Toward a Comprehensive Response: Findings from Community Consultations with Practitioners and Stakeholders Addressing Domestic Violence in Forcibly Displaced Populations

Background

Risks of domestic violence (DV) intensify when women and men experience armed conflict, political instability, and forced migration. In Afghanistan, studies estimate that over 55% of women have experienced DV in their lifetime. However, the understanding of DV after resettlement is less understood, hindering effective programming and intervention. A series of community consultations conducted with stakeholders and practitioners in 2024 sought to identify strategies to mitigate risks of DV among Afghan refugees and other forcibly displaced populations, and generate detailed recommendations for resettlement policy and practice.

Study Methods

We used a purposive sampling approach to recruit participants based on two eligibility criteria: (1) experience working with the Afghan community and (2) experience addressing IPV/DV in the Afghan community. A total of 55 practitioners and community stakeholders participated in an on-line survey or virtual interview. All interviews were recorded and professionally transcribed. The structured survey questions were used as a framework for combining qualitative data from survey responses and interview transcripts. A content analysis approach was then used to identify key themes, frequencies, and patterns across the data, within structural codes. Two researchers independently reviewed and coded the data; regular discussions were held to refine the codes and address differences in interpretation. A project-specific Community Advisory Board (CAB) made up of practitioners from the fields of refugee resettlement, DV, and health guided and supported the community consultations, and played a key role in reviewing and finalizing the recommendations.

Findings

Successes with assisting Afghan women experiencing DV included connecting survivors to culturally-responsive services/resources and helping survivors navigate the legal system. Challenges faced in assisting Afghan women experiencing DV included significant gaps in culturally- and linguistically-responsive, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed services; inadequate funding and lack of prioritization; complex barriers disclosing DV and obstacles to seeking formal help, and women’s confinement to the home, among others. Coordination challenges included system-wide gaps in capacity, staff turnover and shortages, and limited resources.

Community stakeholder- and practitioner-derived recommendations for system change clustered into seven intersecting priorities. First, increase specific funding for DV services and programs for Afghans and other forcibly displaced populations in the U.S. Second, strengthen inter-agency coordination and collaboration. Third, expand provision of culturally- and linguistically-responsive DV services and programs. Fourth, prioritize comprehensive community education and outreach for both DV prevention and response. Fifth, ensure community engagement and inclusion of Afghans and other forcibly displaced populations in the response to DV. Sixth, expand access to language interpretation services and resources in accessible languages and formats. Seventh, invest in comprehensive training and capacity-building.

Discussion and Recommendations

The findings highlight the degree to which addressing DV in the Afghan community and broader forcibly displaced population necessitates a comprehensive approach to building local and national infrastructure. While the empirically-derived recommendations are specific to Afghan communities in the U.S., they likely reflect similar and/or shared needs of other forcibly displaced populations as well. Findings underscore the need to center refugee voices in shaping DV responses and ensuring services are adaptable to the sociocultural contexts of resettled communities.