"They taught us not only our rights as women, but also how to live." Gender-based violence and empowerment experiences of Syrian women in Turkey and the role of women and girls safe spaces: A qualitative study


ALBAYRAK H., CANKURTARAN Ö., Bahar-Ozvaris S., Erdost T.

HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL, vol.43, pp.946-963, 2022 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 43
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/07399332.2021.1975120
  • Journal Name: HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, Gender Studies Database, MEDLINE, PAIS International, Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.946-963
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a women rights violation, particularly during humanitarian crises. Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) were opened within a project, where refugee women work and receive gender-sensitive services. The researchers aim to reveal the GBV exposure and empowerment experiences of Syrian refugee women in Ankara and WGSS' role. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 health mediators working at WGSS. The findings obtained through thematic analysis revealed four main themes: changing forms of GBV during migration, learning women's rights as a means of resistance to GBV, experiences of women's working lives and empowerment, and changing gender roles.