VIOLENCE AGAINST REFUGEE WOMEN AND MITIGATION PROGRAMS: HIGHLIGHTING THE PERSPECTIVES OF SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON by Hala Nader Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia August 2018 © Copyright by Hala Nader, 2018 DEDICATION PAGE This thesis is dedicated to my family: my wonderful parents, Nabil and Aline, my always supportive and loving sister, Nicole and my partner in crime, my brother, Michel. مهما كان اﻹنسان فقيراً فإن كانت لديه أسرة فهو غني This work is also dedicated to all the incredible women and men who participated in my research; this accomplishment is yours as much as it is mine. I hope you find peace. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ vii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED .............................................................................. ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM ........................................................................................... 2 1.2 RESEARCH GOAL ........................................................................................................ 2 1.2.1 RESEARCH QUESTION ....................................................................................... 2 1.2.2 IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH ............................................................................ 3 1.3 METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1 DATA COLLECTION .......................................................................................... 4 1.3.2 PROFILE OF ORGANIZATIONS ........................................................................... 8 ABAAD – RESOURCE CENTER FOR GENDER EQUALITY (ABAAD) .................... 8 THE DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL (DRC) .......................................................... 8 KAFA (ENOUGH) VIOLENCE AND EXPLOITATION (KAFA) ............................... 9 1.3.3 ETHICAL ISSUES ............................................................................................... 9 1.4 CHAPTER OUTLINE ................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................... 13 2.1 SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL THEORY .................................................................................. 13 2.2 GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT THEORY ..................................................................... 15 2.3 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 24 iii CHAPTER 3: THE SYRIAN CRISIS IN LEBANON ................................................ 26 3.1 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE SYRIAN CRISIS ............................................................. 26 3.2 REFUGEE CONTEXT WITHIN LEBANON ...................................................................... 28 3.2.1 REFUGEE POLICIES IN LEBANON .................................................................... 29 ENTRANCE POLICIES ................................................................................... 30 NON-ENCAMPMENT POLICIES ..................................................................... 31 3.2.2 EFFECTS OF THE INFLUX IN LEBANON ............................................................ 34 EDUCATION ............................................................................................... 35 HEALTH CARE ............................................................................................. 36 WATER, SANITATION AND ENERGY ............................................................ 37 3.3 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 38 CHAPTER 4: LEBANON, SYRIA AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ........... 39 4.1 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN .................................................................................... 39 4.2 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN LEBANON AND SYRIA ............................................. 45 4.2.1 IN SYRIA ........................................................................................................ 45 4.2.2 IN LEBANON .................................................................................................. 49 4.3 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 54 CHAPTER 5: REFUGEES AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ....................... 55 5.1 VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN REFUGEE SETTINGS ................................................ 55 5.2 VIOLENCE AGAINST SYRIAN REFUGEE WOMEN IN LEBANON ................................... 59 5.2.1 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ..................................................................................... 61 5.2.2 SEXUAL VIOLENCE ......................................................................................... 72 5.2.3 CHILD MARRIAGE .......................................................................................... 77 iv 5.3 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 84 CHAPTER 6: INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS ..................... 86 6.1 GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PROGRAMS IN LEBANON ........................................... 86 6.1.1 DIRECT RESPONSE PROGRAMS ....................................................................... 88 PROTECTION ............................................................................................... 88 MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE ................................................. 92 LEGAL RESPONSE........................................................................................ 94 6.1.2 INDIRECT RESPONSE (AND PREVENTION) PROGRAMS ..................................... 95 COMMUNITY LEVEL .................................................................................... 96 INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL .............................................................................. 103 POLICY LEVEL .......................................................................................... 107 6.2 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 109 CHAPTER 7: SYRIAN REFUGEE PERSPECTIVES ............................................. 110 7.1 CULTURAL NORMS ................................................................................................. 110 7.2 PRIVACY ................................................................................................................. 119 7.3 PRIORITIES .............................................................................................................. 122 7.4 TRUST IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM ................................................................................ 125 7.5 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 127 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION..................................................................................... 129 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 134 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ............................................................... 149 APPENDIX B DEMOGRAPHIC DATA.................................................................... 150 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Factors that Perpetuate Domestic Violence ........................................................ 45 Table 2: Violence Refugees are Exposed to ..................................................................... 56 Table 3: Factors that Contribute to VAW in Refugee Settings ........................................ 56 Table 4: Changes targeting knowledge, behavior, and community attitudes in refugee communities to transform socio-cultural norms in an effort to prevent VAW ................. 97 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Concentration of registered Syrian refugees across Lebanon and areas of Lebanon where interviews with refugees were conducted: a) Bedias, and b) Aramoun .... 5 Figure 2: Map of the Syrian Conflict ................................................................................ 27 Figure 3: Regional map showing countries bordering Lebanon ...................................... 29 Figure 4: Organization partnered with the UNHCR working on SGBV across Lebanon............................................................................................................................. 87 Figure 5: Example of a billboard found across Lebanon advocating for a minimum marriage age of 18 .......................................................................................................... 103 vii ABSTRACT Refugee women and girls are among those most vulnerable to violence. This thesis examines how Syrian refugees view efforts to prevent and address such violence in their host community. Through interviews with both NGO staff and Syrian refugees