Analysis of the support systems for sub-saharan migrants who are at risk or victims of sexual and gender based violence

Abstract

Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) is a human rights violation that affects the lives of millions of people. SGBV not only has devastating impacts on the survivors, but also on their families in communities and on societies as whole. There is a lack of available data that shows the magnitude of these human rights violations in refugee contexts, but studies show that due to the breakdown of community structures, chaos and uncertainty refugees, especially women and children, are at heightened risks to become victims of SGBV before, during and also after forced displacement. N my thesis will highlight the types of SGBV faced by women, while trying to reach safety. I also briefly describe the risks they face during the different refugee cycles and the types of support they need, the obstacles they encounter to rebuild their life, often under serious threats after arriving to their final destination. I will describe that despite of the existence of a number of internationally agreed norms and standards related to ending violence against women and the recognition of psychosocial and mental health impacts of SGBV there are still considerable gaps in addressing these issues in a coordinated and effective way. The objective of my thesis is the analysis of support systems for SGBV survivors, and the limited information available on SGBV specific services and their long term impacts on the recovery of survivors and their communities. I will also present three different SGBV intervention models which can be adjusted and implemented in several different settings.