Gender and the Refugee Crisis: Policy Brief

 

This policy brief builds on the UN’s 3RP (Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2015-16 in Response to the Syria Crisis) by offering a complimentary analysis of the needs of both Syrian refugee women and LGBTQI individuals living in Turkey. Through research conducted by CTDC, it becomes plainly apparent that a number of needs are not being met, and that such an outcome has been made possible in part because of a lack of research funding on the one hand, and the limits of established humanitarian and state-level responses on the other. Nevertheless, this situation appears to offer a number of opportunities to improve responses to displacement in Turkey, especially when a gendered lens is adopted. This highlights under-observed challenges and solutions with regard to living conditions, employment, housing and integration, community relations, sexual violence and sex work. A focus on gender will also allow for more sustainable, long-term solutions to emerge that are inclusive in nature, generating an engagement with groups that remain marginalised by various gendered barriers to protection, including employment opportunities, societal attitudes, stigma and taboo. Full policy brief available here.