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Fostering Protective Assets Among Syrian Refugee Girls Who Experience Child Marriage: Findings from a Formative Program Evaluation

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Abstract

The International Rescue Committee’s Life Skills Tailored Package for Early Marriage focuses on engaged, married, and divorced Syrian refugee girls aged 13–18 living in Lebanon. This paper details findings from a qualitative program evaluation. In-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) explored participants’ viewpoints about program components. IDIs engaged program staff and adolescent girls. FGDs included adolescent girls, husbands/fathers, and mothers/mothers-in-law. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and assessed using inductive content analysis. Three themes emerged: (1) engaging influencers with discretion facilitated girls’ participation, (2) reaching out to vulnerable girls required foresight and flexibility, and (3) participation fostered development of personal resources and adaptive capacities among adolescent girls, who described improvements in self-confidence for decision-making/time management, reproductive health knowledge, emotional regulation/understanding of healthy relationships, and self-protection. Efforts to improve psychosocial and reproductive health of refugee adolescent girls experiencing child marriage should integrate lessons learned through this program.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by Global Affairs Canada and Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme (elrha.org/r2hc), which aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises. The authors would like to extend thanks to evaluation participants including adolescent girls, their families, and IRC staff. We also thank the IRC Bekaa field team, which was very supportive in facilitating the data collection process, Leila Younes (Senior WPE Manager, IRC) who provided instrumental support for the evaluation and program, Hiba Ayoubi (M&E Assistant, IRC) who was of great support to the data collection and analysis process, and Stefania Chirizzi, who provided an important perspective as we drafted this paper. This work benefited greatly from the planning, passion, and vision of our late colleague, Jennifer Schlecht, and is dedicated to all women and girls who experience gender based violence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Lillian Whiting-Collins & Celia Karp

  2. International Rescue Committee, Beirut, Lebanon

    Mona Tawk

  3. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of International Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    W. Courtland Robinson

  4. Women’s Refugee Commission, New York, NY, USA

    Janna Metzler

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  1. Lillian Whiting-Collins
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  2. Mona Tawk
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  3. Celia Karp
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Correspondence to Lillian Whiting-Collins.

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Whiting-Collins, L., Tawk, M., Karp, C. et al. Fostering Protective Assets Among Syrian Refugee Girls Who Experience Child Marriage: Findings from a Formative Program Evaluation. J Immigrant Minority Health 24, 614–625 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-021-01325-1

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