Refugee Women: The Invisible Victims of Conflict (the case of women refugees in Tunisia) By Sarra Rahoui, PhD student at the faculty of law and political sciences, University of Szeged.
After the eruption of armed conflicts in Libya, Tunisia witnessed a new era of humanitarian crisis where thousands of refugees and immigrants, both Libyan and Sub-Saharan Africans, found refuge in the country. Currently, over 9,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in Tunisia, primarily from the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Horn of Africa. Most arrive in Tunisia by land or air from neighbouring countries, with some arriving by sea or land from Libya and Algeria.Yet, the situation of female refugees seems to be one of the most critical in refugee shelters. This goes back to the terror they were forced to endure during their journey to the Tunisian territories. From being taken hostage, imprisoned underground for months, and sexually abused by members of armed groups, to being beaten, exploited, or shot at by people smugglers or criminal gangs, female refugees kept facing a deadly destiny. The UNHCR has spent efforts in the last two decades focusing on identifying ways to address the issue of violence against women refugees, mainly with the 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, that acknowledges refugee women’s right to the best physical health possible, as well as the equal enjoyment and protection of all human rights such as the right to life, equality and liberty and security of person. Nevertheless, the situation of women refugees keeps deteriorating.
Refugees women’ health challenges:
In the southern part of Tunisia, some of the most vulnerable forced migrants are able to use international migrant or refugee shelters for only a short period with monthly vouchers, but the majority are required to find private accommodation quickly without assistance, which puts a huge pressure on refugees to manage to find shelters, jeopardizing their safety and protection. Women, on the other hand, are even more threatened as they are lacking both privacy and access to clean water and sanitation facilities, especially during their menstruation periods. Despite the UNHCR’s commitment to provide sanitary materials, a lack of sanitary materials remains an important issue for the vast majority of refugee women and girls. This is typically due to a lack of funds. Some sites have no sanitary materials at all, while others have insufficient quantities and quality. Farah Abir M, a clinical psychologist working with refugees in Tunisia, confirmed the lack of funding from the UNHCR, which increases the threat to women’s well-being and health. Accessing the health facilities in Tunisia can be challenging for most refugees and asylum seekers due to the delayed appointments, language barrier and discrimination, leaving most of them untreated. Pregnant women, moreover, face additional barriers in accessing prenatal care and support due to the limited access to healthcare, poor living conditions and malnutrition, which lead eventually to the deterioration of their health condition and sometimes to their miscarriage.
Violence issues and psychological support:
Gender-based violence (GBV), which includes sexual violence, domestic violence, and other forms of abuse, is another widespread issue in refugee camps around the world. Women and girls are especially vulnerable to GBV in these settings because they may lack community protection and support, face increased risks of abuse and neglect, and have little access to justice or medical services. The violence against women is frequently connected to underlying social norms and inequalities that perpetuate violence against women and girls in refugee camps and shelters. This becomes more obvious when men become unable to fulfil one of their “masculine responsibilities,” such as protecting their family, causing increased frustration among some of them, while the majority engage in destructive behavior, such as SGBV (sexual and gender-based violence), as a coping mechanism because they are experiencing a real gender identity crisis, specifically emasculation. Furthermore, the difficult living conditions and scarcity of resources provided for refugee camps can exacerbate these risks.
Humanitarian organizations frequently provide protection services, such as safe spaces for women and girls and psychosocial support to address GBV. In Tunisia, several humanitarian organizations worked along with the UNHCR to provide psychological assistance for refugees and asylum seekers. Most of this assistance included therapy groups, psychological consultations and workshops, especially for women and girls that suffered from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), rape, abuse and discrimination. Opening up to the psychologists, however, is not an easy process due to the stigma and shame behind the traumatic events such as war, violence, and persecution, which makes it hard to trust mental health professionals. Similarly, certain refugees including women find the concept of seeking mental health assistance an unfamiliar concept of therapy or even a luxury that they do not prioritize in their critical situation.
In conclusion, women refugees, in particular, face a range of challenges and vulnerabilities in refugee camps that can affect their health and wellbeing. On the other hand, the society does not fully understand the concept of refugees or asylum seekers, which can contribute to negative attitudes and lead to discrimination, exclusion, and marginalization. Women, unfortunately, remain the invisible victims of these conflicts bearing both the effects of the war trauma and the gender-based discrimination. Overall, more attention and resources are needed to address the complex and multifaceted challenges faced by women refugees, especially that the lack of funding remain the most important issue against their health, wellbeing, and resilience.