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

Mental Health Impact of Gender-Based Violence Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review

“…Broader socioeconomic determinants of health were salient before the pandemic but have been amplified by the ongoing unprecedented public health crisis. Countries on the lower socioeconomic development spectrum have seen particularly severe cases of women's self-isolation in unsafe domestic environments brought about by violent and abusive relationships 16 . In a time-series study in rural Bangladesh, among women experiencing emotional violence (being insulted, humiliated, intimidated, or threatened) or moderate physical violence (being slapped or having something thrown at them, being pushed, or having their hair pulled), over half reported that it had increased since the lockdown 12 .…”

“…As women have been forcibly cloistered in their homes, it is likely that the frequency and magnitude of violence they are subjected to will only grow. In humanitarian settings, insecurity and instability during COVID-19 may lead to increased exposure of women and children to unsafe and risky environments, including sexual violence and harassment during the procurement of essential goods 16 .…”

Evaluation of an integrated intervention to reduce psychological distress and intimate partner violence in refugees: Results from the Nguvu cluster randomized feasibility trial

“…Nguvu, Kiswahili for strength and power, is an integrated intervention that was developed among female refugees from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to reduce IPV and psychological distress. Research among women in the eastern DRC and refugees from this region consistently reports high levels of gender-based violence, particularly IPV (e.g., 31% of adult women in the eastern DRC), as well as co-occurring mental health problems in survivors of IPV [ 8 , 20 ]. However, the reliability and availability of prevalence estimates among refugee populations specifically are limited [ 20 ].…”

“…Research among women in the eastern DRC and refugees from this region consistently reports high levels of gender-based violence, particularly IPV (e.g., 31% of adult women in the eastern DRC), as well as co-occurring mental health problems in survivors of IPV [ 8 , 20 ]. However, the reliability and availability of prevalence estimates among refugee populations specifically are limited [ 20 ]. One population-based survey conducted in the eastern DRC found that experiencing IPV is associated with a higher probability of common mental health problems including depression (64.9% vs. 31.0%), post-traumatic stress disorder (77.2% vs. 43.9%), and suicidal ideation (42.4% vs. 20.5%) or attempts (33.1% vs. 9.7%) [ 21 ].…”

“…It is important to initiate operational research to bridge the gap that often exists in humanitarian settings between mental health interventions that are usually not tailored to the needs of IPV survivors and routine IPV interventions that often lack the clinical competency to effectively address co-occurring mental health issues [ 22 ]. Rigorous research on strategies for reducing IPV among women experiencing ongoing violence in refugee settings and humanitarian emergencies is limited [ 20 ]. In this study we aim to conduct a cluster randomized controlled feasibility trial to evaluate the relevance, acceptability, and feasibility of the Nguvu intervention and effectiveness evaluation procedures in a complex refugee setting.…”