This evidence review explores the importance of prioritising the inclusion of marginalised groups in social assistance in contexts of recurrent shocks, climate and humanitarian crises, protracted conflict, and forced displacement.
Crises often exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities for socially excluded and marginalised people, including women and girls, children and youth, older people, people with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, and sexual and gender minorities. Social assistance, in the form of government provided or humanitarian assistance, seeks to alleviate crisis impacts. The structures, systems, and barriers that exclude some people generally can also exclude them from social assistance in crises. Such exclusion, both before and during a crisis, can increase deprivation, reduce resilience to shocks, and exacerbate protection risks by increasing people’s vulnerability to exploitation and abuse. Crises, consequently, can disproportionately impact marginalised people.
