Videos by Sandra Iman Pertek
This short presentation was part of the 15 slides x 15 seconds challenge of the U21 Early Career ... more This short presentation was part of the 15 slides x 15 seconds challenge of the U21 Early Career Researcher Workshop 2020 - Modern Slavery, Forced Labour and Human Trafficking: Research Roadmaps to 2030 (presented on 30 November 2020).
It presents part of my PhD research findings on SGBV experiences in forced migration. 97 views
Papers by Sandra Iman Pertek
Muslim Humanitarianism Review, 2024
In recent decades, gender mainstreaming has become a prevalent practice in international organiza... more In recent decades, gender mainstreaming has become a prevalent practice in international organizations to promote social justice. However, little is known about gender integration efforts in Muslim humanitarian faith-based organizations (FBOs). Drawing on the intersection of gender and faith humanitarianism, an insider's professional experience, and a review of key academic and gray literature, I critically reflect on the gender integration process for one of the world's largest UK-based Muslim humanitarian agencies-Islamic Relief Worldwide. I explore a dual pragmatic and value-based case for gender integration, including the development of a faith-informed gender policy, and its practical application. This case study suggests that humanitarian FBOs are arguably well positioned in local communities to address gender inequalities by leveraging their shared faith values and contextual understanding while building multi-stakeholder consensus. However, they navigate significant challenges due to their geographical breadth, cross-cultural, and religious diversity, strategically selecting the gender issues they address. The allocation of adequate resources in a gender-sensitive manner, beyond a women-centred approach, to transform gender relations, remains a key barrier to advancing organizational commitments to gender justice.
Journal of ethnic and migration studies, May 7, 2024
Journal of refugee studies, Mar 27, 2024
This article examines the religious coping strategies among forced migrant women survivors of sex... more This article examines the religious coping strategies among forced migrant women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). While it is acknowledged that faith and religion help people to survive crises, the patterns of religious coping with SGBV and displacement are little understood. I explore how displaced women use their faith and religious resources to cope with SGBV and migration-related daily stressors. Using qualitative methods and data collected in Turkey and Tunisia with thirty-eight Levantine and African women, I introduce the concept of adaptive religious coping, which they deployed over time and place as one main coping mechanism in experiences of SGBV and displacement. Survivors used cognitive, behavioural and spiritual/emotional religious coping strategies, drawing on their available religious resources-ideas, practices and experience. The study highlights the importance of religious coping in supporting displaced populations emotionally and spiritually, and offers implications for mental health responses in forced displacement contexts.
The Forum (Journal of British Muslim Charity Sector), 2024
Alarmingly, the number of forcibly displaced people continues to increase, with 19 million more a... more Alarmingly, the number of forcibly displaced people continues to increase, with 19 million more affected people at the end of 2022 than in the previous year1. Forced migration trends are increasingly feminised, as seen through the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, where most displaced are women and children. Displaced women and girls are disproportionately subjected to cumulative risks of violence and exploitation across the continuum – from conflict and transit to refuge.
In this piece, I consider how Muslim humanitarian charities could take the next steps to strengthen protection pathways for displaced populations. I draw on my professional experience as a gender and protection specialist, along with research findings from my five-year academic research on women in forced displacement. Given the resources and humanitarian motivations of Muslim charities, I argue that they have a strong potential to develop gender sensitivity in response to displacement, to protect the most vulnerable groups from harm along forced migrant routes.
Responding to the scale of harms that displaced women and their families experience requires cont... more Responding to the scale of harms that displaced women and their families experience requires continued advocacy and diplomatic efforts to mobilise resources and political will to protect their dignity.
Routledge eBooks, Nov 8, 2022
Journal of Refugee Studies, 2024
This article examines the religious coping strategies among forced migrant women survivors of sex... more This article examines the religious coping strategies among forced migrant women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). While it is acknowledged that faith and religion help people to survive crises, the patterns of religious coping with SGBV and displacement are little understood. I explore how displaced women use their faith and religious resources to cope with SGBV and migration-related daily stressors. Using qualitative methods and data collected in Turkey and Tunisia with thirty-eight Levantine and African women, I introduce the concept of adaptive religious coping, which they deployed over time and place as one main coping mechanism in experiences of SGBV and displacement. Survivors used cognitive, behavioural and spiritual/emotional religious coping strategies, drawing on their available religious resources-ideas, practices and experience. The study highlights the importance of religious coping in supporting displaced populations emotionally and spiritually, and offers implications for mental health responses in forced displacement contexts.
The risks of VAWG increase in the context of conflict and forced displacement with a continuum of... more The risks of VAWG increase in the context of conflict and forced displacement with a continuum of violence from pre-migration, conflict and flight to refuge with patterns of violence that intensify as time in displacement increases. The exact scale of VAWG in displacement is unknown due to various barriers, but up to 69% of forced migrant women are estimated to be affected . Innovative and holistic approaches are urgently needed to prevent VAWG in displacement contexts and support the survivors.
Religion – religious beliefs, practices, organisations and experiences – is both a protective and a risk factor in experiences of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in displacement. Religious beliefs and practices can positively and adversely impact experiences of VAWG, help-seeking behaviours, attitudes towards and behaviours regarding VAWG, and (mental) health outcomes.
Faith actors play an important role in forced migrant communities by leveraging significant spiritual, physical and social assets to benefit affected populations. They can mobilise human and material resources in under-resourced settings to support protection. Also, displaced populations, some belonging to faith-communities, have important inherent resources and learning capacities to support VAWG prevention and response.
Protection practitioners (VAWG, GBV, MHPSS) can strengthen their work by demonstrating cultural competency which includes religious literacy. Religious literacy involves being open to the role that religious beliefs, practices, organisation and experiences may play in survivors’ and perpetrators’ understanding of VAWG and does not require specific knowledge of religious traditions.
Faith sensitivity in VAWG interventions will help interventions be more people-centred and adopt the ‘do no harm’ principle by tackling and leveraging complex intersecting influences of religion, while upholding the principles of neutrality and impartiality.
Frontiers in human dynamics, Mar 22, 2023
IntroductionThis paper examines the relationship between gender-based violence (GBV) and religion... more IntroductionThis paper examines the relationship between gender-based violence (GBV) and religion in a range of forced displacement contexts. While it has been acknowledged that religion frequently shapes experiences of GBV survivors, little is known about the influences of religion on GBV experiences in forced displacement and its potential role in strengthening interventions.MethodsUtilizing empirical evidence from 58 interviews from the SEREDA project with forced migrants in Sweden, UK, Turkey and Australia, we outline the interactions between religious resources and GBV in migrants' forced displacement experiences. We conceptualise religious resources as comprising religious ideas, religious practices, religious experience and religious organization.ResultsSurvivors talked about religion spontaneously when responding to questions relating to resilience, coping mechanisms, and risk factors. Religion acted as both a “protective” and “risk” factor for GBV experiences. Religious beliefs were assets in coping with GBV experiences, but also contributed to creating an environment in which violence was normalized, exposing women to further harm. Religious practices supported survivors emotionally to cope with GBV but also some practices posed risks. Religious organizations in many cases served as a lifeline for many displaced women, offering practical and emotional support, however religious leaders at times encouraged survivors to stay in abusive relationships. Religious experiences “empowered” and “disempowered” survivors across the processes of forced migration.DiscussionWe demonstrate the relevance and importance of acknowledging the role of religion in the experiences of GBV in forced displacement. Our analysis advances the understanding of religious resources as both protective and risk factors that affect forced migrants' experiences of GBV over time and place. We suggest a way forward for practitioners and researchers to account for the roles of religion in experiences of GBV and forced displacement, as opportunities and barriers to GBV prevention and response, and to work with religious leaders and local faith communities to strengthen protection of survivors.
Routledge eBooks, Nov 8, 2022
Social sciences, May 4, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Nov 8, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Nov 8, 2022
LSE Religion and Global Society
Humanitarian Law & Policy, 2023
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is tragically widespread along migration journeys, espec... more Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is tragically widespread along migration journeys, especially when these take place along irregular routes “due to armed conflict-related poverty, insecurity, and distress.” Risks of SGBV – including those related to trafficking and modern slavery – can increase in countries of transit and destination.
In this post, Sandra Pertek, Ahmed Al-Dawoody, and Amjad Saleem highlight the critical importance and role of faith leaders and communities in tackling SGBV, discussing the needs to incorporate faith literacy and sensitivity in SGBV prevention and responses, and calling for an increased engagement of humanitarian actors with faith actors to address SGBV in armed conflict and migration.
Forced Migration Review 72, 2023
Internal displacement in Ukraine brings with it increased risks of sexual and gender-based violen... more Internal displacement in Ukraine brings with it increased risks of sexual and gender-based violence. Recent research findings offer recommendations to reduce risks in transit and to support internally displaced women with housing, access to work and mental health support.
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Videos by Sandra Iman Pertek
It presents part of my PhD research findings on SGBV experiences in forced migration.
Papers by Sandra Iman Pertek
In this piece, I consider how Muslim humanitarian charities could take the next steps to strengthen protection pathways for displaced populations. I draw on my professional experience as a gender and protection specialist, along with research findings from my five-year academic research on women in forced displacement. Given the resources and humanitarian motivations of Muslim charities, I argue that they have a strong potential to develop gender sensitivity in response to displacement, to protect the most vulnerable groups from harm along forced migrant routes.
Religion – religious beliefs, practices, organisations and experiences – is both a protective and a risk factor in experiences of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in displacement. Religious beliefs and practices can positively and adversely impact experiences of VAWG, help-seeking behaviours, attitudes towards and behaviours regarding VAWG, and (mental) health outcomes.
Faith actors play an important role in forced migrant communities by leveraging significant spiritual, physical and social assets to benefit affected populations. They can mobilise human and material resources in under-resourced settings to support protection. Also, displaced populations, some belonging to faith-communities, have important inherent resources and learning capacities to support VAWG prevention and response.
Protection practitioners (VAWG, GBV, MHPSS) can strengthen their work by demonstrating cultural competency which includes religious literacy. Religious literacy involves being open to the role that religious beliefs, practices, organisation and experiences may play in survivors’ and perpetrators’ understanding of VAWG and does not require specific knowledge of religious traditions.
Faith sensitivity in VAWG interventions will help interventions be more people-centred and adopt the ‘do no harm’ principle by tackling and leveraging complex intersecting influences of religion, while upholding the principles of neutrality and impartiality.
In this post, Sandra Pertek, Ahmed Al-Dawoody, and Amjad Saleem highlight the critical importance and role of faith leaders and communities in tackling SGBV, discussing the needs to incorporate faith literacy and sensitivity in SGBV prevention and responses, and calling for an increased engagement of humanitarian actors with faith actors to address SGBV in armed conflict and migration.
It presents part of my PhD research findings on SGBV experiences in forced migration.
In this piece, I consider how Muslim humanitarian charities could take the next steps to strengthen protection pathways for displaced populations. I draw on my professional experience as a gender and protection specialist, along with research findings from my five-year academic research on women in forced displacement. Given the resources and humanitarian motivations of Muslim charities, I argue that they have a strong potential to develop gender sensitivity in response to displacement, to protect the most vulnerable groups from harm along forced migrant routes.
Religion – religious beliefs, practices, organisations and experiences – is both a protective and a risk factor in experiences of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in displacement. Religious beliefs and practices can positively and adversely impact experiences of VAWG, help-seeking behaviours, attitudes towards and behaviours regarding VAWG, and (mental) health outcomes.
Faith actors play an important role in forced migrant communities by leveraging significant spiritual, physical and social assets to benefit affected populations. They can mobilise human and material resources in under-resourced settings to support protection. Also, displaced populations, some belonging to faith-communities, have important inherent resources and learning capacities to support VAWG prevention and response.
Protection practitioners (VAWG, GBV, MHPSS) can strengthen their work by demonstrating cultural competency which includes religious literacy. Religious literacy involves being open to the role that religious beliefs, practices, organisation and experiences may play in survivors’ and perpetrators’ understanding of VAWG and does not require specific knowledge of religious traditions.
Faith sensitivity in VAWG interventions will help interventions be more people-centred and adopt the ‘do no harm’ principle by tackling and leveraging complex intersecting influences of religion, while upholding the principles of neutrality and impartiality.
In this post, Sandra Pertek, Ahmed Al-Dawoody, and Amjad Saleem highlight the critical importance and role of faith leaders and communities in tackling SGBV, discussing the needs to incorporate faith literacy and sensitivity in SGBV prevention and responses, and calling for an increased engagement of humanitarian actors with faith actors to address SGBV in armed conflict and migration.
The SEREDA Project aimed to understand the nature and incidence of GBV across forced migration and identify mechanisms to support displaced survivors. An interdisciplinary team from the University of Birmingham, Melbourne, Uppsala and Bilkent, in partnership with NGOs, conducted in-depth interviews with 166 survivors and 107 stakeholders between 2018-2021 in the UK, Sweden, Turkey, Australia and Tunisia. Over 70% of respondents were women, almost 20% men and below 10% LGBTGIA+. The study adopted a social constructivist perspective and used a systematic thematic analysis approach to make sense of the data. Ethical approval was received from the appropriate bodies in each country.
Most respondents reported experiencing a continuum of SGBV from pre-displacement, in conflict, transit, and after arrival to imagined refuge. Experiences included multiple and repeated incidents of SGBV inflicted by different perpetrators across time and place. Migration, asylum and humanitarian systems interacted with SGBV in ways that exposed survivors to further victimisation and harm, generating: 1) Violent dependency on perpetrators without right to work, access to services and with threat of deportation; 2) Traumatic asylum processes intensifying the psychological harms of pre-arrival SGBV; 3) Unstable, unsafe and unsanitary housing conditions with homelessness exacerbating risks of exploitation. 4) Limited SGBV capacities and lack of services in transit and refuge. Survivors did not report attacks believing they were “illegal” and thus without rights. The needs of men, adolescent boys and LGBTQIA+ were rarely considered by service providers.
SEREDA calls for a focus on 'the continuum of violence' reconceptualising displaced survivors’ experiences as continued, complex and compounding. The project advocates the mainstreaming of forced migrant, gender and trauma-sensitive SGBV approaches in the humanitarian, immigration and asylum systems. Mobile delivery of services in transit and gender-sensitive reception and asylum procedures are needed to protect survivors from further harm.