Barriers and facilitators to care-seeking among survivors of gender-based violence in the Dadaab refugee complex

Muuo, S, Muthuri, SK, Mutua, MK, McAlpine, A, Bacchus, LJ, Ogego, H, Bangha, M, Hossain, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1878-8145 and Izugbara, C, 2020. Barriers and facilitators to care-seeking among survivors of gender-based violence in the Dadaab refugee complex. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 28 (1): 1722404. ISSN 2641-0397

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Abstract

In humanitarian settings, timely access to care is essential for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). Despite the existence of GBV support services, challenges still exist in maximising benefits for survivors. This study aimed to understand the characteristics of violence against women and explore barriers and facilitators to care-seeking for GBV by women in two camps within the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. A mixed-methods design was used to study women accessing comprehensive GBV services between February 2016 and February 2017. Women were recruited into a cohort study (n = 209) and some purposively selected for qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 34). Survivor characteristics were descriptively analysed from baseline measures, and interview data thematically assessed. A majority of women were Muslim, of Somali origin, had been residents in the camp for more than five years, with little or no formal education, and meagre or no monthly income. From the survey, 60.3% and 66.7% of women had experienced non-partner violence or intimate partner violence in their lifetime respectively. Facilitators to accessing GBV services by survivors included awareness of GBV services and self-perceived high severity of acts of violence. Barriers included stigma by family and the community, fear of further violence from perpetrators, feelings of helplessness and insecurity, and being denied entry to service provision premises by guards. Women in the Dadaab refugee camps face violence from intimate partners, family, and other refugees. There is an urgent need to address drivers of GBV and the barriers to disclosure and access to services for all survivors of GBV.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters
Creators:	Muuo, S., Muthuri, S.K., Mutua, M.K., McAlpine, A., Bacchus, L.J., Ogego, H., Bangha, M., Hossain, M. and Izugbara, C.
Publisher:	Informa UK Limited
Date:	20 February 2020
Volume:	28
Number:	1
ISSN:	2641-0397
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/26410397.2020.1722404 DOI 1622527 Other
Rights:	© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	28 Nov 2022 11:30
Last Modified:	28 Nov 2022 11:30
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/47522

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