The Situation of Violence Against Women in Refugee Camps (Research Note) (Table) (Report‪)‬

The main objective of the study is to explore the extent and situation of violence against women and girls in Beldangi Bhutanese refugee camps of Jhapa district based on the field survey. This paper deals with the respondents' opinion and attitude about the forms of violence that occurred inside the camps and the incidents of violence which they know. It also provides the opinion about the redress and treatment mechanism following the incidence of violence. In this survey, questions were asked only to the females aged 18 years and above. The total number of respondents were 93. The Beijing platform for Action 1995 defines the term violence against women as the act of gender based violence that results in psychological, physical or sexual harm to women which includes threats, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty that occurs in public or private (UN 1995). Garske (2000) states that the violence against women perspective connects all forms of male violence against women--such as child sexual abuse, rape, sexual harassment, workplace violence, beatings, and homicide--across the different age of women's lives. It also recognizes a connection between male violence against women and other forms of domination based on race, sexual orientation, class, and other social setup. This perspective suggests an intimate interrelationship between women's freedom from violence and their freedom from political, economic, and social exploitation (Garske 2000).