Hamed Aghdam
Field Assistant
Duty Station: Tehran, Iran
As we know, Iran has one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world. Living in exile for a long time, being a member of a conservative society that does not support people who have experienced traumas (such as being victim of SGBV), and/or being pessimistic about young refugees’ future has caused many psychological problems for people living in such contexts. Almost all of refugees especially teen girls are disappointed about their future and it causes serious depression among them. Consequently, they are more likely to become SGBV victims/survivors.
I’m addressing the challenge to find a way to increase refugees’ awareness against violence and exploitation and involve the refugee community to prevent Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
This challenge can be broken down into three parts:
- How to boost ego and increase the quality of life of refugees?
- How to utilize capacities of refugee communities to take part in GBV and harm reduction programmes?
- How to find a new way to help traumatized refugees (SGBV survivors, refugees suffering from depreciation etc.) cope with their current situation?
I want to find a solution to this challenge because lack of life skills and low ego in refugees, especially in young girls is the main reason of being victim of gender based violence amount refugee communities in Iran.