Social ecosystems of trafficked conflict-related sexual violence survivors and their children: navigating and coping with intersecting stigma and violence in Nigeria and Iraq

We explore the intersectional risk of stigma and violence faced by women and girls trafficked by armed groups, and their ‘children born of war’ (CBOW) in Nigeria and Iraq. Failing to address intersectional violence, stigma and discrimination has severe implications for women’s and children’s health, wellbeing, intergenerational trauma, sustained reintegration, and Women, Youth, Peace and Security Agendas, Security Council Resolutions 1325/2467 and Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Thirty-two in-depth interviews (IDIs) and eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) survivors, community, faith leaders, service providers and government stakeholders to understand experiences and perceptions of stigma, coping and reintegration challenges. Findings show that experiences of mothers and their children are complex and interrelated, and that they can experience stigma at every socio-ecological level. Stigma contributed to rejection and abandonment and in some cases return to the armed groups. Stigma was often linked to the perceived affiliation with the armed groups and children’s paternity, but also to atypical religious related and aggressive behaviours. In Nigeria, initial family acceptance could erode due to community stigma, leading to eventual rejection. Stigma negatively impacted wellbeing, sustained acceptance and access to services. Yet, survivors utilised key resilience resources to cope. Protective factors included support by female relatives and faith leaders, and relocation. Stigma experienced by CRSV survivors mirrored stigma experienced by gender-based violence (GBV) survivors’, but they also faced new forms of conflict-related stigma, emphasising the need to address underlying gendered norms and new conflict-related stigma dynamics. Findings have important implications in understanding how community-based stigma can influence family outcomes, which is far less known. It also gives insight into areas to strengthen for practitioners working with this population, including for social workers. We contribute to the literature by focusing on two conflict-affected contexts where limited research on these topics exist.