Prevalence of sexual violence in migrants, applicants for international protection, and refugees in Europe
- (1) Background: Sexual violence (SV) is a major public health problem, with negative socio-economic, physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health consequences. Migrants, applicants for international protection, and refugees (MARs) are vulnerable to SV. Since many European countries are seeing high migratory pressure, the development of prevention strategies and care paths focusing on victimised MARs is highly needed. To this end, this study reviews evidence on the prevalence of SV among MAR groups in Europe and the challenges encountered in research on this topic. (2) Methods: A critical interpretive synthesis of 25 peer-reviewed academic studies and 22 relevant grey literature documents was conducted based on a socio-ecological model. (3) Results: Evidence shows that SV is highly frequent in MARs in Europe, yet comparison with other groups is still difficult. Methodologically and ethically sound representative studies comparing between populations are still lacking. Challenges in researching SV in MARs are located at the(1) Background: Sexual violence (SV) is a major public health problem, with negative socio-economic, physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health consequences. Migrants, applicants for international protection, and refugees (MARs) are vulnerable to SV. Since many European countries are seeing high migratory pressure, the development of prevention strategies and care paths focusing on victimised MARs is highly needed. To this end, this study reviews evidence on the prevalence of SV among MAR groups in Europe and the challenges encountered in research on this topic. (2) Methods: A critical interpretive synthesis of 25 peer-reviewed academic studies and 22 relevant grey literature documents was conducted based on a socio-ecological model. (3) Results: Evidence shows that SV is highly frequent in MARs in Europe, yet comparison with other groups is still difficult. Methodologically and ethically sound representative studies comparing between populations are still lacking. Challenges in researching SV in MARs are located at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, societal, and policy levels. (4) Conclusions: Future research should start with a clear definition of the concerned population and acts of SV to generate comparable data. Participatory qualitative research approaches could be applied to better grasp the complexity of interplaying determinants of SV in MARs.…
Author details: | Lotte De SchrijverORCiD, Tom Vander BekenORCiD, Barbara KraheORCiDGND, Ines KeygnaertORCiD |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15091979 |
ISSN: | 1660-4601 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30208610 |
Title of parent work (English): | International Journal of environmental research and public health |
Subtitle (English): | a critical interpretive synthesis of the evidence |
Publisher: | MDPI |
Place of publishing: | Basel |
Publication type: | Review |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2018/09/11 |
Publication year: | 2018 |
Release date: | 2021/10/05 |
Tag: | Europe; applicants for international protection; asylum seekers; migrants; prevalence; refugees; sexual violence |
Volume: | 15 |
Issue: | 9 |
Number of pages: | 17 |
Funding institution: | Belgian Federal Science PolicyBelgian Federal Science Policy Office [BR/175/A5/UN-MENAMAIS] |
Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Psychologie |
DDC classification: | 6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit |
License (German): | CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
External remark: | Zweitveröffentlichung in der Schriftenreihe Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe ; 674 |