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

Philomina Okeke-Ihejirika,Sophie Yohani,Claire Mcmenemy

doi:10.1177/2158244018784342

Philomina Okeke-Ihejirika, Sophie Yohani + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018784342

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Journal: SAGE Open	Publication Date: Apr 1, 2018
Citations: 2	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: University of Alberta, University of Calgary

Abstract

The increasing attention paid to sexualized gender-based violence (GBV) against women in African conflict zones by the international community is a welcome development to many stakeholders, includi...

Highlights

Gender-based violence (GBV) against women is broadly defined as any act of violence directed at women because they are women
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 ends with a critical look at the culture of silence among survivors, a major concern shared by service providers (Yohani, 2014), and concludes with a reiteration of the major thesis of our findings—the need for interventions to go beyond the western boundaries of convention and consider the histories, cultural understandings, and contextual realities that shape women’s experiences of sexualized gender-based violence in African conflict zones

Summary

Introduction

Gender-based violence (GBV) against women is broadly defined as any act of violence directed at women because they are women. Our analysis ends with a critical look at the culture of silence among survivors, a major concern shared by service providers (Yohani, 2014), and concludes with a reiteration of the major thesis of our findings—the need for interventions to go beyond the western boundaries of convention and consider the histories, cultural understandings, and contextual realities that shape women’s experiences of sexualized gender-based violence in African conflict zones.

Results

Conclusion