An Information System for Gender-Based Violence Care and Support: Botswana

In Botswana, an estimated 60 percent of women and girls have experienced gender-based violence (GBV) at some point during their lives. At the request of USAID Botswana, MEASURE Evaluation is working with the governments Gender Affairs Department (GeAD) in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs to design a referral system for GBV survivor care and support services, and to develop an information system to track referrals made and completed. A new system has been planned and is ready to be piloted.

The new system will use mobile-based technology to link multiple services that serve GBV survivors such as schools, police and legal services, and health services and to track when referrals are made and when a client makes use of them. The new system will maintain a case history on clients, eliminating the need for survivors to repeat their stories each time they seek services at a new agency. The system also will enable the GeAD to identify where the referral system is working efficiently, where demand may be overtaking supply, and where bottlenecks exist.