Unbreakable Spirit: The Resilience of Refugee Women

Aug 22

By Amy Nguyen

“To be called a refugee is the opposite of an insult; it is a badge of strength, courage and victory.”

Tennessee Office For Refugees

As the daughter of a refugee, I often contemplate the history of my family, the significance of their survival and their subsequent ability to thrive and prosper in foreign environments and communities.

My bà nội (grandmother in Vietnamese) demonstrated strength and resilience in her actions throughout the Vietnam War that seems almost unfathomable to me as someone of immense privilege. Not only did she secure a safe passage and escape for two of her five sons to flee on a boat – one of whom was my father; she also remained the heartbeat of my family as they were forced to leave their country, deal with separation from relatives, adjust to a new life in the United States and create a clear plan that could help rebuild their wealth after losing everything to Vietnamese communists. My family was one of many torn apart, knowing that they would never all be able to return to their home together as one again.

The Sacred Willow, a Pulitzer-nominated book authored by Duong Van Mai Elliot, paints a similar picture of the resilience of women during this time in Vietnam as they navigate loss, separation, economic and political instability and so much more. She reflects “We have survived, scarred but not broken and determined to forge ahead and to look to the future with optimism.”

This is just one moment of history that captures the resilience of refugee women across the world – to be hopeful for the future despite the atrocities that have occurred.

Yet, too often, women of refugee backgrounds (WoRB) are painted as victims. Instead, we must lead with the notion that these women, as the lifeblood of families and communities, are the biggest assets to their host countries and networks.

As the climate crisis accelerates and millions more become refugees, framing the conversation to highlight the resilience and strength of women will be critical to galvanise hope and incorporate global perspectives.

How do we even begin to define the concept of a refugee? It is not a monolith, meaning different things to different people. The UN Refugee Agency sees a refugee as ‘someone who has been forced to flee their country due to a conflict or a credible fear of persecution based on reasons of race, religion, political opinion, membership of a social group in that country and is seeking refuge in another state.’

Agreeing upon a single definition for ‘climate refugee’ has been harder. In 1985 UN Environment Programme (UNEP) expert Essam El-Hinnawi defined climate refugees as ‘people who have been forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily, or permanently, because of marked environmental disruption’. Currently, the UNHCR refers to this as ‘persons displaced in the context of disasters and climate change.’

One thing is clear – being forced to be a refugee, by any cause be that extreme weather disasters or political turmoil, is not a choice.

Around 84% of the world’s refugees live in climate change hotspots, many of which are in the Global South. The latest data from the UNHCR estimates that over 100 million people were forcibly displaced by conflict, violence and human rights violations at the end of 2022. There are also estimates that by 2050, over 1.2 billion people will be displaced by climate.

As we approach the United Nations’ second Global Refugee Forum in December, where new pledges are expected to be announced, this presents an opportune moment to shift the narrative and reframe how people view refugees and to discourage harmful campaigns hurting humanitarian efforts like the U.K. Government’s infamous ‘Stop the Boats’.

So, what does this have to do with women? Like many issues, the climate crisis and ensuing climate displacement intersect with the fight for female equality and social justice.

Women and girls constitute around 50% or more of any refugee, internally displaced or stateless population. They face unique challenges, including greater risks of human trafficking, violence and negligence, as well as barriers to healthcare and education in host countries due to pre-existing gender discrimination. The victim mindset puts forward that these women are helpless and passive. This is often the only frame used to depict female refugees but is not the whole truth.

Women of refugee background (WoRB) are agents for peace, development and hope. They are also economists, doctors, lawyers, engineers and caregivers providing so much tangible and intangible value to their home countries. Through stories told by the UNHRC and academic research, as well as those shared across online platforms – they are advocates for economic empowerment, social justice and are fighters for refugee support across the world. Even younger demographics like teenage refugees are building resilience through integrating into new schools, communities and working towards their dreams.

Resilience is defined by the American Psychological Association (APA) as the ‘process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioural flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.’

Elsewhere, it is interpreted as the complex relationship between inner strengths and outer help and that within this – resilience stems from a web of relationships and experiences that teach mastery, ‘doggedness’, love, moral courage and hope.

Academics have sought to frame this resilience through the concept of buoyancy – signifying an individual’s ability to withstand life adversities and negate the grasp of negative thoughts, attitudes and behaviours. The authors of ‘Unlocking Resilience in Refugee Women’ cite six critical characteristics: confidence, coordination, commitment (persistence), composure, control and community.

The global coronavirus pandemic shone a light on these tenets of resilience displayed by female refugees. They are often ‘first responders’ and key actors in helping others, especially the vulnerable, during such times. The Australian Institute of International Affairs describes how refugee women in the Global South exhibited meaningful agency despite their vulnerable position in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic as it aggravated economic uncertainty, and physical safety for refugee communities all in close proximity to one another in camps and unable to access necessary healthcare.

Dennyza Gabiella, an international relations professional, argues that we should view refugee women through an assets frame – believing that they are capable of anything. If I look at the story of my grandmother and other women in my Vietnamese family, this is undoubtedly true.

Moving away from victim framing is one important step to correct the narrative. But so is moving away from a Western construct of what empowerment and resilience actually are. A definition of resilience needs to be dynamic and inclusive of communities across the world, not just those in the Global North.

Research conducted by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy examines how women’s empowerment is only often ever seen through Western conceptions of developing economic agency, instead of definitions based on refugee communities’ experiences. The researchers identified that contributing to resilience such as religion and connection to culture, as well as their children, family connection and social support should all be incorporated into future framing.

In a paper entitled Exploring Resilience, Coping and Wellbeing in Women of Refugee Background Resettled in Regional Australia, the authors recount interviews with WoRB on how they would define resilience. For one woman, she said, “Well, resilience, to me, is to have the strength to keep looking forward, if I were to, like, sum it up.” Another relayed “‘It’s almost just like that one foot in front of the other and looking forward.”

Through stories of leadership, accomplishments, and displays of talent, researchers and organisations are helping to share how refugee women are defying expectations and contributing to host communities. Personal storytelling is critical in helping reframe how we view refugee women.

Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy has done just that through its recent series of case studies. They underpin female resilience in the face of unequal resources and counter stereotypes of migrants and refugees as lacking agency, and instead reveal their resiliency and self-sufficiency, shining a spotlight on stories from Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Palestine, Tunisia and Lebanon.

Elsewhere, the UNHRC shares stories of women from Burkina Faso who have undergone training in soap-making, plastic waste recycling and soilless farming. One woman relays her plans to open a soap-selling shop based on her new skills, “Not only do I have a dignified job that helps me get by, but I also have a new family that supports me.” By providing refugees with socio-economic opportunities, we can help strengthen their resilience and independence.

Through empowerment programmes, the work of NGOs, public investment and community initiatives, female refugees can regain agency and help put the voices of refugees across the world into the minds of decision-makers. Same Skies is one organisation helping to champion such change. Through its leadership programme, it helps to build capacity for refugees and develop networks between refugee and non-refugee participants from nine countries. The New Women Connectors links refugees and migrants to decision-makers to help address representation gaps in local, national, and regional decision-making spaces in Europe. This is critical for providing refugee women with access to education, healthcare, legal and financial support, as well as tools to nurture their mental well-being.

Shifting the paradigm to consider refugee women as valuable assets to economies and societies will be essential throughout this critical climate decade as more people become displaced. Storytelling, collaboration, democratic decision-making, and empathy can help reframe refugee women as powerful agents of change. For those with the luxury of safe homes and land, it is our collective responsibility to galvanise climate action through any sphere of influence we may have to mitigate the worst of climate displacement. I am conscious of the unequivocal strength and resilience it takes to be a refugee and I am proud to be the daughter and granddaughter of a refugee family.

About Author

Amy Nguyen is a strategist, researcher and writer focusing on topics including corporate sustainability, global value chains, finance and fashion. She works as a consultant for a variety of organisations ranging from environmental think tanks and research advisory firms, as well as early-stage companies in the energy, tech and fashion space. Her writing and work have been featured in the Times and Sunday Times, BBC, Vogue, the Guardian and global news outlets. In addition to being a Forbes contributor, Amy is the Founder of Sustainable & Social, a platform dedicated to deconstructing complex climate issues for a millennial audience.Her mission is to democratise the conversation about sustainable development and to educate and empower citizens in the pursuit of climate action. Amy holds an MSc in International Business from Universitá Bocconi which focused onmsustainability and CSR. She holds an accreditation from the prestigious CFA for ESG investing and is certified by Cambridge University for Sustainable Supply Chain Management.