Caring for Male and LGBTI Sexual Violence Survivors: Learning From

Syrians in displacement 41 FMR 57 February 2018 www.fmreview.org/syria2018 Ethics of motivation: There are also ethical However, our study also sheds light tensions between humanitarian and profit on the limitations of the private sector motivations. While some private actors in understanding and working within express humanitarian aims, for others rapidly evolving humanitarian contexts. creating markets, increasing visibility The global education community needs to and developing brand loyalty are central ask how to harness the expertise and funds motivations. of the private sector in a coordinated and ethical way that is mindful of the state’s We found that, despite serious concerns responsibility to be the primary provider about their motivations, businesses and and regulator of quality education. foundations have a potentially important Zeena Zakharia [email protected] role to play in supporting the education of Syrian refugees. Given the scale of the impact Francine Menashy [email protected] of the Syrian crisis, it would seem that a Assistant Professors, University of Massachusetts reliance solely on traditional public sector Boston www.umb.edu engagement in education is both limiting and 1. Research undertaken 2016-17, funded by Education unrealistic. Furthermore, several corporate International. See Menashy F and Zakharia Z (2017) Investing in the actors – both businesses and philanthropic crisis: Private participation in the education of Syrian refugees http://bit.ly/Menashy-Zakharia-2017 foundations – have made significant strides 2. UNHCR (2016) 3RP Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2017- in meeting educational needs, including 2018 in response to the Syria crisis: Regional strategic overview by providing financial support to local and http://reporting.unhcr.org/node/16434 international NGOs working in this field. Caring for male and LGBTI sexual violence survivors: learning from local organisations Sarah Chynoweth Local organisations responding to the Syrian humanitarian crisis are at the forefront of providing care for both male and LGBTI survivors of sexual violence. Awareness of the vulnerabilities of boys violence (GBV) services as ‘gender-neutral’ and men and of lesbian, gay, bisexual, is ineffective and may be harmful. transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals to sexual violence has increased among Learning from local organisations humanitarian actors responding to the A number of local and community-based Syrian humanitarian crisis. Sensitised, organisations across Iraq, Jordan and targeted services, however, remain scarce. Lebanon are spearheading the provision While services for boy survivors do exist, of critical services for these two groups of international humanitarian personnel often survivors. They are often local women’s, say that they do not know how to assist LGBTI or human rights organisations either adult male or LGBTI persons who have that have been confronted by the needs of suffered sexual violence. These concerns ‘untraditional’ survivors (those not usually are understandable, given the potential identified) and have then adapted their for harm in poorly designed interventions programming. In the Kurdistan Region of and that evidence-based guidance on Iraq (KRI), for example, Rasan Organization, how to develop effective interventions for a local women’s rights organisation, began these populations is limited. Replicating engaging with men around issues of gender models designed for women and girls equality. LGBTI Syrians who had suffered or simply rebranding gender-based sexual violence started coming forward 42 Syrians in displacement FMR 57 www.fmreview.org/syria2018 February 2018 to seek services, and the organisation and a referral system is necessary for expanded and tailored its programming to effective responses. In Beirut, local include them. Another group in KRI, the agencies have established a small Women’s Rehabilitation Organization, which yet impressive network of trained provides GBV services to women and girls, providers offering case management began encountering a number of men and and support services to both male and boys who had suffered sexual violence in LGBTI survivors, including refugees. Syria and in refugee camps, and so adapted Agencies involved include MOSAIC, and extended its programming to them. an LGBTI organisation, which developed Key to the success of these organisations guidance on the provision of clinical in meeting the needs of both male and LGBTI management of rape for male survivors and survivors is their close collaboration with trained more than 30 local doctors to be able affected communities and their decision to to provide this. Marsa Sexual Health Center provide targeted, complementary services. has skilled health providers and therapists They recognised that both male and LGBTI supporting straight and LGBTI adolescent survivors require specialised and differentiated boys and girls and adult men and women care, and that people from both groups can feel survivors. The Makhzoumi Foundation uncomfortable accessing care through female- provides sensitised clinical management of oriented service points. The organisations also rape and financial assistance to both male identified areas of overlap with traditional and LGBTI survivors. And Centre Nassim GBV interventions, such as community for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture awareness raising around sexual violence, and the Restart Center for the Rehabilitation into which addressing male and LGBTI of Victims of Violence and Torture provide survivors could be appropriately integrated. mental health services for male survivors They worked to tackle the many barriers to of sexual torture. However, the network is accessing care that male and LGBTI survivors small and these agencies do not have the share, such as negative attitudes from care ability to meet the needs of all male and providers, destructive socio-cultural norms LGBTI refugee survivors who require care. and lack of awareness of available services. As with other areas that were once For example, the Institute for Family deemed too challenging or too specialised Health in Jordan only discovered that a and which are now core components of number of men in Za’atari refugee camp humanitarian response (such as child had experienced sexual violence in Syria protection and GBV), sexual violence against when women began coming forward to both male and LGBTI persons can also ask for services for their husbands. Their be addressed in crisis response – without response was to: ensure providers were compromising targeted services for women trained in the clinical management of male and girls. International humanitarian actors rape survivors; integrate awareness raising can learn from, support and build on the on sexual violence services for men and work of existing local organisations in boys into their mobile medical team; engage order to provide accessible, good-quality community and religious leaders to raise care for all survivors of sexual violence. awareness about sexual violence, including Sarah Chynoweth [email protected] against males; establish men-only support Sexual Violence Project Director/Consultant,1 activities, facilitated by male counsellors; Women’s Refugee Commission and conduct outreach to refugee men and www.womensrefugeecommission.org boys to engage them in group activities. 1. This article draws on the 2017 report “We Keep It in Our Heart”: Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys in the Syria Crisis, Forming networks for more effective commissioned by UNHCR and written by the author. response www.refworld.org/docid/5a128e814 No single organisation can meet all the needs of either male or LGBTI survivors, .

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