Eleventh International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Foreign migrants account for 4% of the South African population. Exposure to certain risk factors may increase the vulnerability of refugees in South Africa (SA) to experience intimate partner violence (IPV). This study provides an in-depth understanding of IPV amongst refugee women residing in Durban, SA. This qualitative study was conducted among African female refugees (n=12). Participants were recruited by purposive and snowball sampling. Data collection took the form of in-depth interviews in either English or Kiswahili. The women aged >20 years, were either married (n=10) or widowed (n=2). All the women reported IPV, which was either physical or sexual. IPV was often accompanied by financial, psychological and verbal abuse. The women were married at an early age, often not completing their schooling, with subsequent unemployment, poverty and dependence on their spouses for their financial needs. This made them vulnerable to other forms abuse. Those with some form of income, usually from informal trading, reported being the breadwinners as their spouses left all the financial responsibilities to them. They reported feeling unhappy and despondent, particularly after experiencing spousal abuse, but were unable to recognize experiences of psychological abuse, despite feeling extremely vulnerable as it often led to sexual abuse. They reiterated that cultural norms and practices forced them to remain in abusive relationships, for which there was little social support. We conclude that refugee women experience many forms of IPV and that social services are required to support this population.