As the number of people forcibly displaced grows, the problems specific to these groups grow, and the ones suffering the most are usually women and kids. Besides the tension of being in a new country, the economy, and other problems that come with being a refugee, they also have to deal with several other problems.
Let’s look at some of the struggles of Somali refugee women.
Sexual Violence
Statistics show that refugee women deal with more violence and marginalization based on their gender. About 20% of refugee women experience sexual and gender-based violence while fleeing from conflict.
Many refugees also have to live in camps and shelters due to poverty, where women and girls face the risks of kidnapping, trafficking, and even forced marriage. In some other circumstances, they may be stuck with their abusers due to dependency and cannot escape.
Lack of Employment Opportunities
While refugee men eventually manage to find work for themselves, refugee women are considered unskilled and untalented, despite this being untrue. In fact, refugee women could contribute up to $1.4 trillion to the global GDP if given a chance.
Many refugee women are highly skilled in a vocational context, while others may have an education that is undermined due to discrimination. The wage gap in society as a whole also contributes to this problem because having fewer earnings means that women can’t fend for themselves.
Women & Children Make Up Large Numbers
Of the millions of people displaced and sent to other countries as refugees, a fairly large majority are women and children. As circumstances get worse, the men in the family tend to stay behind to try and keep their land and property from being wrongfully dissolved while the women and children flee for safety.
As such, many refugees are women and children, being forced into camps with scarce resources and high poverty levels. As a result, these women and children end up suffering more. They may work hard to provide for themselves, especially mothers with young children – and make very little money due to their living conditions.
Sudden Change in Roles
Many refugee women have to become the head of the family while still maintaining the homemaker role when their husbands get separated from them or pass away. Many refugee women face the problem of having to earn and provide for their families while also taking care of the household.
They are already dealing with the psychological and emotional stress of losing their husbands while working to earn for their families and taking care of their children. Later, the struggles shift to the daughters in the family. They eventually take over the homemaker role while mothers work to put money on the table.
While all refugees are struggling, men, women, and children alike, it is clear that refugee women have a whole other set of problems that are specific to them. The specific circumstances that bring these problems make it much harder for them than for others.
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