Support Programs for Women Survivors of Sexualized Gender-Based Violence From African Conflict Zones: A Contextual Review

The increasing attention paid to sexualized gender-based violence (GBV) against women in African conflict zones by the international community is a welcome development to many stakeholders, including scholars, policy makers, human rights advocates, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations. Little is known, however, about the experiences of survivors who end up in Western host countries, such as Canada, as newcomers. Much less is known about their interactions with Western-based mental health care intervention models and the assumptions and understandings they hold about survivors’ histories and life circumstances before, during, and after migration. We argue, therefore, for studies that place the experiences of survivors in a broader social and political context—as one crucial facet of culturally effective interventions. This review of the state of knowledge reveals the gaps in literature, identifies areas for future research, and contributes to the search for effective intervention measures that could enhance survivors’ transition and integration into Western societies.