Navigating trauma: Venezuelan women's and adolescent's experiences before and after migration amidst the humanitarian crisis

Abstract

Migrant and refugee women and adolescents are extremely vulnerable in humanitarian crisis and armed conflict contexts. The Venezuelan crisis has unleashed the largest exodus of migrants/refugees in recent Latin American history, most of whom have relocated to Colombia. There is a scarcity of research addressing the how adverse and traumatic experiences related to violence presents mental health amidst the Venezuelan-Colombian humanitarian crisis context and how it affects communities in relocation communities. This study sought to explore how traumatic experiences pre-, during and post-migration might relate to mental health risks for Venezuelan migrant and refugee women and adolescents and assess feasible mechanisms that can protect and promote these populations upon relocation in Colombia. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 migrant women and adolescents, inclusive of cis- and transgender women in two Colombian cities using a participatory-action research framework. Key findngs suggest that parental abandonment in origin contexts, experiences of household and community violence before and after migration and structural barriers to access services are main factors impacting this population. Feasible strategies to promote and support wellbeing and better mental health access ought to include community leaderships and community-based support networks post-migration that can support trust in services, disseminate information and engage vulnerable groups in services.