Gendered dimensions of health in refugee situations: An examination of sexual and gender-based violence faced by refugee women in Nakivale refugee settlement, Uganda

Abstract

This article analyses the interplay between women’s social identity, migration and manifestation of sexual and gender-based violence. The research used mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings show experiences of domestic, sexual, community and survival violence. Their predicaments are exacerbated by socio-cultural and structural influences, and despite commitments for protecting refugees, more has to be done to meet the needs of victims. The article reveals the urgency for the adoption of gender-responsive and rights-based approaches in refugee interventions. The capacity of frontline workers must be enhanced to detect violence, appreciate the needs and rights of victims and provide appropriate support.

It Happened in the Desert, in Libya and in Italy: Physical and Sexual Violence Experienced by Female Nigerian Victims of Trafficking in Italy

“…Having a clear security protocol for the vetting and hiring of staff is crucial, including staff's follow-up and the possibility for residents to safely narrate about these experiences to the care structure's management without their safety being jeopardized. In one of the excerpts, the participant was told by her attacker (also one of her caregivers) that her life was worth nothing since she was merely 'a Nigerian prostitute', using a demeaning term and validating the claim that the predicaments of violence are exacerbated by socio-cultural factors, such as particular perceptions, values, and norms of certain groups [49].…”