The Brothers Campaign was born of the recognition of the unique vulnerabilities migrant males face all along the refugee pathway, from disproportionate exposure to conflict and violence in their home countries to exploitation along the migratory pathway and social stigmatization in resettlement countries.
While there are organizations and individuals on the ground who recognize the neglect that many men in displacement experience, little is being done to address the systemic causes of this problem. In-Sight Collaborative, Refugee Biriyani & Bananas, and our campaign supporters have identified three primary systemic influences on the gaps in aid delivery and support of the men:
1) Social stigmatization of forcibly displaced males
2) The widespread use of vulnerability framework
3) Misunderstanding of male-specific risks and coping strategies when it comes to psychological and psychosocial damage to forcibly displaced men
The resulting discrepancies and inequities lead to challenges for the men both phenomenologically/qualitatively (their lived experience in displacement), and logistically, which is more quantitative and can point to numerical data supporting their exclusion from resources.
In-Sight and RBB echo the calls of a growing number of researchers, practitioners, and most importantly, our brothers, for more attention to be given to the needs of displaced males.
We hope that this forum provides an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to share ideas and resources that support the understanding of this issue.