SHATTERED LIVES UNBROKEN SPIRITS
- polsodepthindu
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
“She was told her place was within four walls, Her world measured in footsteps from hearth to hall. Yet when war raged and the walls collapsed, She was cast adrift—unprepared, unarmed, yet expected to adapt.
The safest haven is home,
a place to call one’s own.
We all have grown up hearing and experiencing this, haven’t we?
But what about those who flee their homes, seeking safety?”
The world we once considered our home has increasingly become a war zone. Now, more than ever before, the effects of globalisation are starkly visible, however, not in the direction of promised prosperity but towards conflict where the burden of the catastrophes are borne by none other than the commoners. This tale is an attempt to go beyond the multifaceted role of women refugees – whether as wives or widows, mothers or bereaved souls, prostitutes or labourers – and see them united as women, bound by resilience and a shared hope for a future of their own.
WHY FOCUS ON WOMEN?
Amartya Sen aptly states, “the hardships of society—whether in economic adversity or social discrimination—tend to fall particularly on women." This grim reality holds true in a trans-temporal manner.
Patriarchy has always dictated the norms of the society and followed them even in their exiles as refugees, thus exacerbating the dire circumstances to which they are already subjected. Thus, viewing the problem through a gendered lens is imperative for bringing out a more comprehensive and inclusive solution to the larger issue of refugee crisis.
TRIPLE THREAT: GENDER, DISPLACEMENT AND EMOTIONAL UPHEAVAL
Among the myriad solutions devised for refugees, men seem to be the focal point, thus systematically sidelining the unique problems faced by their female counterparts. Intersectionality reveals how displacement, coupled with the interplay of multiple social categories of gender, race and ethnicity makes them face a double-edged crisis: one of displacement and the other, the more insidious one – that of invisibility.
Of all the risks they face, the harshest remains physical and sexual violence, where women are treated as objects upon whom power and control are asserted. Their individual suffering is often intertwined with the honour of their families and communities as the weight of cultural and religious expectations falls on their shoulders. But this violence does not end with the act itself—it lingers, in the form of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, while the stigma surrounding it forces silence, deepening isolation. The fear of repeated assault creates chronic hypervigilance, leaving women in a constant state of alertness.
While such experiences trigger rage in them, the paucity of a safe space to express it leads to internalised anguish and cultural repression which becomes a hindrance in rebuilding their sense of self. They are caught in a circle of numbness, self-blame, and a loss of agency, further entrenching their trauma. At this point, their fundamental right to live a decent life is not merely threatened; it is systematically stripped away.
Sexual violence may also result in forced maternity, adding another layer of suffering for them. Already displaced, they find themselves without proper prenatal care, safe delivery options, or postpartum support. Raising children born of assault deepens psychological trauma and societal isolation. Health, both physical and mental, becomes a systematic denial of dignity, with no medical care for survivors and nonexistent mental health support.
BURSTING THE BINARY GENDER CONSTRUCT
On the other end of the continuum, the loss or separation from male family members forces them into unfamiliar roles and unexpected responsibilities of becoming primary providers, not because they are ready but because they must.
For instance, a woman refugee from Eritrea (a country in East Africa) escaping from her country finds herself stranded in Hungary where the liberal socio-relational dynamics are in direct contrast with the conservative norms of her country. In such cases, they must constantly renegotiate their roles inside and outside the family, rethinking & renegotiating the power given, or the lack thereof to them, while navigating cultural shocks.
The forced role reversal often poses a threat to many men and the institution of patriarchy, resulting in an alleged loss of power, status, and purpose. This is often exemplified by hypermasculinity and stereotypical behaviour which finds its focal point in women who are often at its receiving end. This is manifested even in the systemic exclusion of women from leadership roles in camps and aid organisations.
Amidst all this, grief, both personal & collective, becomes largely politicised in the mainstream narrative which is already dominated by flashy headlines about the rhetoric of leaders. It manages to capture the media market only when it serves as a palatable narrative to the masses. Their sufferings are also truncated to mere statistics as if despair can be quantified.
THE WAY FORWARD
Looking at the plethora of problems abound in the lives of these women, this essay does not serve to eulogise the problems of countless refugee women; rather, it aims to issue a wake-up call not just for the policymakers but for all of us. To think of it, the only wrong these women have done is having been born in a grossly unjust world riddled with wars and power struggles. On one hand we have agencies like UNHCR, UNRWA and Human Rights Watch et al. working relentlessly to provide a safe refuge for the displaced people; on the other, we have countries heftily increasing military spending, with estimates reaching 2.2 trillion USD according to UN reports.
It is imperative to strip away the victimised lens through which women have long been viewed and realise the fact that they are resilient and capable of flourishing if given the right opportunities. An exemplary movie called ‘The Swimmers’, released in 2022, brought forth the dauntless spirit of two Syrian sisters, who didn't let their circumstances define themselves. Their dream of pursuing sports was given a fillip by the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, which came into existence in 2016. This shifted the common narrative about refugees from being recipients of mere sympathy to being bearers of resilience and solidarity amidst the adversities.
The least we can do is to lift the veil of misperception towards them. Instead of simply depicting their struggles and imposed responsibilities, one should acknowledge them as resilient figures by depicting their struggles with blatant honesty.
Providing psychological support creates a safe space for them to share their lived trauma, which in turn equips them with the assurance that they are not alone in this world. For this, education is a deft tool to breach the cultural barriers & dismantle the vicious cycle of negative emotions. Unfortunately, education is a far-fetched dream for most of these women. This is where an external impetus is needed, one that is driven by doctors, teachers, philanthropists et al. who don't think of themselves as saviours from the high towers of privileged society but rather as equals with empathy. Change will come not from passive sympathy but from collective action. Education can aid in opening the gates of our minds as well as the borders by shedding the entrenched stereotypes about other nationalities, thereby making our world a global, gender-sensitive village in actuality.
CONCLUSION
The answer lies not in the rhetoric but in the choices that we make moving forward. All the countries should make it a shared, yet common but differentiated responsibility to open their borders to refugees and provide them rehabilitation so that they can reclaim their rights and become empowered.
As we reflect on the state of the world today, we must ask ourselves, will we continue to glorify their endurance while ignoring the systemic injustices that demand it? Or will we finally challenge the very conditions that force them to endure, striving for a world where their strength is no longer a necessity for survival but a choice for empowerment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Women, Refugees, Solidarity | IDLO - International Development Law Organization
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/refugee-and-internally-displaced-women-a-development-perspective/
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/refugee-and-internally-displaced-women-a-development-perspective/
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ABOUT WRITERS
Akshaya Rajkumar is a second year student of political science hons.
A movie enthusiast, she loves to delve the nuances of complex issues and is open to new experiences coming her way.
Kriti Vyas is a second year student of Political Science hons. She has an interest in philosophy and seeks to unravel the deeper questions about life. She pores over novels and loves to undertand the same situation from diverse perspectives.