Chynoweth , ‘Caring for male and LGBTI sexual violence survivors’, 2018

Sarah Chynoweth , ‘Caring for male and LGBTI sexual violence survivors: learning from local organisations’, 2018 Forced Migration Review 57, 41-42

Abstract

Local organisations responding to the Syrian humanitarian crisis are at the forefront of providing care for both male and LGBTI survivors of sexual violence.
Awareness of the vulnerabilities of boys and men and of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals to sexual violence has increased among humanitarian actors responding to the Syrian humanitarian crisis. Sensitised, targeted services, however, remain scarce. While services for boy survivors do exist, international humanitarian personnel often say that they do not know how to assist either adult male or LGBTI persons who have suffered sexual violence. These concerns are understandable, given the potential for harm in poorly designed interventions and that evidence-based guidance on how to develop effective interventions for these populations is limited. Replicating models designed for women and girls or simply rebranding gender-based violence (GBV) services as ‘gender-neutral’ is ineffective and may be harmful.