum.
Safe spaces are a key approach to working with women and girls, providing them with access to information, links to services - including GBV response and prevention services, skill-building, peer connection, and support, especially in humanitarian crises. Yet, women and girls often face barriers to accessing these physical safe spaces because of distance, security concerns, harmful gender norms, and domestic responsibilities. In humanitarian contexts characterized by insecurity, dynamic conflict, and further movement restrictions, women and girls face even greater barriers to accessing physical safe spaces.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke, the digital transformation accelerated internet usage up to 60%. However, many digital innovations do not respond to the specific needs of women and girls and in some cases can put them at risk of further harm. Resourcing GBV services that extend access to a greater number of women and girls living in crisis and conflict affected environments and supporting innovation through good digital citizenship has therefore become more urgent.
How Zonta helps
For the next two years, Zonta International has committed US$750,000 to UNICEF USA to support Laaha and provide quality and accurate information to girls and women about menstrual health and hygiene, healthy relationships, how to stay safe and know one’s rights, financial literacy, female anatomy and services for women and girls facing violence. In time, this digital space will replicate the sense of a safe social network that physical safe spaces provide.
How it Works
- Laaha participants have access to information and services in a way that is safe, culturally appropriate, and accessible to adolescent girls and women, particularly those who face higher levels of marginalization, such as girls with disabilities and married girls.
- Laaha provides information through articles, podcasts and videos on their rights as women and girls, their bodies, their health and where to find the help they need.
- An interactive chat box allows users to find answers and to talk with a trained GBV specialist moderating for safety. The forum is overseen by a dedicated team of counselors from local partner organizations.
- To guarantee the safety and the integrity of the system, the forum’s posting functionality is disabled during times when moderators are unavailable. Laaha also supports complete anonymity, not collecting any personally identifying information like names, phone numbers or demographic details.
- Moderators are trained through a robust framework set up by specialists and NGO partners and includes a moderator’s guide, training programs and a code of conduct.
- To ensure accessibility, Laaha content is built to use limited text and emphasize videos and other visual formats to engage users regardless of literacy or fluency with digital tools.
- The platform is currently available in seven languages: English, Arabic, Dari, Pashtu, Spanish, Kurdish and Ukrainian.
- An exit button always on screen allows for a quick exit from the site and clears the cache.
Read a detailed project description to find out more about this exciting partnership between Zonta International and UNICEF USA.