Lived experiences of migrant men witnessing and surviving sexual violence in European transit spaces

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19533765
AutoresLeni Linthout (0000-0003-2334-6656, International Centre for Reproductive Health), Ilse Derluyn (0000-0001-5450-1239, Ghent University), Caroline Desombre (0000-0002-6912-2669, Université de Lille), Massil Benbouriche (0000-0001-7490-5417, Université de Lille), Ines Keygnaert (0000-0002-1707-0254, International Centre for Reproductive Health)
Año2025
Volumen21
Número1
Páginas38-38
Fecha de publicación2025-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaGlobalization and Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1744-8603 • E-ISSN: 1744-8603
EditorialSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/s12992-025-01131-6
PMID40598514
OpenAlexW4411875483
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas50

BACKGROUND: Despite increased scholarly attention to sexual violence, victimization among migrant men and boys remains under researched. This study aims to explore 1) migrant men's views on and understandings of sexual victimization, 2) their own experiences with surviving and witnessing sexual violence during their past and ongoing migration journeys and 3) the consequences of such victimization and their coping behaviors. RESULTS: Participant observation in Brussels (Belgium) and Calais (France) preceded in-depth interviews with 39 migrant men between 16 and 47. Participants varied in age, nationality, educational level and aspired migration projects yet all of them were undocumented. They held varying, yet consistently gendered understandings of sexual violence, depicting women as victims and men as perpetrators. Although they did not explicitly label their own experiences as sexual violence, both direct and indirect forms of it were part of their past and ongoing migration trajectories. Sexual violence had a profound impact on men, inducing shame and challenging their masculine identity. Coping and prevention strategies ranged from normalizing or minimizing the violence and avoidantly forgetting, to protecting one another against future threats. CONCLUSIONS: The results advocate for safe legal migration routes, increased awareness of migrant men's vulnerabilities to sexual violence, and enhanced training and screening of professionals and volunteers working in the field

Criminology · Political science · Public health · Public transport · Sexual violence · Social policy · Sociology · Demography · Gender Studies · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Sex work and related issues · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies