Overview
Forced migrants often experience modern slavery and trafficking across migration pathways. With high levels of structural and interpersonal violence, many are trapped in exploitative relationships.
The advent of the COVID-19 crisis has the potential to compound the effects of the ongoing refugee-crisis for the most vulnerable social groups. Forced migrant survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are one of such vulnerable groups, with many trapped in violent relationships, living precarious lives and experiencing severe distress.
Given the existing vulnerabilities and inequalities, forced migrant survivors of SGBV are likely to be disproportionally affected by the pandemic. Conversations with research partners and anecdotal information show that the forced migrant survivors experience an array of adverse and compounding effects on their everyday life as a result of self-isolation, social distancing and changes in services delivery. Systematically documenting and capturing the intersectional COVID-19 impacts on forced migrants and service delivery is essential in order to provide robust evidence to advocate for urgent changes in policy and practice.
The Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) at the University of Birmingham and Refugee Women Connect have teamed up to fill the knowledge gap with an impact study and record the short and long-term consequences of the pandemic on forced migrant SGBV survivors. The COVID-19 impact study involves short telephone interviews with the organisations working with SGBV forced migrant survivors and interviewing forced migrant survivors across five countries (UK, Turkey, Sweden, Australia and Tunisia). This project builds on the existing SEREDA project, which researches forced migrants’ experiences of violence, harassment and abuse across all stages of their journeys.
Project Objectives
This study aims to inform policy and practice about how to ameliorate the multiple effects of COVID-19 on forced migrant sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) survivors and the organisations that support them. The study objectives include:
- To identify the immediate and longer-term effects of COVID-19 on forced migrant survivors, including the impacts of self-isolation or inability to self-isolate;
- To examine the consequences of loss of support, livelihoods and social networks on survivors and COVID-19-related forced migrants’ needs;
- To document physical, psychological and public health risks associated with the effects;
- To explore the impacts of the COVID-19 restrictions experienced by service providers on the nature of support available to forced migrant survivors;
- To identify mechanisms and strategies for mitigating the effects of the virus for forced migrant survivors and the organisations that work with them.
Outputs and Impact
This research project is focussed on practice-oriented outputs in order to support the advocacy and service responses aimed at ameliorating negative effects of COVID-19 on forced migrants as best possible.
Findings will be shared in a short report and policy brief with NGOs, practitioners, policymakers, national and international humanitarian and welfare organisations. Also, research team will hold several individual discussions with service providers.
Policy briefs
- (UK) COVID-19 Policy Briefing Series – Forced migration, sexual and gender-based violence and COVID-19
- International COVID-19 Policy Brief – Forced migration, sexual and gender-based violence and COVID-19
- (Arabic) COVID-19 Policy Briefing Series – Forced migration, sexual and gender-based violence and COVID-19
- (French) COVID-19 Policy Briefing Series – Forced migration, sexual and gender-based violence and COVID-19
Research report
Project Team
Dr Cathy Vaughan
University of Melbourne
Dr Saime Ozcurumez
University of Bilkent
Dr Sandra Pertek
Senior Researcher and Policy Advisor
Dr Selin Akyüz
University of Bilkent
Hoayda Darkal
University of Birmingham, IRiS
Jeanine Hourani
University of Melbourne
Prof. Hannah Bradby
Uppsala University