Experiences of violence leave deep scars – on those affected, their families and society as a whole. Refugee women in particular are exposed to a wide range of interrelated and mutually reinforcing situations of dependency throughout their journey:  from their country of origin, through their flight, to their host country. Gender is almost always a factor in these situations.

In almost all cultures, women continue to experience structural disadvantage and gender-based violence – not always in a sexualised form, but frequently as a consequence of gender-based power relations. As a result, many of them experience a continuum of violence: from armed conflict and persecution, through loss and trauma, to exclusion and renewed violence in the host country.

Drawing on their experiences from across Uganda, Kenya, Iraq, Bangladesh and Germany, the expert panel initiated a conversation on how women navigate such experiences and find support: 

• Susanne Absalon, CARITAS e.V. Bonn
• Marie Blaschtschak, SOLWODI Bonn (Solidarity with Women in Distress) Deutschland e.V.
• Dr. Benjamin Etzold, Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) & Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (bicc)
• Nadine Segadlo, M.A., Uni Münster, political scientist with focus on migration, gender relations, peace, and conflict
• Zohra Wandaa, Refugee Advisory Board (RAB) Germany