Displacement

I was born a refugee during a chemical-gas attack in Kurdistan. Thanks to my mother. I was also born a feminist. After spending the first 15 years of my life in camps and asylum centres, I am now dedicating my life to working with and empowering other refugee women and girls. I am speaking today in my capacity as founder and Director of Women’s Refugee Route and on behalf of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. I am speaking here in complete safety. Yet many displaced women and girls do not have that luxury, especially since one in five of them have been raped or experienced other forms of sexual violence.

I founded my organization when I realized that international humanitarian responses to refugee populations were largely gender-blind. For example, a woman I worked with at a refugee processing centre wanted to report her violent husband. I went with her to help translate for her, but the shelter insisted that she speak using their interpreter, who was a man. She did not feel comfortable doing that and cancelled the meeting. In every refugee setting I have worked in, there is a huge lack of trained women interpreters, volunteers and specialized service providers for dealing with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and a lack of understanding of the ways in which services must be adapted if they are to be gender-sensitive.

The fear of stigmatization and of breaches of confidentiality also compound access issues. I met a 17-year-old woman who had fled the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham and been raped by soldiers at a border crossing. She left her family so that she would not have to tell them what had happened, and continued on her own. She was too scared and ashamed to report the rape and so received no medical assistance until she reached her final destination in Northern Europe, where she gave birth. That is despite the fact that international humanitarian law says that donor aid must be delivered in a non-discriminatory manner that includes access to sexual and reproductive health care such as abortion. In Greece, I urged a 16-year-old unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan who had been gang-raped to report it and thereby get access to services. She refused, asking me what the point of reporting it was if the system would not protect her.

It is also very urgent that we address the protection needs of groups that are at risk. I recently met a refugee woman in a wheelchair who had to struggle even to maintain basic hygiene. She could not lock the shower once her wheelchair was in it, and she was too scared to take a shower when the door was open. The tools and guidelines to protect displaced women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence already exist. We need the political will to consistently implement them.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex refugees, because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics, face an increased risk of discrimination and violence compared to the larger refugee population. Many flee persecution, but subsequently do not disclose their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status to service providers out of fear of becoming the victim of more violence. Moreover, notions of masculinity prevent abused and at-risk men from admitting their vulnerabilities to sexual violence and from seeking support. My colleagues who work with refugee men also talk of the challenges encountered in getting those who were raped to report it. They say they need to “remain men”.

Time and time again, I see humanitarian agencies working to implement standardized programmes instead of adapting responses to the survivor’s concerns and needs. Yet, not all refugee camps and protection programmes are the same. Those where refugee women have been consulted in designing and implementing protection strategies are much safer. Refugee women are resilient. They have survived the unimaginable. When empowered to advocate for themselves and to be part of the decision-making on providing a safe environment and work opportunities, refugee women become the bedrock of peaceful and sustainable communities. Investing in women and women’s organizations that support empowerment is critical.