Determinants of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Against Refugee Women and Girls

Refugee women and girls of all ages face a high prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), which is associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. This paper seeks to identify the determinants for female refugees’ experience of SGBV as well as their ability to seek care after being abused. A search of the available literature located 26 articles which addressed SGBV determinants for refugee women and girls. The review of the literature revealed eight categories of risk for experiencing SGBV: migration and displacement, economic vulnerability, cultural attitudes, marriage, substance abuse, social support, prior history of abuse, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Six categories of determinants were found for female refugees’ access to care services: awareness of services and rights, legal status in the host community, trust in healthcare providers, social barriers, security, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions to prevent SGBV against refugee women and girls should focus on the migration process, cultural attitudes toward gender roles, pre-existing vulnerabilities in the refugee population, and the impact of interventions for other public health issues. Further research is needed to build an evidence base for interventions in these four areas.