Gender and migration: A continuum of gender-based violence echoing across the Sinai Desert and into Israel"

Gender-based violence (GBV) is widespread globally and is based on social roles.
These social roles represent society’s expectations of men and women carrying out
stereotyped functions and behaviours. These gendered social expectations vary
across culture, space and time. Drawing from an empirical study in Israel and
building on the previous literature on these issues, this qualitative and interdisciplinary article identifies various forms of GBV along Eritrean women’s journey
from their home country into Israel. The empirical work helps to examine
the findings of previous theoretical studies. This article establishes that there is a
continuum of violence for women, especially refugees and asylum seekers, rooted
in the standard system of oppression – patriarchy. This has triggered the flight
and trafficking of refugees from Eritrea through the Sinai Desert and into Israel.
The article argues that structural and cultural violence emanating from both the
hosted community and the host community play significant roles in allowing the
circumstances for GBV to thrive throughout the entire refugee cycle. What can be
seen is the creation of multiple layers of vulnerabilities, particularly the specific social–legal–economic marginalization of segments of the population, including
Eritrean asylum-seeking women. Reacting to this continuum of violence, many
participants in the study argued that it was necessary to adopt strategies to create
a continuum of resilience and resistance grounded on women’s sorority, support
and agency.