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Safety, trust, and disclosure: A qualitative examination of violence against refugee adolescents in Kiziba Camp, Rwanda

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  • Bermudez, Laura Gauer
  • Parks, Lauren
  • Meyer, Sarah R.
  • Muhorakeye, Liberata
  • Stark, Lindsay

Abstract

Refugee adolescents face increased vulnerability to child protection risks including abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the nature of violence against adolescents in Kiziba Camp, Rwanda, using an ecological framework to analyze the factors that influence protection risks and abuse disclosure across multiple system levels. In order to understand these issues more comprehensively, a transgenerational inquiry sought perceptions from both adolescents and their caregivers. In April 2016, as part of a larger, comprehensive study on adolescent protection, 19 focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 70 adolescents and 68 caregivers from the Democratic Republic of Congo. A qualitative content analysis identified three salient themes. First, structural protection risks exist for adolescents in Kiziba Camp, with economic insecurity and resource constraints resulting in specific risks such as overcrowded housing and adolescents traveling for firewood collection. Second, intergenerational conflict between caregivers and adolescents was perceived to negatively influence abuse disclosure. Lastly, protection mechanisms and reporting pathways were underutilized as caregivers and adolescents expressed concern over the shame, embarrassment, and social rejection that characterized formal disclosure in Kiziba, often rooted in restrictive and inequitable gender norms. These findings suggest that efforts at child protection should be multi-faceted and address structural aspects of risk; household levels of communication and trust; and societal norms that deter abuse reporting. The study also underscores the need for further research on risk and protective factors in camp settings to better tailor interventions aiming to reduce violence against children.

Suggested Citation

  • Bermudez, Laura Gauer & Parks, Lauren & Meyer, Sarah R. & Muhorakeye, Liberata & Stark, Lindsay, 2018. "Safety, trust, and disclosure: A qualitative examination of violence against refugee adolescents in Kiziba Camp, Rwanda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 83-91.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:200:y:2018:i:c:p:83-91
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.01.018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Horn, Rebecca, 2010. "Responses to intimate partner violence in Kakuma refugee camp: Refugee interactions with agency systems," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 160-168, January.
    2. Stark, Lindsay & Landis, Debbie, 2016. "Violence against children in humanitarian settings: A literature review of population-based approaches," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 125-137.
    3. Stark, Lindsay & DeCormier Plosky, Willyanne & Horn, Rebecca & Canavera, Mark, 2015. "‘He always thinks he is nothing’: The psychosocial impact of discrimination on adolescent refugees in urban Uganda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 173-181.
    4. Miller, Kenneth E. & Rasmussen, Andrew, 2010. "War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: Bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 7-16, January.
    5. Dinuk Jayasuriya & John Gibson, 2013. "Elephants, Tigers and Safety in Post-Conflict Sri Lanka," Development Policy Centre Discussion Papers 1228, Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
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    1. Stacey A. Shaw & Graeme Rodgers & Patrick Poulin & Olive Minor & Ashley Allen, 2021. "Safety Among Newly Resettled Refugees in the USA," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1045-1062, September.
    2. Erin K. Fletcher & Seth R. Gitter & Savannah Wilhelm, 2022. "Generational Norms of Reporting Violence in Nyarugusu Refugees Camp," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(3), pages 1419-1440, June.

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