Menstrual health and structural violence: social work perspectives from displaced women in humanitarian settings in Gaza

In the context of the protracted humanitarian crisis, continuing armed conflict and large-scale displacement in Gaza, menstrual health remains one of the most neglected aspects of women's well-being. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 18 displaced Gazan women, this study explores how structural violence, poverty and displacement intersect to shape menstrual health experiences. Women reported limited access to safe menstrual products, inadequate sanitation facilities and deep-rooted stigma that intensified both physical discomfort and emotional distress. Using the lenses of structural violence and ecological systems theory, the study situates menstrual health insecurity as a critical human rights issue and a core concern of social work practice in humanitarian contexts. By engaging with debates in critical menstruation studies, the analysis highlights how the politicisation of the female body in Gaza transforms menstruation into a site of both vulnerability and resistance. Findings underscore the need for integrated social work responses that combine the provision of menstrual materials, psychosocial support and advocacy for menstrual justice within war-affected settings.