UnBlocked Cash — designing for gender equality
Oxfam in Vanuatu uses blockchain technology to mitigate the risks of gender-based violence and strengthen women’s economic empowerment
By: Maja Tønning, Humanitarian Consultant
A new case study designed for the Grand Bargain Gender and Cash Sub-Workstream highlights Oxfam’s UnBlocked Cash project as an example of how to successfully integrate gender equality and gender-based violence risk mitigation in Cash and Voucher Assistance.
Up to 60% of women in Vanuatu have reported being survivors of intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence. The prevalence of violence against women serves as an indicator of women’s status in society and traditional gender roles, which impacts all levels of society including women’s safe access to income, financial inclusion, and role in household decision-making.
The blockchain-based payment system used in the UnBlocked Cash project by Oxfam and their humanitarian partners working in Vanuatu seeks to address the risks of gender-based violence that may occur as a result of cash and voucher assistance (which would largely be risks occurring due to existing gender roles). As a means to mitigate the risks, the project uses an electronic voucher modality. The project aims to capture women’s economic empowerment by targeting women as primary recipients of cash assistance with a total of 54% female beneficiaries in the programme.
Moreover, as specified in the case study, the project enabled the contracting of small and informal vendors, who are typically women, to deliver services for the electronic vouchers. Oxfam and partners are working directly with between 400 and 600 local vendors, including “Market Mamas” across the islands in support of their economic empowerment and financial inclusion.
Designing to mitigate the risks of gender-based violence as a result of economic stress
For the women of Vanuatu, the combined disasters of Tropical Cyclone Harold in April 2020 and the economic impacts of COVID-19 only increased the urgency of economic support and empowerment as their employment opportunities diminished and the risks of violence increased.
There is evidence and practical resources available that support the use of cash and voucher assistance to reduce and mitigate the risks of gender-based violence particularly related to economic stressors. The UnBlocked Cash project was designed on this basis.
For example, the use of electronic vouchers via the blockchain system created more security and comfort for women as they do not have to carry or keep hard cash. In addition, women across all participant categories — single mothers, older persons, people with disabilities, and widows — reported that receiving cash on a card and in digital form also helped them to better manage and save funds for basic needs, a struggle in Vanuatu where a woman’s income is often seen as a collective entitlement and is often drained by family and cultural obligations to share cash, particularly to male family members.
The project also included training of staff from Oxfam and 17 national and local partners on understanding gender-based violence, cultural norms, and gender roles, how to recognize personal bias on gender, and safely responding to any reports or discoveries of gender-based violence.
Targeting women as primary recipients
Results from the baseline survey showed a high discrepancy between male and female respondents’ perceptions of household decision-making around the use of cash for household purchases. In fact, 78% of male respondents reported that they were in charge of more expensive purchases, whereas only 25% of female respondents reported this was the sole responsibility of the man.
This type of data can, for example, be used to tailor awareness-raising messages. For example, it is insufficient to just target women as primary recipients if, in the end, her husband forced her to hand over the cash or related purchases or excluded her in the decision making. Hence, GBV prevention activities, such as awareness-raising that targets men, fathers, and leaders, are necessary to support women’s economic empowerment and prevent GBV from occurring as a result of women being targeted as recipients.
For this project, Oxfam engaged a comprehensive awareness-raising strategy to increase community members' awareness of targeting priorities, to increase male support of women as primary recipients, and ultimately to mitigate the risks of gender-based violence.
The full impacts of the project are yet to be seen, but some positive results are emerging across the board, and are markedly higher for women enrolled: 42% of vendors observed an increase in female customers. 78% of enrolled families observed a positive change in decision-making in the household. 97% of women and men felt safe using the e-voucher, which has also resulted in a 19% increase in access to savings and improved access to food by 37% in the first four months of operation. Reports of tension in the household remained consistently low, from 0% — 3%. It is expected that the gender-responsive nature of the project will deliver positive results for both female recipients and female vendors and their families, and hopefully prove inspirational for the design, implementation, and monitoring of similar projects in other areas.
Based on “Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence Risk Mitigation in Cash and Voucher Assistance: Vanuatu Case Study” supported by CARE and UNFPA.
