Constructing ‘modern gendered civilised’ women and men: gender-mainstreaming in refugee camps

Abstract

Gender mainstreaming in humanitarian programmes with forced migrants is based on a belief that such an approach will lead to greater gender equality, while raising the status of women through their ‘empowerment’. In this article, I focus on the activities of international and local humanitarian organisations in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. I argue that the concepts of ‘gender’ and ‘women’ are often over-simplified and essentialised in gender mainstreaming, and this results in programmes which not only exacerbate gender asymmetries, but may also place women at risk.

Keywords:

• refugee camps
• gender-mainstreaming
• southern Sudan
• Kenya

Notes

1. My doctoral research (2005–2010) that focused on the impact of conflict-induced displacement as a result of the 1983–2005 civil war in southern Sudan on the transformation of gender relations among the southern Sudanese Nuer, in the context of refugee camps and post-war return (Grabska 2010).

2. ‘Lost boys’ represent a group of young boys that were often forcibly recruited by the SPLA and trained in military camps in Ethiopia. When Sudanese refugees were expelled from Ethiopia in 1991, a group of boys under the leadership of their teachers marched towards the borders with Kenya. Many died because of starvation, war or illnesses on the way. Some 16,000 arrived in Kenya and were settled in the Kakuma camp. They were named as ‘lost boys’ by humanitarian workers.

3. Educational, training, and community activities were in English, including communication with UNHCR and NGOs.

4. For the evolution of the UNHCR's protection of women and girls and the development of AGDM policy see Kumin (2008) and Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children (2002).

5. Interviews with LWF gender unit supervisor, UNHCR protection officer and JRS counsellor, August–December 2006. See also Montoclos and Kagwanja (2000) and JRS (2006).