Journey of Violence: Refugee Women’s Experiences Across Three Stages and Places

• Published in: Journal of international migration and integration 2024-06, Vol.25 (2), p.673-693
• Main Author: Borges, Gabriela Mesquita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aggression; COVID-19; Criminology; Data collection; Demography; Gender-based violence; Grounded theory; Humanitarianism; Malnutrition; Meaning; Memories; Migration; Narratives; Political asylum; Population Economics; Refugees; Sex crimes; Social Sciences; Sociology; Violence; Women
• ISSN: 1488-3473; 1874-6365
• DOI: 10.1007/s12134-023-01102-z

This article examines violence experienced by refugee women across three distinct (geographic and symbolic) stages and places: in their countries of origin, during the displacement journey, and in the country of asylum. Drawing from a criminological and gender perspective, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with refugee women, 14 women were from the Middle East, and 10 women were from Africa, currently residing in Portugal. This study focused on understanding the individual dimensions that provide insight into women’s meanings, intersubjective constructions, and perceptions of their refugee process, using the narrative paradigm. Grounded theory and abduction approaches were used to focus on participants’ active construction of meaning. The research highlights that individual memories of harm and suffering among refugee women are profoundly influenced by encounters with gendered, structural, and symbolic forms of violence. The article presents a three-part analysis of women’s violence narratives, shedding light on their processes of becoming refugees.