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Cited by 46Intimate Partner and Family ViolenceGender, Security, and ConflictMigration and Exile Studies

Altered social trajectories and risks of violence among young Syrian women seeking refuge in Turkey: a qualitative study

Open access
Wringe, Alison, Yankah, Ekua, Parks, Tania, Mohamed, Omar, Saleh, Mohamad, Speed, Olivia, Hémono, Rebecca, Relyea, Bridget +3 more·2019·BMC Women's Health
DOI 10.1186/s12905-019-0710-9PMC PMC6329126
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence regarding the ways in which displacement disrupts social norms, expectations and trajectories for adolescent girls and young women and the resulting impacts on their risks of violence. This knowledge gap is especially marked with regards to Syrian adolescent girls and young women seeking refuge in Turkey. We explored risks of gender-based violence against Syrian adolescent girls and young women in Turkey and examined how these risks were shaped by their displacement. METHODS: Data were collected in August 2016 in Izmir, Turkey through five sex-specific focus group discussions with Syrian adolescents and young people (aged 15-25 years) and two mixed gender focus group discussions with Syrian adults (18 years and older). Group discussions covered the issues facing Syrian adolescents and young women in Turkey, and how these were influenced by their displacement. Discussions in Arabic were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Data were coded inductively, and analysed thematically. RESULTS: Syrian adolescent girls and young women expressed an increased sense of vulnerability to violence since their displacement. Due to financial strains and limited educational opportunities, they were often encouraged by parents to work or marry, both of which they perceived to increase the risks of violence. In contrast, some adults suggested that marriage could protect adolescent girls and young women from risks of violence associated with working. Being alone outside the home was viewed as risky by all participants due to pervasive sexual, verbal and physical harassment, aggression, and even kidnapping attempts. To limit these risks, many parents reported keeping adolescent girls and young women at home, or ensuring that they were accompanied by male relatives when in public. CONCLUSIONS: Syrian adolescent girls and young women face multiple risks of violence following displacement related to altered social trajectories. Some family-based strategies to protect young women from violence could reinforce restrictive gender norms and increase risks of violence. Interventions to address violence should include providing safe spaces, access to education and safe transport for young women, and financial support for families as well as community-based interventions to address the daily risks of sexual harassment in public spaces.

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  • Cultural beliefs around the acceptability and normalization of violence in the home and workplace were also mentioned.

    “Cultural beliefs around the acceptability and normalization of violence in the home and workplace were also mentioned (Ager at al., 2018;Wringe et al., 2019;Sommer et al., 2018;Horn, 2010;Wachter et al., 2018).”

    From Sexual and gender-based violence against South Sudanese refugees in Uganda: a mixed-methods study (2025) · cites this paper as Wringe et al., 2019

    The Results section describes parental violence at home as the “usual” sort of violence and says intimate partner violence was more likely to be condoned in the context of displacement. It also reports risks of abuse at work, but does not say that cultural beliefs made workplace violence acceptable or normalized. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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Authors
Wringe, A., Yankah, E., Parks, T., Mohamed, O., Saleh, M., Speed, O., Hémono, R., Relyea, B., Ibrahim, M., Sandhu, J. S., & Scott, J.
Affiliations
  • London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
  • Health Alliance International (US)
  • Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (FR)
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Wringe, Alison
ORCID
Venue
BMC Women's Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-01-10
Volume
19
Issue
1
Pages
9-9
ISSN
1472-6874 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12905-019-0710-9
PMC
PMC6329126
OpenAlex
W2923140300
Cited by
44
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1
FWCI
6.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Women s Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
  • UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance (21379)
  • World Bank Group
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Security, and Conflict
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration and Exile Studies
Keywords
Syrian refugee women, adolescent girls, gender-based violence, displacement, sexual harassment, violence risk, early marriage, child labor, social vulnerability
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Attitude to Health, Female, Humans, Male, Refugees, Sexual Behavior, Syria, Turkey, Women's Health, Focus Groups, Crime Victims, Qualitative Research, Young Adult

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