This Guide is intended to help readers understand the political, legal and institutional framework of the ICGLR. It focuses on the three protocols in the social and humanitarian pillar which are the most relevant for protecting the rights of displaced people. The guide includes information on “Protocol on the Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence Against Women and Children”. Sexual violence against women and children, ranging from harmful traditional practices to rape and trafficking, is a cause of immeasurable suffering and displacement in the Great Lakes region. There are many examples in the region of sexual violence being used as a tool of war. Sexual violence is not only a cause of displacement, but displacement in turn heightens women and children's vulnerability to sexual violence.