Feasibility and acceptability of mobile phone platforms to deliver interventions to address gender-based violence among Syrian adolescent girls and young women in Izmir, Turkey

ABSTRACT

Addressing gender-based violence risks among displaced adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) is challenging. Delivering interventions through mobile phone platforms could help overcome challenges and tailor services, but formative research to inform their development is lacking. We explored the feasibility and acceptability of mobile phone platforms to deliver interventions such as targeted public safety and information alerts to address gender-based violence (GBV) among Syrian AGYW in Izmir, Turkey. We conducted a qualitative study in August 2016 with 29 Syrian refugees aged 15 years and older through seven focus group discussions (three with young women, two with young men, and two with adults of mixed gender). Topics covered mobile phone usage and the perceived benefits and challenges of mobile phones for delivering interventions to address GBV. Discussions were led by trained facilitators, audio-recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Transcripts were coded and analyzed thematically. We found that access to mobile phones among AGYW was widespread and there were gendered expectations that influenced phone use. Key concerns among AGYW included perceived personal data security risks and data privacy as phones were commonly shared with family members. Most adults were supportive of targeted public safety and information alerts to promote safety among AGYW, but wanted to be consulted about content development. Piloting a short message service (SMS)-based intervention was challenging due to national-level restrictions on accessing mass SMS delivery mechanisms in a context of political unrest. In conclusion, mobile phones would provide a feasible platform to deliver GBV prevention interventions, such as public safety & information alerts, to AGYW if strategies to protect users’ privacy and minimize security risks are in place, and the community is involved in designing content. Their feasibility depends on access to mobile networks, which may be restricted in some settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescent girls
• young women
• gender-based violence
• intervention
• displacement
• mobile phones

Implications and contributions summary statement

Mobile phone based platforms have the potential to reach displaced populations such as AGYW with GBV interventions and tailor services. Our results suggest that this novel approach is feasible and acceptable if strategies to protect data security and privacy are implemented and community members are consulted.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support of Dr. Hatice Karahan, Apollo Jain (RapidPro and Twilio), all staff members at the community centre, WAHA International, and SMDD, as well as the study participants and translators who made this study a reality.

Authors’ Contributions

The study was designed by: AW, EY, OS, RH, MI, and JScott. Data collection was conducted by: EY, OM, MS, OS, with analysis and interpretation by OA, MI, and JSandhu. EY, AW, and JScott wrote the first draft of the manuscript, which was reviewed, modified, and approved by all other authors. All authors vouch for the accuracy and completeness of the data reported and adherence to the study protocol.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Role of the Funding Source

The study was funded by the Humanitarian Innovation Fund and The World Bank Group/Sexual Violence Research Initiative. The funding sources had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation of data.

Ethics Committee Approval

Human subjects research approval was obtained from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Izmir University.