An Exploration of the Dimensions of Exclusion Associated with Intimate Violence Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Abstract

The influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon over the past years has caused an immense burden on the country's economy and infrastructure. At the same time, the absence of a legislative framework and national response strategy to support the needs of refugees has created multiple challenges, especially for women and girls who make up about three-quarters of the refugee population. Due to displacement, refugees experience multiple losses such as loss of family bonds, social networks, and economic resources which can result in their isolation from the wider community. The isolation of refugee families especially women due to loss of networks and family bonds increases their vulnerability to domestic and intimate partner violence (DV/IPV). However, there are limited studies interlinking exclusion with DV/IPV in refugee settings. This knowledge gap can impede the establishment of evidence-based interventions for refugee women living in host communities. Therefore, this research aims to bridge the gap by: i) qualitatively exploring the dimensions of exclusion experienced by refugees that are associated with DV/IPV against women and ii) developing the concept of exclusion further using sociological perspectives that could explain DV/IPV in refugee settings. Our findings reveal that social, economic, and legal exclusion have negatively impacted the livelihoods, mobility, and social networks of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, all of which have created favorable conditions for DV/IPV to occur and escalate. We conclude with some recommendations that need to be considered in research and policy development that could contribute to the establishment of more effective interventions for refugee women and SGBV survivors living in host communities.