Lead researchers: Dr Susan Bartels
Partner: Queen’s University, Canada
Duration: January 2024 – March 2025
Countries: South Sudan, Sudan
Women and girls in the South Sudan–Sudan border region are highly vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV) linked to conflict and forced displacement. The region is a unique context of repeated cross-border displacement between the two countries, in both directions. This research maps out patterns of GBV along the border, looking at the extent and patterns of GBV, and how these are influenced by the intersection of protracted conflict (South Sudan), more acute conflict (Sudan), and forced displacement in both directions. The project also examines how GBV serves as both a driver and outcome of cross-border displacement between the two countries. Gathering concrete evidence will help design more robust and cost-efficient interventions to reduce the risk of future GBV incidents. The data will also steer the development of victim/survivor-centred support systems that are better tailored to the needs of affected people.
The project uses sensemaking methodology, a unique mixed-methods research approach that leverages storytelling to communicate complex information about personal and community experiences. Participants respond to open-ended prompts to share their experiences, creating the qualitative data. They then interpret their own narratives by plotting their perspectives, which provides the quantitative data. Sensemaking collects many self-interpreted narratives, offering a detailed view of the research subject (in this case, GBV during cross-border displacement), much like pixels come together to form a clear image.
This project is one of several focused on women and girls in cross-border conflict contexts. The main output will be a research manuscript for submission for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or as an XCEPT research report.
For more information regarding this research, contact [email protected]