Rates of gender-based violence (GBV) are particularly high within populations affected by community conflict and displacement. Gender inequities, economic vulnerabilities, and societal normalization of violence exacerbate risk for GBV exposure among adolescent girls. Many interventions have been developed to addressed GBV, but these programs often fail to adequately consider societal factors that may be critical to reducing GBV. Sommer and colleagues (2018) sought to understand perceptions of GBV, girls’ safety, and responses to abuse, as well as the ways in which gender inequality and violence are socially created and maintained. They conducted 66 in-depth interviews with adolescent females and 58 in-depth interviews with caregivers from conflict-affected towns/villages in South Kivu and refugee camps in western Ethiopia.
Participants defined young girls’ safety as respecting themselves and their elders through obedience, appropriate presentation/appearance, and humility. Adolescent females are considered responsible for their own safety and for understanding the risks of deviating from society’s expectations and caregivers’ advice. These expectations uphold traditional gender norms and promote victim blaming by suggesting that a girl whose behavior is incongruent with social norms (e.g., submission, obedience, modesty) will not be safe. Regarding male-female interaction specifically, participants suggested that adolescent girls are responsible for preventing abuse by avoiding male interaction, dressing responsibly, and acting appropriately. Girls were also held responsible for transactional sex, such that girls are not to accept gifts from boys because gifts often convey an expectation of sexual favors in return. Girls who do engage in transactional sex, even for basic needs, are negatively perceived by the community. These themes highlight perceptions that adolescent females from conflict-affected populations are responsible for their own safety, with no recognition of the role that boys and men play in girls’ safety.
Regarding responses to GBV, marital physical abuse was considered normal, warranting little to no response. Participants placed responsibility on the female, suggesting that a wife should seek to understand what she did to provoke her husband’s abusive behavior as a way to prevent future instances of abuse. Marital rape was perceived as justified within the institution of marriage. In response to abuse by a boyfriend, participants indicated that legal services should not be involved unless severe injuries were incurred. Adolescents and caregivers both believed that girls should not be involved in extramarital relationships, and adolescent girls reported they would hide physical abuse by a boyfriend from their parents due to fear of repercussions for having a boyfriend. Participants suggested that the best resolution to rape by a boyfriend was marriage. Because virginity symbolizes a woman’s worth, a boyfriend who takes this value from a woman owes her marriage in return. Scenarios of physical and sexual abuse by strangers were more likely to elicit responses involving formal and informal sources of support.
This qualitative study reveals ways in which cultural norms and gender roles contribute to the high prevalence of violence against adolescent girls. Females have two choices: to comply with societal expectations or resist societal norms at the expense of their own safety and acceptance within the community. The community’s normalization of GBV facilitates GBV perpetration, as well as silence in response to GBV. These entrenched social norms represent a powerful force maintaining gender inequalities in conflict-affected areas, suggesting that programs aiming to empower women must address community structures and work with community leaders to address societal norms around GBV.
Section members, please let us know of any new research we should highlight in this new diversity spotlight column.
Reference
Sommer, M., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Williams, A., Mayevskaya, Y., Falb, K., Abdella, G., & Stark, L. (2018). How gender norms are reinforced through violence against adolescent girls in two conflict-affected populations. Child Abuse & Neglect, 79, 154-163.