Factors Influencing Congolese Refugee Resettlement

Purpose:The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine experiences associated with becoming a refugee and the resettlement process for Congolese refugees who resettled in Kentucky. In 2013, The United Nations Human Rights Commission identified 3.6 million persons originally from the DRC as persons of concern as stateless or seeking refuge or asylum as a result of armed conflict (UNHCR, 2013). This humanitarian crisis has resulted in the resettlement of over 11,000 Congolese refugees in the US over a 12 year period with Kentucky being listed one of the states receiving the highest numbers of resettled persons (World Relief, 2013).

Methods:In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of Congolese refugees who have been resettled in the US. Recruitment strategies targeted refugees who were early in the resettlement process (within 1 year); midway through the resettlement process (1-5 years); and fully resettled (more than 5 years). In addition recruitment was stratified to include respondents across three age categories including adults 18-35, 36-44, and 55 and above. The final sample totaled 11 interviews including six men and five women. Recruitment was ended when data saturation was obtained. Interview questions were designed to explore stages of the respondents experiences including becoming a refugee, living in a refugee camp, and resettlement to the United States. Survey questions were translated-back-translated in Swahili and the use of two translators, one male and one female Congolese refugee who had gone through resettlement in the US, were used as interpreters. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and entered into Atlas t/I for analysis. Thematic analysis using open coding was conducted to generate themes across the interviews. Constant comparative methods were used to ensure comprehensiveness in the coding process and to ensure saturation was obtained. Interviews conducted with male and female refugees were compared to examine differences in the refugee and resettlement process for men and women.

Results: Respondents reported general satisfaction with support related to immediate basic needs such as housing and job placement. However, findings from this study highlight gender differences in the acculturation process particularly with respect to differences in cultural norms associated with gender roles, parenting styles, and participation in community life. The lack of assistance in adapting to new cultural norms contributed to resettled refugees experiencing charges related to domestic violence and child abuse as well as family separation and divorce.

Implications: Resettlement services to Congolese refugees tend to focus on providing access to basic resources such as ESL classes, housing, and job placement assistance. This study suggests that practitioners need to focus on problems associated with acculturation to address issues such as domestic violence. Findings also suggest that services should be tailored to address the unique needs of men and women who are resettled in the US.

UNHCR (n.d.). 2014 UNHCR country operations profile: Democratic Republic of the Congo.Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCR.

Retrieved at: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e45c366.html

World Relief (2013). Refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Baltimore: World Relief: Cultural

Orientation Resource Center. Retrieved at: http://worldrelief.org/document.doc?id=1496