Strengthening GBV care systems: Integrating community-based support and informal networks

Dinys Luciano

Introduction

Gender-based violence (GBV), including intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual assault, trafficking, and community or political violence, remains a critical development and human rights challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Survivors frequently turn first to informal networks — family, friends, peers, and community members — for disclosure and immediate assistance. This reality underscores the need to formally integrate these mechanisms into national GBV strategies and care-system frameworks. While many national and regional authorities acknowledge GBV as a key gender equality issue, most care-system models still lack explicit provisions for GBV and do not recognize informal support as a structured component of service delivery. Positioning community-based support as a central pillar of GBV care systems is essential to creating comprehensive, survivor-centered responses.

Help-seeking patterns of GBV survivors

Data from population-based surveys (DHS, MICS) reveal that in LAC, 30-42% of women who have experienced IPV disclose to informal networks, while only 2–26% seek help from formal institutions. Country-level results confirm these trends: in Peru, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, informal disclosure rates range from 31% to 42%, compared to much lower rates of institutional engagement. ⁱ,ⁱⁱ,ⁱⁱⁱ,^iv Patterns also vary by geography; for example, Trinidad and Tobago’s 2018 National Women’s Health Survey found that 14% of rural women sought informal support, compared to just 6% in urban areas. Globally, most IPV survivors (44%) seek help from informal or non-institutional sources, with LAC at 35% and sub-Saharan Africa at 54.8%.^v  These findings highlight the central role of informal networks in survivors’ initial help-seeking and the need to connect them effectively with formal care systems.

The role of peer and informal support

Across LAC and globally, survivors are more likely to seek help from trusted personal networks than from institutions. Peer support takes many forms, including independent peer-run programs, mutual support groups, and peer roles embedded in health, justice, and social protection services. Led by individuals with lived experience, peer-based models provide emotional validation, practical assistance, and navigation to formal services, enhancing trust, access, and recovery outcomes.

Community peer-support groups and mentoring initiatives enhance emotional well-being, empower survivors, and strengthen connections to services.^vi In Indigenous communities, culturally relevant initiatives, such as Reclaiming Our Spirits (Canada) and CONAVIGUA (Guatemala), successfully integrate traditional healing practices with advocacy and legal support. ^vii,^viii,^ix

Collaborating with peer support providers also improves institutional understanding of trauma and GBV and builds mutual skills for supporting survivors in crisis.

Resources like the “Start the Conversation: Be a Better Ally” toolkit provide families, friends, and peers with practical tools, conversation starters, and resource lists to engage survivors in safe, supportive discussions. ^x These tools help break isolation, encourage help-seeking, and promote timely, appropriate support. ^xi

Peer support is increasingly acknowledged as a holistic alternative to traditional GBV services, yet challenges remain. These include unclear role definitions, balancing flexibility with structure, skepticism from credentialed professionals, and the emotional toll on peer supporters themselves. While the role can promote personal growth and healing, peer supporters require dedicated training, institutional backing, and self-care resources to sustain their work. ^xii

A framework for integrated GBV care systems

A clear framework for integrating community-based support with formal GBV care systems is essential to bridge the gap between survivors’ initial disclosures and access to specialized services. Informal networks offer trusted, immediate assistance but often lack the training, tools, and referral pathways needed to connect survivors with health, justice, psychosocial, and economic empowerment and protection services. Formal recognition, investment, and coordination can empower these networks to provide safe, informed, and culturally relevant support.

This figure outlines a culturally pertinent GBV System of Care with six core components: 1) core service areas (health, psychosocial care, justice, shelter, economic empowerment, social protection, child protection); 2) entry points (one-stop centers, hotlines, outreach, digital platforms, police stations^xiii); 3) community and informal support integration (recognition, capacity-building, and referral mechanisms for informal actors); 4) human resources and capacity building (trained professionals and peer supporters, continuous professional development, and self-care programs); 5) governance and coordination (clear leadership, intersectoral mechanisms, defined responsibilities); and 6) sustainability, financing, and monitoring (dedicated budgets, long-term funding, culturally relevant indicators, and continuous improvement). At its core, the model emphasizes linking community-based and formal services to enhance trust, accessibility, and effectiveness.^xiv

Strengthening informal networks

Enhancing the capacity of informal networks is essential for ensuring that survivors receive safe, informed, and supportive responses. Training in trauma-informed and culturally sensitive practices empowers families, friends, and peers to validate survivors’ experiences, respect autonomy, and promote safety. Such investments reduce the risk of secondary victimization and strengthen the role of informal actors within GBV care systems.

While social networks are often the most trusted contacts for survivors, responses can vary widely. Some provide comfort, practical assistance, and information, while others may engage in victim-blaming or discourage formal help-seeking, which can deepen survivors’ isolation and delay recovery. Capacity-building efforts should address these risks and promote supportive, empowering responses.

Policy recommendations for LAC

1. Recognize informal networks in GBV frameworks as integral to care systems, with provisions for funding, training, and coordination.
2. Scale Afro-descendant, immigrant, Indigenous-led, LGBTIQ+, and grassroots women’s programs, ensuring stable resources and cultural relevance.
3. Institutionalize peer navigators in hospitals, shelters, and community centers to bridge survivors to legal, health, economic empowerment, social protection, and psychosocial services.
4. Train families, friends, and community allies in trauma-informed, non-judgmental response, adapted to cultural and local contexts.
5. Establish and maintain referral systems linking informal and formal services, supported by trust-building and ongoing communication.
6. Monitor outcomes with culturally relevant indicators that capture survivor experiences and guide continuous improvement.

Conclusion

Informal networks remain a cornerstone of GBV survivors’ help-seeking in LAC. Integrating peer and community-based models into formal care systems improves trust, accessibility, and survivor outcomes. A robust GBV care system must embed informal support into its structures, resources, and coordination mechanisms. Strengthening these networks through capacity building, clear referral pathways and institutional support is essential to achieving a survivor-centered, culturally relevant response in the region.

How to cite this article: Dinys Luciano. (2025, August 6). Strengthening GBV care systems: Integrating community-based support and informal networks. Integrativa online DVCN. Washington DC.

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