A/HRC/23/44 and those at risk of displacement, are further practical measures which can be central to reducing exposure to sexual violence. Reducing vulnerability to sexual violence also entails ensuring that survivors have access to appropriate support, including reproductive and psychosocial services and that adequate resources are devoted to gender-sensitive site planning. 36. Given that nearly 50 per cent of survivors of sexual assault are under 18 years of age,37 the Special Rapporteur is concerned about the prevailing tendency to overlook the needs of children and youth in this area. Additionally, a stronger focus on prevention is required regarding SGBV within internally displaced households and communities. At present, most SGBV prevention and response programmes focus on “stranger” rape rather than the more prevalent forms of sexual violence experienced within households and communities (e.g. intimate partner violence), and the problematic coping practices that IDW may be compelled to adopt (e.g. early marriages). 38 Moreover, given that women with disabilities in non-displacement settings are more likely to be victims of sexual violence and abuse, the levels of sexual violence against women and girls with disabilities amongst displaced and conflict-affected populations are likely to be even higher. 39 3. Early recovery 37. Early recovery is a vital element of an effective response to internal displacement as it aims at crisis recovery from the humanitarian phase onwards, resilience-building and development opportunities, and can encourage social change. As such, it presents important opportunities to promote gender equality in the context of internal displacement. However, these opportunities are often lost because gender issues are given low priority in emergency contexts, as well as during the recovery phase. The Special Rapporteur underlines that failure to include gender perspectives early in decision-making processes can have longlasting impacts on IDW, particularly in the context of governance structures, and policies and practices, which can reinforce existing socioeconomic disparities between men and women. 4. Access to justice and accountability towards internally displaced women 38. Access to justice and accountability mechanisms remains limited and inadequate for most IDW. In some cases, women are constrained to use customary justice systems, which often discriminate against them and apply principles in contradiction with national and international standards. In others, formal justice mechanisms may also discriminate against women and therefore not provide the best outcome for IDW. The Special Rapporteur finds the most glaring gap to be in access to justice for survivors of sexual violence. Ensuring legal justice for survivors can be transformative because it sends a clear message rejecting impunity for this heinous crime. However, in some instances IDW not only lack access to effective remedies, but have themselves been charged when bringing forward allegations of rape by State security forces in camps.40 Conversely, legal aid, where 37 38 39 40 Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC), “Peril or Protection: Making Work Safe”. Child Protection in Crisis Learning Network, “Rethinking Gender-Based Violence”, Policy Change Brief (2010), p. 2. World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank, World Report on Disability (Malta, 2011), p. 59; WHO and United Nations Populations Fund, Promoting sexual and reproductive health for persons with disabilities: WHO/UNFPA guidance note, p. 6; reports of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, to the General Assembly (A/67/227) and the Council (A/HRC/20/5 and Corr.1), on the issue of violence against women and girls with disabilities. Human Rights Watch, “Somalia: Alleged Rape Victim Convicted”, 29 January 2013. Available from www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/05/somalia-alleged-rape-victim-convicted. 13