An analysis of the narratives of war-rape of refugee women through their social workers

• Main Author: Phiri, Claudia
• Other Authors: Gobodo-Madikizela, Pumla
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Cape Town 2015
• Subjects: Psychological Research
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11126

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-97). === Sexual violence has been increasingly used against women during conflicts. The harm of war on women has been poorly visible due to the associated stigma and traditions that blame women for male sexual exploitation. As a result, it creates a collusion of secrecy around issues of sexual violence between women, perpetrators and society. Present literature on issues of trauma tends to draw on a PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) model with a focus on the individual. As a result, it restricts, and limits the experiences of refugee women by neglecting a collective view of trauma. Research on the war rape experiences of refugee women is a step towards making the harm of war more visible and provides a meaning and context for their experiences.