<p>Although gender-based violence has been identified as highly problematic in South Africa, it has not been given much scholarly attention in relation to refugee women. This study focuses on the experience of some of these women who have resettled in Cape Town. The main focus is on gender-based violence and the linkages between conflicts at home, fleeing from it, as well as the problems faced by women when they reach the &lsquo / new&rsquo / country where they are suppose to be safe, but yet continue to experience gender violence. By referring to my own empirical research I try to tease out the many instances of violence and abuse such women face, how they understand and try to make sense of it and how they try to take up their lives in Cape Town. I utilized the much used ecological framework to analyze gender-based violence and argue that, while this &lsquo / model&rsquo / is dynamic and allows one to make analytical linkages across different &lsquo / levels&rsquo / of violence, it nevertheless does not adequately provide for understanding the relationship between larger global and international processes, the connection that women may still have with their countries of origin and the impact of being a refugee or unwanted &lsquo / immigrant&rsquo / in South Africa</p>

This study explores eight young people’s perception of the gender roles in Zambia, Lusaka. In this study I have asked the informants to define the genders and the result were that the genders are defined based on the biological sexes. The genders therefore become homogenous based on the male and female sex. The regulations of the genders were traditionally also based on assumed ‘biologically natural characteristics’. As I argue in this study that gender roles are social constructed I also present the socialization processes in the Zambian culture regarding initiation ceremonies and premarital ceremonies, which visualizes the regulations of the gender roles and the importance of marriages as it implies social status and identity. The young informants’ perception of the gender roles was based on a complex intermixture between the cultural norms, the Western influences and their own life experiences. This means that Zambian society is changing in response to external as well as internal influences and that globalization both facilitates change and may create problems, as different values and norms collide. The informants recognized a need of change in the perception of the gender roles due to the issues that the gender hierarchy contributes to. This study also discusses the fact that cultural norms causes lack of knowledge about sexual issues, which have devastating consequences. The informants argued that the cultural perception of a man as superior and the woman as inferior caused gender based violence, domestic violence and the HIV-epidemic to continue. Based on the informants awareness that many of the social challenges exist because of the patriarchal norms in society I argue that this awareness indicates that a change is in progress.

<p>Although gender-based violence has been identified as highly problematic in South Africa, it has not been given much scholarly attention in relation to refugee women. This study focuses on the experience of some of these women who have resettled in Cape Town. The main focus is on gender-based violence and the linkages between conflicts at home, fleeing from it, as well as the problems faced by women when they reach the &lsquo / new&rsquo / country where they are suppose to be safe, but yet continue to experience gender violence. By referring to my own empirical research I try to tease out the many instances of violence and abuse such women face, how they understand and try to make sense of it and how they try to take up their lives in Cape Town. I utilized the much used ecological framework to analyze gender-based violence and argue that, while this &lsquo / model&rsquo / is dynamic and allows one to make analytical linkages across different &lsquo / levels&rsquo / of violence, it nevertheless does not adequately provide for understanding the relationship between larger global and international processes, the connection that women may still have with their countries of origin and the impact of being a refugee or unwanted &lsquo / immigrant&rsquo / in South Africa</p>

This study maps out and explores the reactions to and strategies of men working against men's violence against women and LGBTI people. It is based on interviews with men in gender-based violence prevention in South Africa and builds on previous research on women's organising and men's roles in feminism. It provides an analysis of dilemmas and challenges that they face and the strategies that they have developed, navigating in a feminist field and as men practising what could be seen as a challenge to the power and privileges of the social category of men. Using feminist theory and the theoretical concept “hegemony of men”, I critically interpret the potential for men to undermine men's privilege, arguing that efforts to create new masculinities reinforce the gender order and that the gendered context leaves little room for men's counter-hegemonic practices. I argue, finally, that a feminist emancipatory project is better developed by seeking identifications beyond the social category of men than within a framework of reforming masculinity.

Resilience and post trauma responses often coexist, however, for the past decades, the trauma paradigm has served as the dominant explanatory framework for human suffering in post-conflict environments, while the resilience of individuals and communities affected by mass violence has not been given equal prominence. Consequently, mental health interventions in post-conflict zones often fail to respond to local realities and are ill equipped to foster local strengths. Drawing primarily from trauma, feminist and structural violence theories, this study strengthens understanding of adult resilience to traumatic exposure by examining the resilience of Quechua women in the aftermath of the political violence in Peru (1980-2000), and their endurance of racially and gender-targeted violence. The study uses a cross sectional survey to examine the resilience and posttraumatic responses of 151 Quechua women. Participants were recruited from an urban setting and three rural villages in Ayacucho, Peru. The study examines the associations between resilience, past exposure to violence, current life stress and post-trauma related symptoms as well as the individual and community factors associated with the resilience of Quechua women. In doing so, this study makes a unique contribution by simultaneously examining posttraumatic responses and resilience in a post-conflict society, an area with a dearth of research. Results indicate that resilience was not associated with overall posttraumatic stress related symptoms, but instead higher resilience was associated with lower level of avoidance symptoms and therefore with lesser likelihood of chronic symptoms. Findings also demonstrate that enhanced resilience was associated with women’s participation in civic associations, as well as being a returnee of mass displacement. Lower resilience was instead associated with lower levels of education, absence of income generated from a formal employment and the experience of sexual violence during the conflict. These results were triangulated with qualitative findings, which show that work, family, religion, and social participation are enhancing factors of resilience. The study highlights the courage and resilience of Quechua women despite persistent experiences of everyday violence. The importance to situate trauma and resilience within historical processes of oppression and social transformation as well as other implications for social work practice and research are discussed.

This thesis explores domestic violence (DV) on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, in Qinghai province of the People's Republic of China (PRC). (See Appendix 1 for maps of the study region.) It is based on fifteen months of fieldwork conducted in 2012 and 2013, and upon interviews with 100 women and men, participant observation, and a reading of local proverbs, song, and popular literature. As this is a thesis by publications, three stand-alone articles dealing with selected aspects of domestic violence (DV) in the study region, plus two articles dealing with social phenomena closely related to DV, are included.

Within Asian cultures, stigma is commonly associated with seeking professional help for mental health issues, resulting in underutilization of professional services. While recent research has identified unique barriers in seeking help among first-generation immigrant women, perceptions of counselling remain understudied in the context of second-generation Asian Canadian women who identify as bicultural—particularly those facing gender-based violence. This article-based thesis sought to gain a better understanding of second-generation Asian Canadian women’s perspectives on counselling within the context of gender-based violence and bicultural identity. Because visible minority women are often a marginalized segment of the Canadian population, this study drew from the narrative approach, in which stories were collected and analyzed. Semistructured interviews were conducted with five participants. Results are presented in a manuscript and consist of five themes: (a) intersectionality, (b) perceptions of mental health and counselling, (c) barriers to counselling, (d) counselling experiences, and (e) hopes for counselling. Observations on “the bicultural struggle” and gender-based violence are also discussed in the thesis. The findings elaborate understandings of multiple social identities in second-generation Asian women’s perceptions of counselling and experiences with gender-based violence, and help inform multicultural counselling practices with Asian populations.

Haiti experienced the greatest urban disaster of international history in 2010 when the county was hit by an earthquake which triggered one of the largest responses of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts ever identified. The Haitian population was harshly affected by the earthquake, killing approximately 200 000 people, injuring 300 000 and displacing over 2,3 million. Reports from the post-disaster period also revealed that gender inequalities were growing deeper and that cases of sexual based violence against women and girls increased massively. The history of Haiti shows similar patterns of discrimination and gender based violence against women and children. Research upon gender based violence in the aftermath of disaster presents that disastrous events such as an earthquake, often is followed by an increase in gender based – and sexual gender based violence. Disasters could also provide a window of opportunity for change of  traditional roles and social norms in societies where they are deeply rooted. In order to seize this opportunity disaster management needs to acknowledge and adapt to gendered needs and capacities in all stages of disaster relief efforts in order to provide these opportunities for the subordinated gender. This research is studying the responsive policies of the Haitian government in the aftermath of the earthquake 2010, presented in the Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti. The aim is to investigate if any exercises of power could be observed to have affected the increase of gender based violence and sexual gender based violence for women and children in the post-earthquake responsive period. The study will be carried out as a text-analysing, desk study and by applying the theoretical framework of Steven Lukes three-dimensional power approach and the theory of radical feminism abductively. The findings of this research presents that power exercises by the government can be observed to have affected the increase of gender based – as well as sexual gender based violence in the period of study.

Gender based violence (GBV) is a global public health issue and a major feature in humanitarian emergencies. However, the phenomenon is not inevitable and can be predicted and prevented. In a context such as the Philippines, where GBV is widespread and there is a constant threat of natural hazards, strengthening the capacity of humanitarian responders to reduce the risks of GBV post disasters can contribute to preventing unnecessary suffering of affected populations. Yet, no previous research has looked at factors associated with the perpetration of GBV and strategies used by humanitarian actors to engage with men and boys to prevent these types of violence post disasters in the Philippines. The aim of this study is to enhance this knowledge and investigate; how can humanitarian actors in the Philippines work with men and boys to prevent the perpetration of GBV post disasters? The study adopts a qualitative research approach and based on a literature review and 18 key-informant interviews with humanitarian actors in the Philippines, it explores the current knowledge and practice on the topic. The material was analysed in relation to gender and feminist theory, the Ecological Model of risk factors of GBV, a primary prevention approach and the Spectrum of Violence Prevention. The study identifies a number of aggravating factors that seem to be associated with an increased risk of perpetration of GBV post disasters, such as men’s loss of a livelihood and lack of coping mechanisms. However, these factors are not the causes of GBV but these violent acts are deeply rooted in gendered power imbalances and rigid gender roles in the Philippines society. Ultimately, the study concludes that to effectively prevent the perpetration of GBV post disasters, long-term and effective multi-sectoral efforts between a wide range of actors are needed. In this work, humanitarian actors can play a key role to initiate change. The study suggests that humanitarian actors, within their existing activities, should seek to increase men’s access to safe spaces, peer support networks and mental health services, and support men to develop more elastic gender roles and non-violent coping mechanisms. Programmes should simultaneously increase women’s empowerment, the broader community’s support for social change and allow for dialogue to take place between women and men to synchronise their social transformations. Finally, the study notices that a rather heteronormative and binary understanding of gender seem to be present in the shared initiatives to prevent GBV post disasters. Hence, the study suggests that humanitarian actors should strengthen the capacity of their staff to apply a gender and norm-critical analysis in their work by incorporating these aspects in internal trainings.

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