"Leaving your homeland and stepping into the unknown is truly terrifying and requires courage just to take the first step," says the IRC's Sawsan Al-Sayyab. She writes about her work in Baltimore providing a "bridge to safety" for refugee women who have experienced violence.
Refugee women and girls around the globe face violence as they flee their home countries, in the cities and camps where they seek refuge, and even in the United States, where some are resettled. Violence against women and girls, including sexual and domestic violence, spikes in times of conflict and crisis, but can continue even after resettlement—a fact that is largely underreported.