In any refugee population, approximately 50 percent of the uprooted people are women and girls. Stripped of the protection of their homes, their government and sometimes their family structure, females are often particularly vulnerable. They face the rigours of long journeys into exile, official harassment or indifference and frequent sexual abuse - even after reaching an apparent place of safety. 

UNHCR has developed a series of special programmes to ensure that women have equal access to protection, basic goods and services as they attempt to rebuild their lives. The Age, Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming (AGDM) strategy, through the annually conducted participatory assessments, aims at identifying gender inequalities and protection gaps with regard to the situation of refugee women and girls in reception and detention facilities. The strategy also seeks to promote the empowerment of women and ensure their meaningful participation in all the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 

UNHCR also developed a set of guidelines for the prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), offering practical advice on how to design strategies and carry out activities in order to eliminate this type of violence.