From Gender Theory to Relief Practice: Opportunities for Effective Confluence

This paper offers an overview of the main theories shaping gender-related policy that originated in development and that have been applied to relief. The analysis considers the tensions between maintaining theoretical integrity and managing practical operational concerns, bringing into question what is adaptable and applicable within an emergency context. It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel by developing a separate set of theories and tools for relief; there is overlap between the two. This creates an opportunity for development to inform relief and for relief to inform development. Included is a summary of the major gender planning and analysis frameworks for development and relief

Women’s social support in war, displacement, and post-resettlement

The impacts of war and displacement on individuals, families and communities are profound and far-reaching. The destruction of social networks is only one among myriad consequences, but one with reverberating implications for women that have not been adequately recognized or understood in research, policy or practice. This three-article dissertation thus examined the experiences of women shaped by war, displacement, and resettlement employing quantitative, qualitative and theoretical approaches. The aim of the first study was to further understanding of the relationship between social support, stigma, and mental health among women (n = 744) who experienced sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Regression and moderation analyses were conducted to examine associations. Emotional support seeking and felt stigma were positively associated with increased symptom severity of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stigma modified associations between emotional support seeking and depression, and PTSD. Increased frequency of emotional support seeking was associated with higher mental health symptoms of anxiety and PTSD among women experiencing all levels of stigma. The purpose of the second study was to develop theory to explain how women (n = 27) who migrated from the DRC recreate social support post-resettlement in the United States. An interpretive approach layered with postcolonial feminist perspectives guided the qualitative grounded theory methodology. A theoretical model emerged explaining pivots in the internal lives of women, and their relationships to time, space, and self, as their social support constricted. The inquiry highlighted the extent to which resettlement, following war and displacement, is a life-altering event that sets into motion psychosocial processes with implications for wellbeing. The third and final component drew from postcolonial feminist and African diaspora theories to consider the impacts of forced migration on the internal and relational lives of women. Policy, practice, and research contribute to the framing of “refugees” as a static category of people irrespective of complex histories, geo-political origins, and fluid identities impacted by structural forces, and thus deny the subjective possibilities of women. This article suggests centering the subjectivities of women in research and practice.Social Wor

Unsettled integration: Pre- and post-migration factors in Congolese refugee women’s resettlement experiences in the United States

By 2019, the United States plans to resettle approximately 50,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The purpose of this study was to identify and understand the challenges, risks, and strengths of adult Congolese refugee women resettled in the United States to help policymakers, service providers, and other stakeholders prepare for the arrival of Congolese women and their families. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with Congolese refugee women (n = 28) and resettlement service providers (n = 29) in three US cities. The findings of this study reveal the complex and dynamic nature of Congolese refugee women’s resettlement experiences in the United States and highlight the importance of recognizing the intersection of pre- and post-migration factors during resettlement. This article offers concrete implications for the social work profession and practitioners.Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA

Mapping complex systems: Responses to intimate partner violence against women in three refugee camps

From Frontiers via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-10-03, collection 2021, accepted 2021-01-05, epub 2021-02-05Publication status: PublishedArmed conflict and forced migration are associated with an increase in intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. Yet as risks of IPV intensify, familiar options for seeking help dissipate as families and communities disperse and seek refuge in a foreign country. The reconfiguration of family and community systems, coupled with the presence of local and international humanitarian actors, introduces significant changes to IPV response pathways. Drawing from intensive fieldwork, this article examines response options available to women seeking help for IPV in refugee camps against the backdrop of efforts to localize humanitarian assistance. This study employed a qualitative approach to study responses to IPV in three refugee camps: Ajuong Thok (South Sudan), Dadaab (Kenya), and Domiz (Iraqi Kurdistan). In each location, data collection activities were conducted with women survivors of IPV, members of the general refugee community, refugee leaders, and service providers. The sample included 284 individuals. Employing visual mapping techniques, analysis of data from these varied sources described help seeking and response pathways in the three camps, and the ways in which women engaged with various systems. The analysis revealed distinct pathways for seeking help in the camps, with several similarities across contexts. Women in all three locations often “persevered” in an abusive partnership for extended periods before seeking help. When women did seek help, it was predominantly with family members initially, and then community-based mechanisms. Across camps, participants typically viewed engaging formal IPV responses as a last resort. Differences between camp settings highlighted the importance of understanding complex informal systems, and the availability of organizational responses, which influenced the sequence and speed with which formal systems were engaged. The findings indicate that key factors in bridging formal and community-based systems in responding to IPV in refugee camps include listening to women and understanding their priorities, recognizing the importance of women in camps maintaining life-sustaining connections with their families and communities, engaging communities in transformative change, and shifting power and resources to local women-led organizations.The research was funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (S-PRMCO-13-CA-1209).3pubpu

Drivers of intimate partner violence against women in three refugee camps

This qualitative study examined the drivers- of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in displacement to identify protective factors and patterns of risk. Qualitative data were collected in three refugee camps in South Sudan, Kenya, and Iraq (N = 284). Findings revealed interrelated factors that triggered and perpetuated IPV: gendered social norms and roles, destabilization of gender norms and roles, men's substance use, women's separation from family, and rapid remarriages and forced marriages. These factors paint a picture of individual, family, community and societal processes that exacerbate women's risk of IPV in extreme conditions created by displacement. Implications for policy and practice are indicated.sch_iih24pub4838pub

Wavefunction frozen-density embedding with one-dimensional periodicity: Electronic polarization effects from local perturbations

We report an approach to treat polarization effects in a one-dimensional (1D) environment using frozen-density embedding (FDE), suitable to compute response to electron loss or attachment as occurring in organic semiconductors during charge migration. The present work provides two key developments: (a) Local perturbations are computed avoiding an infinite repetition thereof and (b) a first-order equation-of-motion ansatz is used to compute polarization effects due to electron loss and attachment, ensuring an efficient calculation by avoiding open-shell calculations. In a first step, an unperturbed 1D molecular chain is equilibrated using FDE by translation of the center molecule. In a subsequent second step, long-range contributions are frozen and a local perturbation is introduced in the center subsystem. Freeze–thaw iterations are used to relax the electronic wavefunction of both the center subsystem and subsystems in an active region around the center subsystem, avoiding the need to translate the perturbation. The proposed scheme proves to be very efficient and allows for the calculation of charged tetraazaperopyrenes in 1D chains. Due to its efficiency, the new method is capable of providing wavefunction-based reference data relevant for electronic couplings in complex environments