The views of forced migrant survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Sweden

This working paper sets out evidence from interviews with forced migrant survivors of SGBV in Sweden. The interview material is contextualised with a brief account of services for the prevention of and protection against SGBV that are generally available in Sweden and the specific ways that refugees access those services. The methods through which 17 women and 13 men were contacted and interviewed are described, along with brief demographic characteristics to illustrate their diversity in terms of legal and marital status, sexuality and country of origin. The sexual and gender based violence that these 30 forced migrants report took place across the refugee journey, from country of origin to country of refuge. The violence was experienced both physically and psychologically and forced migrants’ vulnerability was compounded, when women were reliant on their husband for migration status, and when financial control was exerted. Gendered expectations reinforced suffering and hindered recovery from the harms of violence for men and women. The long waiting time for migration status decisions were a significant barrier to recovery and to integration.The lack of access to information was a notable barrier for women’s recovery and integration with wider society, especially in the context of fear of losing custody of one’s children to the state, which reinforced isolation. Forced migrants were generous in sharing their own insights and information to support others’ efforts towards recovery and integration.