Note that all material in this archive represents work in progress by BA students.
If you identify inaccuracies or copyright infringements, please email us immediately.
Prepared by Amelia, Zayb and Hanna, January 2021.
The Representation of Refugee Women in the Media
Women for Refugee Women: A timeline/archive of refugee women’s representation in the media
Nadja Sayej, ‘‘It’s about finding a place’: stunning portraits of women affected by the refugee crisis‘, The Guardian (1 September 2020). An article that can be analysed for its beautification of the rather harsh reality of the experiences of refugee women
SCHOLAR SOURCES
A study on gender representation in the UK media conducted by the university of London https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/23066/1/Measuring%20Gender%20in%20News%20Representations%20of%20Refugees%20and%20Asylum%20Seekers.pdf
An article that analysis the representation of refugees in the media through the mode of photographs https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1481810/FULLTEXT01.pdf
The Experience of Parenthood as a Refugee Woman
Living Refugee Archive: an online digital magazine launched in 2020, produced and edited by archivists, academics and activists at the Living Refugee Archive based at the University of East London.
SCHOLAR SOURCES
A brief overview with figures and statistics about refugee women’s experience with mental health, more specifically postpartum depression https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0238109
A generalized article about the challenges of parentings, the article contains useful information pertaining to the challenges presented by highly developed European countries, including the UK https://www.interventionjournal.com/sites/default/files/Syria___the_challenges_of_parenting_in_refugee.3.pdf
Sex and gender-based violence within refugee camps
Monica Costa Riba, ‘Women face daily dangers in Greek refugee camps‘, Amnesty International (5 October 2018). Article with interviews with women living in Greek refugee camps and their experiences of the inadequate safety measures taken within the camps.
Journeyman Pictures, ‘Aid Workers Are Sexually Abusing Syrian Refugees‘, YouTube (25 August 2016). Short documentary on how Syrian refugees are targets of sexual abuse by aid workers.
TRT World, ‘Rohingya Refugee Crisis: Women speak out on sexual violence‘, YouTube (21 February 2018). Women speaking out on their sexual violence within their camps after being denied sufficient healthcare, resorting to unhealthy ways of coping – as well as psychological services needed as a result of their experiences.
Mark Townsend, ‘Women and children ‘endure rape, beatings and abuse’ inside Dunkirk’s refugee camp‘, The Guardian (12 February 2017). Article reporting on mass rape in refugee camps in France.
Sarah Marsh, ‘‘My dignity is destroyed’: the scourge of sexual violence in Cox’s Bazar‘, The Guardian (3 December 2019). News article touching on the hundreds of gender-based violence occurring in camps, including experiences and accounts.
Lee Harper, ‘Syrian women in Jordan at risk of sexual exploitation at refugee camps‘, The Guardian (24 January 2014)
KatalystProductions, ‘Syria: Brides for Sale‘, YouTube (18 May 2017). A short documentary shown on Channel 4, exploring the marginalized history of Syrian refugee “brides for sale” within the ‘safety’ of their camp
SCHOLAR SOURCES
Journal article raising the vulnerability of women refugees as well as the insecurity of them within refugee camps, lots of statistics included: https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.brighton.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1016/j.rhm.2016.05.003
Article speaking about sexual violence often being a byproduct of war, underreporting of sexual violence of Syrian refugees, and the lack of medical care available: https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.brighton.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S014067361361137X?via%3Dihub
LSE article touching on sexual violence in refugee camps, and revealing that refugee camps offer limited protection from sexual violence, offering ways to combat refugee camp violence: https://www.lse.ac.uk/women-peace-security/assets/documents/2019/LSE-WPS-refugees-camp.pdf
Period poverty among refugee women
Ronnie Cohen, ‘Refugees lack menstrual supplies and private, safe toilets‘, Reuters (6 November 2017). Article with interviews of women refugees from Syria, Lebanon, and Myanmar; including first person accounts of their experiences.
The Azadi Project, ‘Periods don’t stop during a pandemic or in a refugee camp (filmed by a refugee woman)‘, YouTube (20 April 2020). Video filmed by a refugee woman, touching on difficulties of periods in refugee camps, and troubles that have risen due to the onset of COVID-19.
WoMena, ‘Menstrual Health Management in humanitarian contexts – MHM stories from Bidibidi refugee settlement‘, YouTube (12 June 2018). Short video going more in depth about the need for more education surrounding menstruation as there is not enough in refugee settlements
Sarah Graham, ‘‘I had to go to McDonald’s and use toilet roll’: The women living on £37.75 a week who can’t afford tampons‘, iNews (31 October 2019). Article about asylum seeking woman who lived on £37.75 a week, experiencing health issues due to lack of financial support to buy menstrual products.
Sara Sethia, ‘Being On Periods For Women In War Zones Or Refugee Camp Makes For Horror Stories‘, Women’s Web (12 December 2019). Taboo and stigmatisation of periods in displacement camps of Syrian refugees, majority of women do not have access to sanitary products, especially when having to constantly move from place to place.
SCHOLAR SOURCES
Cross sectional survey of displaced Syrian women in Lebanon – showing better reproductive health services are needed in refugee settings: https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6874-14-25
Qualitative study of women and girls in Ugandan refugee settlement, includes semistructured interviews with the refugees – touches on school absenteeism and lack of knowledge surrounding menstruation: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/18/6613
The lengths that women and girls refugees will go to concerning their periods, lots of statistics, touches on potential solutions for healthier menstruation: https://voices.actionaid.org.uk/periods-in-crisis/
Refugee Women’s health
Syrian American Medical Society: 22-year-old ‘Fatima’ visited the Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Center in Gaziantep, Turkey suffering from chronic depression, characterized by intense feelings of hopelessness and other symptoms. January 6, 2021 – courtesy of the Syrian American Medical Society : “I am constantly worn out and my life is in disarray. Every day feels like I’m being suffocated and that everything is out to get me. I keep crying. I feel desperate and there’s nothing I can do to change how I feel. I’m extremely anxious about the future and I fixate on all the traumatic and negative experiences I experienced in Syria, including my troubled marriage and divorce. I no longer have any confidence in myself.” This interview demonstrates the impacts of the women’s refugee experience on mental health. Depression and post traumatic stress disorder arises from dealing with the refuge adjustment. Many suffer from grief either from lost loved ones or killed loved ones from the war. Women may also be in constant fear for themselves and for the safety of their relatives left behind in the countries still stricken by conflict or in refugee camps. As a result the memories of past trauma are kept alive.
Refugee Women’s Agency (Updated by Izzy & Alexei, January 2023)
https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/we-speak-up-for-change/womens-experiences-of-seeking-asylum-in-the-uk : Oral history report created by the British Red Cross that focuses on women asylum seeker experiences. The article points to a complete overhaul of the British government’s current procedures due to the abuse and poverty women refugees are reported to have experienced.
We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World – Malala Yousafzai (2019)
Synopsis: Malala is best known as the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Her resolve to stand up for girl’s education in Pakistan and around the world, has inspired most.
In this beautiful book she shares various stories of displacement, including her own. We learn how her family fled violence in the Swat Valley, years before she became globally synonymous with strength in the face of terror. And then, she passes the baton to nine other extraordinary women to share their stories.
Part memoir, part communal storytelling, the magic of this book is that it builds a global picture of hope in adversity. We Are Displaced is a powerful collection that acts as a potent reminder of the very human stories behind the global statistics of displacement.
Available to buy at: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/we-are-displaced-my-journey-and-stories-from-refugee-girls-around-the-world-from-nobel-peace-prize-winner-malala-yousafzai/9781474610056
A Q&A session with the award-winning journalist Liz Welch, who helped to collate the stories and publish the book is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JquxqiUAGrE