Child Marriage and Domestic Violence Among Syrian Refugee Girls in Domiz Camp Kurdistan-Iraq

Abstract

The study aims to examine the violation of women’s rights through domestic violence in the Domiz camp, focusing on child marriage as a human rights issue within refugee camps and its connection with social work. It sought to evaluate domestic violence among Syrian refugee girls married before 18 and its impact on these young girls and their families. The long-lasting displacement caused by the internal Syrian war has led to one of the world’s largest refugee populations. The qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with young wives using ecological theory as a conceptual framework. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by the first author with four girls, along with focus group discussions involving five parents. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were employed for participant selection. The primary findings highlighted that conflicts with parents-in-law are associated with domestic violence and divorce incidents affecting family members of Syrian refugees. Domestic violence within a family leads to marital breakdowns and subsequent legal issues due to divorces. Hence, suitable strategies such as engaging in social work with young wives and their families can help reduce marital violence prevalence among refugees. Furthermore, it is recommended that parents educate their daughters about family responsibilities. In addition, government authorities and societal stakeholders should act aimed at enhancing child protection measures while reducing the vulnerability of girls towards domestic abuse. Finally, divorced young wives need crucial financial support enabling them to communicate effectively in a society, wherein increasing independence becomes feasible.