Image: AHMAD KAMH
Participants at the national dissemination meeting in Beirut on September 6.
Reproductive Rights in Times of Conflict, a national dissemination conference, was held at the Asfari Institute, American University of Beirut on September 6, 2023.
During the event, research results and testimonials were shared from a qualitative exploratory study of the lived experiences of gender-based violence (GBV) among Syrian refugee women in Lebanon. IDRC funded the study.
The conference was attended by Syrian women from refugee communities, global and regional experts and researchers, and local non-governmental organizations.
Dr. Abla Mehio Sibai, Dean of the American University of Beirut’s Faculty of Health Sciences, and H. E. Stefanie McCollum, the Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon, delivered welcome notes. Their remarks emphasized the importance of exploring the lived experiences of refugees and marginalized communities in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and GBV as indicators of the need for transformative healthcare systems as well as how communities and governments are addressing gender equality and inclusivity.
AHMAD KAMH | Syrian refugee women engage in a participatory workshop activity in Bekaa, Lebanon.
The research, which can be accessed in this e-book, is innovative in that it centres the voices of women (and men) by listening to their lived experiences. Syrian refugee women attending this workshop shared the following quotes:
- “This research project changed my life and showed me how women can be empowered and change their destiny.” (crying)
- “I wish you can do more of this research to understand the many levels affecting our lives, every individual life of suffering.”
- “I hope you spread this information to healthcare centres and providers so they understand us better.”
Data from four regions of Lebanon points to multidimensional factors affecting Syrian refugee women’s SRHR and incidents of GBV. These factors include:
- socio-economic environment
- nationality-based discrimination
- access to health services
- agency and bodily autonomy
Further dissemination of the compelling findings from this project is being planned for national television outlets in Lebanon, as well as regional and community-based outlets.