“I Will Stay with Him through Thick and Thin”: Factors Influencing the Incidence and Persistence of Intimate Partner Violence against Syrian Refugee Women in Jordan

Abstract

This qualitative study examines factors that trigger and perpetuate intimate partner violence (IPV) against Syrian refugee women in Jordan. Interviews (n = 36) were conducted with service providers and Syrian refugee women who are/were in intimate partner violent relationships in Jordan. This study employed the nested ecological model as a conceptual framework. Findings revealed interconnected factors that play a role in fueling IPV: the disruption of cultural codes; the explosion of illegal marriages; the trauma resulting from conflict, flight, and refuge; and Syrian women’s reluctance to report to service providers as well as their reliance on romantic love in times of crisis.

Keywords:

• Gender-based violence
• Jordan
• Middle East
• refugee camps
• Syrian crisis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).