Displacement-related factors influencing marital practices and associated intimate partner violence risk among Somali refugees in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Child and forced marriage have negative health consequences including increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) for women and girls. War and humanitarian crises may impact decision-making around marriage and risks of IPV for displaced populations. A qualitative study was conducted among Somali refugees in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia to understand the interplay of factors that contribute to IPV and to inform an intervention. This secondary analysis aims to explore the influence of displacement on marital practices and associated IPV risk. Methods: Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in 2016 in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia, among Somali women and men living in Bokolmayo refugee camp, host community members, non-governmental staff and service providers, stakeholders, and community and religious leaders (N = 110). Data were transcribed, translated to English, and coded and analyzed thematically using Dedoose software and a codebook developed a priori. Results: Findings reveal numerous displacement-related factors that led to perceived shifts in marital practices among refugees, including reductions in child and forced marriages. NGO awareness-raising programs and Ethiopian laws prohibiting child marriage as well as increased access to education for girls were reported to have contributed to these changes, despite continued economic hardship and high perceived risk of non-partner sexual violence within the camp and host community. Polygamy was also perceived to have decreased, primarily due to worsening economic conditions. Forced marriage, polygamy and dowry were reported to contribute to physical IPV, and sexual IPV was reported as common in all types of marital unions. However, there was no evidence that changes in these marital practices contributed to any perceived declines in IPV within this context.

Structural and Symbolic Violence Exacerbates the Risks and Consequences of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence for Forced Migrant Women

“…In some cases, early and forced marriage can be seen as a coping and survival strategy for families facing financial hardship due to conflict (Sharma et al, 2020). Conflict can result in increased barriers to education, separation of families, and increased poverty which leads to changes in relationships and marital practices including early marriages (Schlecht et al, 2013).…”

“…Early marriage can be also perceived to be a means of keeping daughters safe and protecting them from poverty and sexual violence in countries of refuge (Abraham and Tastsoglou, 2016). In some cases, early marriage can also be adopted as a weapon of war (Sharma et al, 2020). Armed groups may force girls to marry combatants, and abduct girls for this purpose (Human Rights Watch, 2012).…”

Child marriage among Somali refugees in Ethiopia: a cross sectional survey of adolescent girls and adult women

“…Indeed, a recent study in Dolo Odo by Sharma et al found evidence for perceived changes in child marriage which were attributed to "NGO awareness-raising programs and Ethiopian laws prohibiting child marriage as well as increased access to education for girls." [38] Nonetheless, the low rates can in part be due to underestimation of child marriage prevalence among 15-19-year-old girls due to right censoring as well as potential underreporting stemming from social desirability bias. That the practice was still less frequently reported among 18-and 19-year-old women who completed time at risk of child marriage compared to older women suggests that right censoring is not entirely the reason behind the low rates.…”

Displacement and Emotional Well-Being among Married and Unmarried Syrian Adolescent Girls in Lebanon: An Analysis of Narratives

“…In the Lebanese context, poor socio-economic conditions and fear for girl's safety has led some families to marry their daughters off at a younger age [15]. Those girls marrying young, and particularly those with older spouses, can be at increased risk of intimate partner violence [26][27][28]. Restrictions to education and a lack of safety make them dependent on men, resulting in a lack of agency and the continued presence of patriarchal pressures associated with child marriage [7,15].…”