Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, many people have been forced to move to other territories and Countries. They have been displaced. An extremely vulnerable category in this setting is the one involving Ukrainian women refugees. Dr. Daryna Dvornichenko has conducted research that explores gender migrations and the major challenges that women have to face as consequences of these types of displacements.
This research focuses on interviews with women of different ages, education, experiences and occupations. Many of them have been displaced to international territories but is very difficult to talk about a unidirectional trajectory of resettlement. Indeed, lots of the women at stake have been forced to move many times, to many diverse cities. We can even talk about ‘twice displacement’ when individuals are forcibly moved from their homes and resettled a second time. Dr. Dvornichenko first defines two types of displaced people: internationally displaced are the ones compelled to leave their homeland to escape the military conflict’s effects, while internally displaced (IDPs) are the ones who move from their hometown but keep living in the Country's borders under the government’s protection – “who have not crossed an internationally recognized border”, as from a definition from The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2) –; however the safeguard is not always effective. The internally displaced category is not as visible in terms of global information and education as the cross-border refugees.
Women in this situation are forced to face emotional hardships, they struggle to feel a sense of belonging in the new host communities: it is not immediate to settle in a new territory, especially if you are compelled to move because of a war in your home State. As a result, they deal with a loss of social connections or dissociation themselves, as well as a sense of rejection, because the identification with an internally displaced individual leads to the stigmatization of a category, which can consequently lead to difficulties in finding a job and housing. Repetitive exposure to traumatic experiences lengthens the recovery process; moreover, resources to deal with these events are often lacking. Alienation and dramatic living conditions are steady feelings.
However, we have to look beyond the narrative of trauma. Many of these women build ideas and ideals of resilience that allow them to perceive themselves as unique and willing to lend support to other women in similar conditions. As a result of the doctor’s research, this could be a coping technique that helps to find meaning in suffering. Lastly, in Ukraine, women also confront further difficulties in terms of participation in the decision-making process in the public and private sectors. In times of war, women play a key role in immediate humanitarian response in local communities, such as organizing community assistance through rapid and effective mobilization. However, at the current moment, women’s leadership and their role in social and political decision-making have declined due to the role of the military, bringing down the overall level of female participation. Rather, women are automatically pushed away from active participation in formal decision-making prose since they must increasingly look after their children who remain without education facilities.
Then, what can we do to stop these people, these women, feeling alone? Certainly, even individual acts of compassion and support can make a difference; moreover, a continuous subsidy through humanitarian aid (i.e. the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF); the UNHCR Refugee Environmental Protection Fund) aimed at achieving greater stability is required, for families with children and single mothers, not only in international communities that welcome Ukrainian refugees but also in communities and organizations with a gender-sensitive focus. Ultimately, it is necessary to increase the level of awareness and information on a global scale, also by a positive, proactive and targeted use of social media platforms. Dr. Daryna Dvornichenko took action beyond her research to create the WeForWomen Initiative, a project that focuses on educating and empowering young women from socioeconomic minority groups. This initiative has been operating in Ukraine and Armenia since November 2019 and you can find more information on the Facebook page “We for Women Initiative” (https://www.facebook.com/we4womeninitiative). This is an effective illustration of using social media as a means to spread news, knowledge and publications on such topics. Besides, Daryna is the founder and project manager of the “Agents of Change!” NGO. This is a clear example of social activities that can be included among the several proposals and programs that help to give a more concrete structure to the work of the UN committees and organizations. For instance, UN Women is the UN organization providing policies and plans that ensure women’s human rights. In relation to the issue of displacement, UN Women works to support refugees worldwide, partnering with UNHCR, and facilitating displaced women to access livelihood chances.
In 1980 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/35/135) based on the Report of the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, (Copenhagen, 14-30 July 1980), A/CONF.94/35. This resolution gives strength to the cause of refugees and displaced people, calls for recognition and awareness of the rampant, invasive and widespread issue and requires cooperation and solutions for immediate relief to those vulnerable individuals, especially women, who have a pivotal role within the family unit. Equality, development and peace are not modern elements, but more work is needed for actual recognition and greater social sustainability.
Rebecca Tresoldi
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