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“God Helped Us”: Resilience, Religion and Experiences of Gender-Based Violence and Trafficking among African Forced Migrant Women

Author

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  • Sandra Iman Pertek

    (Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

Abstract

In this article, I explore how faith and religion shaped the resilience of forced migrant women subjected to intersecting gender-based violence (GBV) and trafficking. Adopting a social constructivist perspective, I draw upon interviews with 11 Christian and 4 Muslim displaced survivors of 10 African nationalities temporarily residing in Tunisia. I first outline the experiences of intersecting violence to understand what displaced survivors were resilient to, and then describe faith pathways to resilience, sometimes with spiritual struggles and unmet religious needs. I delineate ways in which personal prayers and cooperating with God enabled all but one survivor to cope with exploitation and perilous journeys toward imagined refuge. I offer insights for practitioners working with forced migrants on the move and highlight the importance of spiritual support for displaced survivors who are religious. I discuss the findings and offer implications for future research and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandra Iman Pertek, 2022. "“God Helped Us”: Resilience, Religion and Experiences of Gender-Based Violence and Trafficking among African Forced Migrant Women," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:11:y:2022:i:5:p:201-:d:808513
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Tuki, 2023. "Under God’s protective wings: Does exposure to violent conflict make Nigerians value God more?," HiCN Working Papers 392, Households in Conflict Network.
    2. Charles Hounmenou, 2023. "Experiences of Faith-Based Organizations as Key Stakeholders in Policy Responses to Human Trafficking," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-35, August.

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