Women and health in refugee settings: The case of displaced syrian women in Lebanon

Abstract

The current conflict and humanitarian crisis in Syria continue to displace thousands of Syrians to neighboring countries, including Lebanon. This chapter examines the relation between refugee status, reproductive health outcomes, and domestic violence. We conducted a rapid needs assessment from June to August 2012 in Lebanon to collect information on Syrian women’s current reproductive health status; their reproductive history before the conflict; their need for services; their experience with sexual and gender-based violence; and their help-seeking behaviors. We interviewed 452 displaced Syrian women aged 18-45 who have been in Lebanon for an average of 5.1 (±3.7) months. Additionally, 29 women participated in three focus group discussions. Of the 452 women surveyed, 74 were pregnant during the conflict, and several of them were pregnant more than once since the beginning of the conflict. Preterm delivery was highly reported (27 %), as well as pregnancy-related problems, including anemia, abdominal pain, and bleeding. As for reproductive health, menstrual irregularity, dysmenorrhea, and symptoms of reproductive tract infections were common. Moreover, 31 % of women had personal experience of violence (physical, sexual, or psychological), and many reported currently experiencing intimate partner violence. A conceptual framework is proposed to show how multiple factors may interplay to affect the reproductive health of women and their exposure to violence, with stress and mental distress being the main mitigating factors. Provision of psychological support within humanitarian aid is proposed to alleviate the effect of war and displacement.