Not Even Refugee Women Are Safe From Gender-Based Violence

Article: https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/gbv/resources/1265-balkans-2016

Overview: In Europe, refugee women and children are vulnerable during every stage in migration. To start off these women and children have no access to basic services such as sexual and reproductive health care while they’re in transit centers. Then, to make matters worse it is very difficult for them to have access to interpreters, let alone find female interpreters. Being that it’s so difficult it leaves these women at a higher risk of being kidnapped and being taken advantage of by other individuals. Also, a few more issues that these women and children face is that the government isn’t capable of properly dealing with their struggles, organizations who have a great amount of relevant knowledge on gender are kept out of areas that could benefit from these organizations the most, and there is a lack of legal options to seek protection or any other form of relief during migration.

Opinion: I believe that there should be more sources available to these refugee women, they shouldn’t have to feel vulnerable or be vulnerable during any stage of migration. The government should try to educate themselves on what these women and children need in order to help them and make everything safer for them.

Questions: What are some ideas that you would give the government to help out these women and children? Should the government try harder to help out these refugees instead settling for not being able to help them?