Gendering Humanitarian Aid in the Treatment of Syrian Refugees

For the past 12 years, the ongoing conflict in Syria has resulted in millions of people displaced within Syria and seeking refuge in neighboring countries. On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkey near the border with Syria, resulting in the deaths of thousands and displacement of millions. These compounding crises have garnered a significant humanitarian response in an effort to provide much-needed aid to the survivors. However, humanitarian efforts overwhelmingly lack a gendered component necessary to adequately help all individuals in need. Among the people displaced by both the armed conflict and the earthquake are those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc. (LGBTQ+). This population faces unique challenges deserving of specific attention and support because they are a more vulnerable group that historically has been marginalized and rendered invisible, particularly within the humanitarian context.

United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security addresses the disproportionate impact that conflict has on women and girls and emphasizes the importance of their inclusion in the peace and security process. However, no response plans or policies have addressed the challenges or needs of LGBTQ+ Syrian refugees. In Syria and in their host countries, these refugees face discrimination, harassment, and violence. In the context of humanitarian aid, they often experience exclusion from the refugee community and are denied access to services and resources. The international community should expand its incorporation of resolutions for women, peace, and security and strive to include the protection of the LGBTQ+ population in its response to challenges like conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), particularly in the context of providing aid to Syrian refugees.

Areas under control of the Syrian regime receive aid from the UN and from various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), whereas areas like northwest Syria, which is under the control of opposition groups, have received very little aid. Northwest Syria was also the area most affected by the earthquakes, with 4.5 million people in dire need of aid and 2.8 million displaced by the natural disaster. An additional 1.7 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey also require aid following the earthquakes, a population already facing challenges receiving aid due to discrimination and sentiments of resentment.

Following these compounding crises, healthcare in Syria is severely lacking. The protracted armed conflict has resulted in government forces targeting healthcare facilities in the northwest. Syria’s healthcare system has been struggling to respond to public health concerns like the outbreak of infectious diseases, which the earthquakes have only exacerbated. This struggling system now must address the physical injuries and mental trauma of the Syrian population. These healthcare concerns disproportionately affect populations like women and sexual and gender minorities (SGM) who were already in  more vulnerable positions. The physical injuries and psychological trauma sustained throughout the course of the conflict and following the earthquakes need to be addressed.

The risks that LGBTQ+ Syrian refugees face are compounded, placing them at a higher risk of extortion, conflict-related violence (CRV), gender-based violence (GBV), and health disparities. Institutions like the UN recognize that perpetrators of CRSV include parties involved in the conflict as well as peacekeepers and aid providers. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are more vulnerable because they challenge the dominant notions of masculinity and heterosexuality. It can be difficult for NGOs to openly provide support for SGM because of potential retaliation by the host governments. Additionally, many organizations often intentionally exclude SGM from receiving aid. There is a lack of data on LGBTQ+ Syrian refugees, including exactly how many are in need, which is another obstacle to providing aid to this vulnerable population. 

Following the earthquakes, the Assad government requested that the EU enact the Civil Protection Mechanism, which is a joint approach coordinating disaster relief responses. The UN has also provided aid following the UNHCR’s principled humanitarianism, which stresses humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence as rights- and community-based approaches to “do no harm” in their aid response. However, because the EU and UN coordinate this aid through the Syrian regime, northwest Syria has not received assistance. Additionally, as well-intentioned as these efforts have been, there has been little to no consideration for gender, which means that SGM are not adequately being provided for. The “do no harm” approach to the provision of aid cannot truly do no harm if it does not account for the unique needs of SGM. 

There have been a few attempts to bring gender into the conversation related to humanitarian aid. Any inclusion of gender in the provision of aid focuses exclusively on pregnant women, who the earthquakes disproportionately affect and who lack access to necessary healthcare resources. While this is a vulnerable population in need of specific attention and aid, there should be more of a gendered focus that includes the needs of the LGBTQ+ community as well. The UNFPA has taken gender into consideration in terms of providing services related to SRH (Sexual and Reproductive Health) and GBV to women and girls. However, there is still no mention of the LGBTQ+ community and the unique challenges they face that should be addressed. 

Because host communities and refugee camps discriminate against LGBTQ+ Syrian refugees and deny their access to aid services, organizations providing humanitarian assistance should work to ensure that the distribution of aid and services is equal between majority and minority populations where sexual orientation and gender are concerned. Requiring aid providers to undergo training related to SGM can facilitate the inclusion of these groups in aid services. 

Addressing access to healthcare is pivotal, as it is one of the most immediate and pervasive needs among those affected both by the conflict and the earthquakes. There should be a focus among humanitarian aid organizations on rebuilding healthcare facilities and ensuring that there are trained physicians, particularly in northwest Syria, which is most in-need. These healthcare efforts should include physical as well as mental health, as the compounding crises will have left a significant amount of both physical and psychological trauma. This can be achieved either through providing support to existing Syrian NGOs or by bringing in outside medical professionals to provide healthcare. Similar to the previous recommendation, there should be required training for medical professionals related to the unique physical and mental health needs of SGM. 

Overall, the humanitarian assistance apparatus requires significant changes to prevent groups like LGBTQ+ refugees from falling through the cracks. In cases like Syria, where vulnerable populations have been in need for over a decade, facilitating access to adequate aid could have a potentially transformative impact on those populations’ lives.

Author: Brianna Zimmermann

Managing Editor: Alexander Sarchet

Web Editor: Douglas Chen-Young