Support Programs for Women Survivors of Sexualized Gender-Based Violence From African Conflict Zones: A Contextual Review

Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) against women is broadly defined as any act of violence directed at women because they are women. It refers to "any act that results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life" (United Nations, 1993). Sexualized GBV occurs when both symbolic gestures and concrete acts of violence are deployed to humiliate or degrade its targets, which may be of any gender (Burnet, 2014; Ola, 2013; Russo & Pirlott, 2006). The impact of GBV cannot be overstated, particularly, in the case of survivors with severe sexual trauma. However, it is equally important to ensure that the intervention put in place meet their intended goals. The dearth of literature on African refugees and immigrants to Western industrialized countries, particularly, their more recent destinations such as Canada, is a major impediment to developing culturally effective responses to the needs of female survivors of sexualized violence. Newcomers to Canada from sub-Saharan Africa constitute one of Canada's fastest growing populations. Yet, not much is documented about their experiences of transition and integration into their new homeland. To contextualize this review of existing knowledge, we also drew from our recent systematic review of literature on this population (Okeke-Ihejirika, Salami, & Karimi, 2016) as well as our exploratory study on African women survivors from the conflict (Yohani & Okeke-Ihejirika, 2018). The qualitative accounts of female survivors, in particular, cast a new light on conventional understandings of survivors' responses in postmigration contexts, raising fundamental questions about voice, power, and responsibility in understanding the relationship between women survivors and Western-based support programs. This contextual review is in many respects informed by our qualitative case study of six employees of immigrant serving agencies in Edmonton, Canada who work with women survivors of sexual violence from African conflict zones (Yohani & Okeke-Ihejirika, 2018). Our analysis 784342S GOXXX10.

Coping Strategies Used by Female Victims of the Colombian Armed Conflict: The Women in the Colombian Conflict (MUCOCO) Program

“…There can be no doubt that the Colombian conflict, which has persisted for decades and has become an intrinsic part of the country's everyday life, has far-reaching effects on those directly exposed to it, particularly polyvictimized women (Okeke-Ihejirika et al, 2018). There are two approaches that help us gain greater insight into the aftereffects of violence on mental health.…”

“…When faced with situations of intense violence, such as those that arise during war or post-conflict periods, female victims generally tend to use suppression or coping strategies based on avoidance and/or silence. As Wilches (2010) and Okeke-Ihejirika et al (2018) point out, it is a silence stemming from the guilt and shame they feel, which in turn are generated by cultural prejudices and social rejection, which cause social bonds to be broken and women to remain silent rather than denouncing the violence they have suffered. However, over time, this silence can lead to selfdestructive behaviors, suicide attempts, nightmares, isolation, depression, sexual problems, low self-esteem, and, on occasions, more serious manifestations of mental disorder.…”