Wartime, Flight, and Resettlement Realities of Unaccompanied Eritrean Girls in Israel

in Girlhood Studies
Author:
Maya Fennig Assistant Professor, Tel Aviv University, Israel mayafennig@tauex.tau.ac.il

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9095-6780
and
Myriam Denov Professor, McGill University, Canada myriam.denov@mcgill.ca

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7963-1136
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2024.170107
Keywords:
adolescence; displacement; forced migration; gender; refugees; resistance; structural violence; symbolic violence
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Abstract

We conducted a qualitative study among Eritrean refugees residing in Israel to explore the impact of armed conflict and displacement on adolescent girls’ transition to adulthood. We conducted 19 interviews with young Eritrean refugee women who, as girls and young women, escaped conflict-affected Eritrea and made their way on foot, through Sudan, the Sinai desert, and Egypt to Israel. Our findings reveal how structural and symbolic violence shaped the gendered realities of these Eritrean girls throughout their migration journey. In Israel, while such violence in the forms of precarious immigration status and intimate partner violence were embedded in their everyday lives, participants also drew actively on creative strategies to resist and contest violence.

Contributor Notes

Maya Fennig (ORCID: 0000-0002-9095-6780) is an Assistant Professor at Tel Aviv University's School of Social Work, Israel. Her research interests are in the areas of cross-cultural mental health and refugee studies, with a specific focus on the psychosocial consequences of forced migration on individuals and families. Email: mayafennig@tauex.tau.ac.il

Myriam Denov (ORCID: 0000-0001-7963-1136) is a Full Professor at McGill University and holds the Canada Research Chair in Children, Families and Armed Conflict (Tier 1). Her research interests lie in the areas of children and families affected by war, migration, and its intergenerational impact. Email: myriam.denov@mcgill.ca

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Girlhood Studies

An Interdisciplinary Journal

Cover Girlhood Studies
Article Category:
Research Article
Page Count:
17
Keywords:
adolescence; displacement; forced migration; gender; refugees; resistance; structural violence; symbolic violence
Print Publication Date:
01 Mar 2024
Online Publication Date:
01 Mar 2024
Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024

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