As digital tools become increasingly embedded in humanitarian response, they offer new ways to connect survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) with support, privacy, and psychosocial resources. At the same time, these tools can introduce new risks, including surveillance and exposure to harm. Integrating technology safely into GBV programming requires careful consideration of how gender, power, and digital ecosystems interact in crisis contexts, and how these factors influence access to support, safety, and duty of care.
In 2023, Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund launched the GBV Tech Innovation Challenge to explore these possibilities. Proposals were reviewed by experts in GBV programming and technology for humanitarian innovation, and funding was awarded to four projects. Grantees received both financial and non-financial support, including mentorship, guidance from Elrha, and access to a technical working group of GBV specialists. The projects focused on immersive training, digital referral tools, online platforms for sexual and reproductive health, and secure remote casework for marginalized survivors in high-risk contexts.
The challenge highlighted a key question: what does it take to design and scale survivor-centred technology in humanitarian crises safely, ethically, and in line with global GBV standards? Insights were gathered through project documentation, literature reviews, interviews, and focus groups, revealing principles and lessons for ethical, inclusive, and effective innovation.
Four principles consistently shaped safer, survivor-centred innovation: designing technology around survivors’ needs and minimizing emotional or digital risks; embedding safety from the outset; ensuring interoperability with existing systems; and engaging stakeholders through participatory, feminist, and decolonial practices. The projects demonstrated that values such as trust, responsiveness, safety, and participatory inclusion were foundational to successful implementation, often more so than the technology itself.
Project-specific lessons underscored the importance of context, ethics, and engagement. VR training required ethical facilitation and structured debriefing, while chatbot-supported referrals highlighted careful user journey design and platform considerations. Remote casework in restrictive environments showed that survivor-centred approaches can succeed when trust, secure communication, and risk-aware protocols are prioritized. Repeated consultation with affected communities helped challenge assumptions and ensure accessibility for survivors with diverse identities and needs.
Nine broader lessons for practice emerged from the portfolio, emphasizing that responsible GBV tech innovation depends on processes and human engagement as much as technology. Key insights included understanding digital access, integrating safety-by-design, ensuring interoperability with existing systems, allowing time and flexibility for ethical engagement, planning for sustainability, supporting staff wellbeing, scaling only when safe and contextually appropriate, and fostering space for learning.
The GBV Tech Innovation Challenge demonstrated that meaningful technological innovation in GBV programming is possible but must be grounded in dignity, participation, and safety. Technology can enhance survivor support, strengthen practitioner capacity, and expand safe access to information. However, without robust risk mitigation, contextual awareness, and community partnership, it can also amplify harm. The future impact of humanitarian innovation for GBV programming depends on building ecosystems that honour survivor expertise, strengthen community-led solutions, and ensure that every technological choice advances safety, dignity, and rights.
