Meet Amina, a beneficiary of Laaha
14-year-old Amina lives in a camp for displaced people in Ninewa, Iraq. Like most teenagers, she has lots of questions about her health and body.
Amina overheard her parents arranging her marriage to an older cousin. Concerned about dangers linked to teen pregnancy, she realized she had nobody she felt she could safely speak to. Her only access to a phone was her father’s, so seeking answers online was not an option available to her. Barely able to read and write, she watches videos or listens to podcasts but is careful about which websites she visits in case her father finds out and gets angry.
While Amina’s story is a fictional blend based on the many women and girls encountered by UNICEF in crisis situations globally, her situation is very real and all too common.
While physical ‘safe spaces’ can offer protection and psychosocial support, for reasons like distance or prevailing gender norms, access often isn’t possible for many women and girls - especially during humanitarian crises, precisely when they are at greater risk of gender-based violence (GBV).
In 2021, UNICEF’s GBV in Emergencies team launched ‘Laaha’- the virtual safe space for girls and women in Iraq and Ecuador, with resources linked to financial literacy, legal rights and mental health. The platform encourages engagement through quizzes, podcasts and videos and connects users with vetted local resources. Those with poor literacy can access text-to-audio options, while an exit button quickly redirects to a ‘neutral’ external page.
Women and girls were key architects in the design and testing of Laaha to ensure the right features and content were included.
“Women and girls, including GBV survivors, are not a homogenous group, so you can’t build a one-size-fits-all solution,” says Abeera Akhtar, GBV Technology Consultant, UNICEF Child Protection Section.
Laaha also helps women and girls feel less ashamed and isolated with interactive features like a moderated forum and a chatbot. As one user said, “They don’t want us to know anything, and the day after we are married, they expect us to know everything.”
Though led by UNICEF, Laaha’s success highlights the importance of collaboration for effective scaling, primarily with women and girls, alongside GSMA for gender digital divide research and Meedan for GBV-focused moderation guidelines. According to one partner organization case manager who preferred to remain anonymous, “I’ve seen a huge difference, even over the last year, women are learning about their rights and teaching their daughters.”
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6 JUNE 2025