Continuum of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Risks among Syrian Refugee Women and Girls in Lebanon

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p><jats:bold>Background:</jats:bold> A myriad of factors including socio-economic hardships impact refugees, with females being additionally exposed to various forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The aim of this qualitative analysis was to understand and to provide new insight into the experiences of SGBV among Syrian refugee women and girls in Lebanon. <jats:bold>Methods:</jats:bold> The data are gained from a larger mixed-methods study, investigating the experiences of Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon, using an iPad and the data collection tool, SenseMaker®. The SenseMaker survey intentionally did not ask direct questions about experiences of SGBV but instead enabled stories about SGBV to become apparent from a wide range of experiences in the daily lives of Syrian girls. For this analysis, all first-person stories by female respondents about experiences of SGBV were included in a thematic analysis as well as a random selection of male respondents who provided stories about the experiences of Syrian girls in Lebanon. <jats:bold>Results:</jats:bold> In total, 70 of the 327 first person stories from female respondents and 42 of the 159 stories shared by male respondents included dialogue on SGBV. While experiences of sexual harassment were mainly reported by women and girls, male respondents were much more likely to talk explicitly about sexual exploitation. Due to different forms of SGBV risks in public, unmarried girls were at high risk of child marriage, whereas married girls more often experienced some form of IPV and/or DV. In abusive relationships, some girls and women continued to face violence as they sought divorces and attempted to flee unhealthy situations. <jats:bold>Conclusions:</jats:bold> This study contributes to existing literature by examining SGBV risks and experiences for refugees integrated into their host community, and also by incorporating the perceptions of men. Our findings shed light on the importance of recognizing the impact of SGBV on the family as a whole, in addition to each of the individual members and supports considering the cycle of SGBV not only across the woman’s lifespan but also across generations. Gendered differences in how SGBV was discussed may have implications for the design of future research focused on SGBV.</jats:p>

Voices of the vulnerable: Exploring the livelihood strategies, coping mechanisms and their impact on food insecurity, health and access to health care among Syrian refugees in the Beqaa region of Lebanon

“…In addition, early marriage was reported by Syrian refugees and key informants as a mechanism to alleviate the economic hardships of their families; however, only a few key informants reported that refugees resorted to sex work and begging in certain dire situations. Early marriage has been previously argued as a culturally acceptable practice among Syrians even prior to the war, a phenomenon that was further adopted by Syrian families post-displacement to overcome economic and security challenges and to give adolescent girls an improved and more secure life [54][55][56]. According to Bartels et al (2018), in many instances, Syrian refugee girls were ready to accept the proposals from well-settled men to secure more protection and escape the hardship conditions of their families [57].…”

Achieving Long Term Goals on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Protection in Lebanon

“…Syrian women in Lebanon face a continuum of SGBV risks, including public SGBV risks such as harassment and assault, and private SGBV risks such as child marriage, intimate partner violence, and domestic violence by their husbands' relatives (Roupetz et al 2020). The GBVIMS data highlights the most commonly reported forms of violence against Syrian refugees as being physical assault, domestic and sexual violence, denial of resources, and both child and forced marriage (Kevorkian 2016).…”

“…The GBVIMS data highlights the most commonly reported forms of violence against Syrian refugees as being physical assault, domestic and sexual violence, denial of resources, and both child and forced marriage (Kevorkian 2016). Physical violence perpetrated by husbands was the most commonly reported form of intimate partner violence (IPV) among Syrian refugees (Roupetz et al 2020). IPV is thought to be exacerbated among displaced Syrian families due to the frustration men experience when their lives are disrupted, and traditional gender roles are challenged (El-Masri, Harvey and Garwood 2013).…”

“We are Forgotten”: Forced Migration, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, and Coronavirus Disease-2019

“…Galtung (1969) introduced the term “structural violence” to highlight the structures of inequality that comprise forms of violence, arguing that these can also lead to personal violence. For forced migrant women, such forms of violence can exist side by side as part of what has been described as a continuum of gender-based violence (Roupetz et al, 2020). Structural violence refers to harms that are preventable and where no one actor (person) commits the violence, but rather the harms emerge from inequality built into structures.…”