Back to the drawing board: reconfiguring of service provision for forced migrant survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, a participatory planning project

Experiences of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are common among forced migrants.

Their unprotected legal status, absence of social support, financial difficulties and insecure housing all contribute to increased risk. If untreated, SGBV can have adverse effects on emotional-psychological, sexual reproductive and physical health. Yet, it is internationally recognised that current service provision is failing forced migrants.

Our preliminary findings from an interview study in the Swedish context indicate multiple challenges to service access.

In particular, the lengthy and uncertain asylum process and lack of information hinders direct access to formal services, leaving forced migrants highly dependent on social networks to access support.

Their experiences of violence are often not detected by services, or treatment pathways are affected by a lack of collaboration between services.

The objective of this planning grant is to co-produce an enhanced support service model, which will involve the reconfiguration of existing services.

Using a participatory workshop method, self- and professional-identified needs of forced migrant SGBV survivors will be integrated into a map of current service provision to highlight ways in which the service model can be enhanced.

The grant will enable the team to prepare for a subsequent project in which the enhanced service model will be qualitatively validated followed by a pilot trial to assess feasibility.Evaluations of participatory research, such as this, indicate that building a relationship with public contributors is fundamental.

SGBV survivor and service provider partners have already been identified; yet, a planning grant would enable relationship building among the team to enhance the co-production process.

Moreover, it will enable the necessary preparatory work to thoroughly map and critically assess the current service model ahead of developing a revised approach to take forward into a pilot trial.