Journey of Hazard and Hope. Risks and Coping Strategies of Syrian Women Seeking Asylum in Austria

1. Journey of Hazard and Hope Risks and Coping Strategies of Syrian Women Seeking Asylum in Austria

Training the next generation of internationalist
Journey of Hazard and Hope
Risks and Coping Strategies of Syrian Women
Seeking Asylum in Austria
IOM I
Anna Dimitrova
Mariia Kostetckaia

2.

Outline of the presentation
Motivation
Research question
Methodology
Findings
Recommendations
Slide 2

3. Motivation I

• Nearly 5.5 million registered Syrian refugees
worldwide.
• Almost 1 million Syrian asylum applications in Europe
starting from 2011.
• More than 40,000 recognised Syrian refugees in
Austria, around 40% of which are women.
Germany
Sweden
Hungary
Austria
Netherlands
Others
Top countries of destination in Europe
Slide 3

4. Motivation II

Vulnerabilities of Syrian women seeking asylum:
General risks of fleeing from conflict zones
Exposure to gender-based violence
Structural inequalities
Call by international organisation (UNHCR, Council of
Europe, Amnesty International etc.) for urgent actions to
be taken for the protection of female refugees.
Slide 4

5. Research Question

What risks do Syrian women face during their forced
migration to Europe and which strategies do they use to
reduce these risks?
Stages of migration:
• Home country
• Journey
• Destination
Slide 5

6. Methodology

Literature review and data analysis
Semi-structured interviews
...
Slide 6

7. Findings I

Women are exposed to higher risks than men during all
three stages of migration.
Journey
Syria
Bombed
house
Trauma
and loss
Forced
marriage
Sexual
assault
Domestic
violence
Austria
Violence in
reception centre
Insensitive
treatment
Slide 7

8. Findings II

In Syria: risk of violence and psychological trauma
Risk of sexual violence in the conflict zones, especially for
female headed households.
„We stayed in a crossfire of several regimes for three
years. My daughter was hiding whenever the military
people entered the house as she was afraid of being
sexually abused.“
Trauma from loss of family members, friends, and property.
„I interrupted my studies in the University of Damascus
after a close friend was killed by a bomb.“
Slide 8

9. Findings III

During the journey safety is a majour issue
Lack of safe legal route to Europe.
Lack of safety in refugee camps, e.g. no gender separtaed
facilities, and risk of sexual harassment.
„I felt safer sleeping on the street than in a refugee camp
in Greece.“
Violence from authorities.
„I was raped by a policeman in Lebanon.“
Limited access to reproductive and health care.
Slide 9

10. Findings IV

In Austria: limited support for vulnerable women
Inadequate facilities for women with special needs.
„I was provided with an old wheel-chair, which I fell from
and broke my leg.“
Lack of psychological support.
Lack of training for authorities in dealing with women in
vulnerable position.
„In the reception centre, I was put in a room with a man.
He threatened to assault me. When I complained to a
police officer, he only replied: Why are you crying, you
are so beautiful?“
Slide 10

11. Findings V

Coping Strategies:
• Marriage
• Family reunification
• Travelling in a group of family and/or friends
• Avoiding sleeping in gender mixed facilities in camps
• Taking off headscarves once in Europe
• Relying on networks and connections
Slide 11

12. Findings VI

Women become victims of individual perpetrators but
also of structural violence and inequalities
Slide 12

13. Recommendations

General recommendations:
• Create safe routes and/or allow asylum applications to be
filed from abroad.
• States should be encouraged to apply 1951 Refugee
Convention in a gender-sensitive way.
In refugee camps and reception centres:
• Provide special training to police officers and staff members
working with refugees.
• Provide information regarding the legal rights of women and
encourage the reporting of gender-based violence.
Slide 13

14. Recommendations

• Employ more female staff.
• Provide gender-separated facilities. Where possible,
separate shelters for refugee women should be available.
• Ensure access to sexual and reproductive health-care
facilities.
In Austria:
• Provide more psychological support, especially to women
victims of violence.
• Provide additional support, in particular regarding job
search, housing, education and integration.
• Create safe environment for refugee women in order to
empower them and help them integrate faster in society.
Slide 14

15.

THANK YOU!!
[email protected]
www.ra-un.org
www.facebook.come/RAUnitedNations
Slide 15