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Protection Mechanisms’ Analysis of Gender-Based Violence Among Refugees in Egypt
Gender-Based Violence remains a critical protection challenge in humanitarian settings, yet the mechanisms that determine who reports violence, and who receives care, are often uneven. In Egypt, current data reveals significant disparities in reporting rates across demographic groups, prompting a de...
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AUC Knowledge Fountain
2026
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| Summary: | Gender-Based Violence remains a critical protection challenge in humanitarian settings, yet the mechanisms that determine who reports violence, and who receives care, are often uneven. In Egypt, current data reveals significant disparities in reporting rates across demographic groups, prompting a deeper inquiry into the inclusivity of existing protection frameworks. This study investigates the structural, economic, and socio-cultural factors that influence both the reporting of GBV and the delivery of services to refugee survivors. By examining the lived experiences of different migrant groups, the research interrogates how legal precarity and identity markers interact to create distinct barriers to justice and support. Adopting a qualitative phenomenological approach, this research draws on 17 interviews with survivors and policy experts, alongside a focus group discussion with frontline caseworkers. Through an intersectional lens, the study analyses how legal precarity, economic destitution, and rigid gender norms converge to silenced victims. The findings reveal a protection landscape defined by scepticism, where survivors fear law more than perpetrators. For many refugees, the national legal system serves not as a shield but as a threat; the risk of deportation, arbitrary detention or simply mistreatment effectively severs the link between survivors and the state, creating a "chilling effect" that emboldens perpetrators. Economically, survivors are trapped in a cycle where financial vulnerability forces them into exploitative situations, such as survival sex and other negative coping mechanisms, while simultaneously stripping them of the resources needed to seek help. Crucially, the study explores the unique barriers for male and LGBTQIA+ survivors. Unlike women, who may access peer support networks, men often suffer in isolation, unsure about channels of support and entry points for services. This exclusion is compounded by a humanitarian architecture that is often visually and operationally coded for women, implicitly signalling to men that they are not the intended beneficiaries. This research is vital for policymakers and humanitarian practitioners. It challenges the traditional gender-binary framework of aid, arguing that true protection requires a gender transformative approach. By uncovering the mechanisms that keep survivors hidden, this study offers a roadmap for moving beyond one-size-fits-all interventions toward a practically inclusive protection system that leaves no survivor behind. |
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