Gender-Based Violence Goes on in Earthquake Affected Zones

The 2023 earthquake continues to affect women in Hatay, with rising GBV risks in impacted communities. Discover how DRC and partners are empowering women through awareness, legal aid, and economic recovery initiatives.

The earthquake: a persistent crisis

The 2023 earthquake was a catastrophic event, claiming over 50,000 lives and displacing three million people.

Many NGOs, including the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), collaborated with local authorities to respond to the overwhelming needs of affected people.

It has been 21 months and people have moved forward adjusting to a new reality, but provinces like Hatay continue to struggle with the aftermath, including a disturbing rise in gender-based violence (GBV).

The financial difficulties caused by inflation and job loss have led to an increase of risks for child labor and child marriage. Refugee women may be also asked for additional documents to report violence they are subject to, which can be challenging.

Emrah Çelik, Protection Specialist at DRC

Challenges in recovery

In Hatay, over 64% of buildings are either collapsed or heavily damaged, leaving the region a long way to reconstruction. According to the Shelter Sector Türkiye Earthquake Presentation, , more than 444,000 individuals are staying in container sites in Hatay, Adiyaman, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya. Meanwhile, the International Labor Organization reports that over 38% of men and 45% of women lost their jobs due to the disaster, while 89.5% of the population in Hatay and 69% of the population in Kahramanmaraş continue to face challenges in accessing services such as healthcare, education, social services and law enforcement due to service proximity. As for refugees, the challenges become harder with language barriers and legal status, bringing more limits to their access to support and services.

Meanwhile, the economic strain is evident as the inability to meet basic needs in Hatay has risen from 3.4% to 22.6%, while the food and rent prices increased about 68% according to the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye. All those factors in addition to lack of job opportunities may push families to harmful coping mechanisms, such as child labor and child marriage. Tensions at home are also exacerbating, leading to an increase in the risks of gender-based violence, especially among refugees.

Violence against women and girls has always existed, but the earthquake brought it to the surface. Many women fear of reporting of their abusers because they are too afraid to lose their homes and financial supporters.

Zahra, Protection Assistant at DRC

DRC’s response

During 2024, DRC and its partner Support to Life (STL) intensified their efforts to combat GBV. Like 2023, DRC and STL held several awareness-raising sessions targeting refugees with a specific focus on women.

Funded by the European Union, the sessions not only raised refugees’ awareness of their rights and the services they are entitled to, but also to encourage women to report on any form of violence they are subject to.

The sessions have become more important in 2024 since new procedures and regulations are shared mostly internally within the governmental institutions.

DRC made more efforts to make sure that refugees are aware of the new laws and that they are able to practice their rights. About 7,200 refugees attended those sessions, mostly women, including 2,238 in Hatay since the beginning of 2024.

DRC’s protection team in Hatay has held awareness-raising sessions for 2,238 refugees, including women, this year. Many of the sessions were held in DRC’s Multi-Functional Safe Space (MFSS) in Reyhanlı, Hatay.

GBV can happen anywhere at any time, but we can always play a role in the prevention through educating women about their rights and guiding them on how to seek help when needed.

Ahmad, protection assistant at DRC

I invite women in my neighborhood to these meetings and support them in learning their rights.

Nevre, a Syrian teacher

The ripple effect

The impact did not stop there. Some of the participants in the sessions began taking the lead in their communities to raise women’s awareness of gender-based violence.

Nevre, a Syrian teacher in Iskenderun, Hatay, was inspired to learn about women's rights under the Turkish law during one of STL’s sessions.

She decided to become a community volunteer at Support to Life and assist in spreading awareness about women’s rights.

Beyond awareness

While raising awareness is crucial, there is a need to respond to the cases. DRC and STL provide tailored interventions to GBV survivors through case management.

Funded by the European Union, the assistance could include access to emergency accommodation, basic needs, and temporary financial support.

One of the participants, Elin*, reached DRC’s partner STL to support her with her divorce arrangements as a survivor of a child marriage. The team helped her with her papers and got her a restraining order so her husband could no longer threaten her.

Elin*, reached DRC’s partner Support to Life (STL) to seek help as a survivor of a child marriage. The team helped her with her legal papers so she could be safe.

My husband used to threaten me even after I left him. I reached STL in one of their awareness raising sessions and they provided me with the legal support I needed.

Elin, a Syrian mother

Building sustainability

Safety alone is not enough. Many women also need financial independence, which is why DRC’s Economic Recovery Programme includes empowering individuals at risk of GBV by securing stable sources of income.

One of them was Rama*, a single mother with four children, stayed in a tent after the earthquake, which made her and her family subject to attacks by men. Despite lacking financial resources, she had to move to a one-bedroom apartment to be safe before approaching DRC to seek support.

DRC’s protection team referred her to the integrated protection and economic recovery project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which supports people at risk of GBV by providing her with tailored protection assistance before connecting her to economic generation opportunities.

Later, she was referred to the Productive Assets Support for Home-Based Business component, which provides refugees with business management skills training and the means to launch their own businesses. Rama successfully started her own catering business to be financially independent.

Rama, supported by DRC’s Productive Assets Support for Home-Based Businesses, turned her cooking passion into a catering business, achieving financial independence and supporting her family.

The project helped me stand on my feet. I can now provide my children with a safe home.

Rama, a Syrian entrepreneur

The project is part of BRIDGES programme, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economics Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KFW), which also includes other components such as self and wage employment wage support, cash for work and Business Development Services.

These components aim to restore stability while ensuring that at least 40% of participants are women. Another Cash for Work project, funded by the World Food Programme (WFP), focuses on the agrifood sector in Hatay, and provides temporary job solutions for refugees, including females, to obtain income, support their families, contribute in the agrifood sector and gain more self-confidence.

The results seem promising:

Single mothers need safe homes but cannot afford the rent. We need support to help us overcome this difficult time.

Rama, a Syrian entrepreneur

The situation of the job market is improving but it still needs a boost. Supporting local industries and agriculture, providing training and supporting women cooperatives are essential create more opportunities for everyone, especially women.

Secil Uygungil, the Economic Recovery Manager in the west at DRC

Still a long way to go

Despite the achievements, there are still challenges. Funding cuts threaten the continuation of these efforts, leaving many women under the risk of returning to exploitative or abusive situations due to financial pressures such as high rents and limited job opportunities.

Recovery in the areas still struggling with the earthquake aftermath will take time.

On the other hand, it is essential to continue with life-saving assistance for survivors and to increase raising awareness among both women and men on gender-based violence. Women need to know that there is always a way out while men must recognize that violence takes different forms and is never justified.

By working on this, we can cultivate hope that one day they will contribute to ending GBV.

*Beneficiaries' names were changed to protect their identities.

If we want to bring about a wider change, we must actively involve men and boys in prevention. They cannot be just seen as the problem; they are essential to the solution.

Emrah Çelik, Protection Specialist at DRC