Abstract:
Violence against women refugees is the critical social problem of the society in the
perspective of social work which become the central social, economic and health problem.
However, in Ethiopia studies on violence against women refugees are limited. Most researches in
this area were conducted in line with other problems of refugees. In order to explore
comprehensively, it needs specific study. Thus, the main objective of the study was to explore
the forms, cause, consequences and responses done by the actors to address violence against
women refugees in Bambasi refugee camp. In order to achieve these objectives, qualitative
methods of data collection with case study design was employed. Hence, data were collected
from in-depth interview of eighteen women refugees, four key informant interviews and FGD.
The study found that Bambasi women refugees in the camp were exposed to sexual, physical,
psychological and socio-economic violence including; attempt rape, physical injuries, rape,
discrimination and stigmatization, gang rape, and denial of access to services by male refugees,
host communities. Moreover, forced idleness, the setting of the camp, economic dependency,
physical insecurity, lack of awareness, collapse of social and family structure, poor reporting,
poor coordination and legal enforcement mechanisms were identified as contributing factors of
VAW. Counseling, resilience training, awareness creation, and material support are among the
responses to the survivors of VAW in Bambasi refugee camp. Hence, the researcher revealed the
implications to the policy makers, social work practices, and future researchers.