Barriers and facilitators to care-seeking among survivors of gender-based violence in the Dadaab refugee complex

Abstract

In humanitarian settings, timely access to care is essential for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). Despite the existence of GBV support services, challenges still exist in maximising benefits for survivors. This study aimed to understand the characteristics of violence against women and explore barriers and facilitators to care-seeking for GBV by women in two camps within the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. A mixed-methods design was used to study women accessing comprehensive GBV services between February 2016 and February 2017. Women were recruited into a cohort study (n = 209) and some purposively selected for qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 34). Survivor characteristics were descriptively analysed from baseline measures, and interview data thematically assessed. A majority of women were Muslim, of Somali origin, had been residents in the camp for more than five years, with little or no formal education, and meagre or no monthly income. From the survey, 60.3% and 66.7% of women had experienced non-partner violence or intimate partner violence in their lifetime respectively. Facilitators to accessing GBV services by survivors included awareness of GBV services and self-perceived high severity of acts of violence. Barriers included stigma by family and the community, fear of further violence from perpetrators, feelings of helplessness and insecurity, and being denied entry to service provision premises by guards.

Gender-based violence and its association with mental health among Somali women in a Kenyan refugee camp: a latent class analysis

“…Task-sharing is one strategy that can be used to improve acceptability, accessibility and scale-up of services to refugee survivors of violence in a camp context. 35 36 Further evaluation of preventive programmes which engage the community or intimate partners must also be undertaken to understand the most effective approach to tackling harmful normative beliefs that perpetuate further violence. 37…”

<p>Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Among Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Post-Conflict Scenario</p>

“…[57][58][59][60][61] The vulnerability of women in refugee and IDP camps to SGBV is predetermined by pre-existing cultural gender inequalities and domestic violence and deterioration of traditional gender roles in society due to the destruction of households as a result of war and deaths of family members. 34,[62][63][64][65][66][67] Peacekeepers and aid workers have engaged in hegemonic masculinity practices that encourage sexual exploitation and abuse of the most marginalized in the communities -women and children. 68,69 The harm suffered by survivors has hardly been addressed by any of the agencies, including the United Nations.…”

Disability, violence, and mental health among Somali refugee women in a humanitarian setting

“…Women with more severe physical or cognitive disabilities did not access the GBV services, suggesting that they may have faced challenges getting to theservices. All women enrolled in the cohort study reported challenges accessing services, especially due to the on-going camp closure and repatriation processes that were underway during the cohort study (Hossain et al ., 2018; Muuo et al ., 2020). Therefore, it is feasible that women with more severe disabilities faced significant difficulties accessing GBV response services within the camp.…”

“…In addition to response services, the GBV support centres also provided outreach and camp-based violence prevention activities. Additional details on the GBV services are available elsewhere (Hossain et al ., 2018; Izugbara et al ., 2018; McAlpine et al ., 2020; Muuo et al ., 2020).…”