Challenges

and Solutions: Refugee Women-at-Risk in Salt Lake City, Utah

Abstract
Caitlin G. McDonald


According to a 2013 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees report
entitled: Resettlement and Women-at-Risk: Can the Risk be Reduced? Salt Lake City is
the second largest resettlement site in the country for women-at-risk without US ties. The
city also has the highest proportion of single mothers and women-at-risk among all
resettlement communities. From 2010 to June 2012, 153 of the 174 women-at-risk to
resettle in Utah were placed there by the national voluntary agencies. Women-at-risk
comprise nearly 8% of the total number of refugees resettled in Utah during that period.

These women face multiple challenges after resettlement, including a lack of adequate
English resulting in low-wage jobs, poor understanding of issues relating to their children,
mental and physical health concerns, and absence of social connections and support
networks. These obstacles can lead to isolation and a cycle of poverty, as well as the
possibility of sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination.

In order to combat these negative outcomes, multiple organizations in Salt Lake City have
created initiatives allocating resources toward refugee women. For example, the Refugee &
Immigrant Center-Asian Association of Utah has created a goal to connect all single mother
refugees with a volunteer mentor, utilizing internship hours and Social Services to help
women more successfully adjust to the climate, culture, and community. Another example
is the Utah Refugee Womens Initiative (URWI), through which government and non-profit
organizations collaborate on current challenges facing refugee women. One resource
coming out of this collaboration is Women United, a series of groups in locations around
the valley with highly concentrated numbers of refugees.

This paper will look more closely at specific data as well as anecdotal evidence of the
challenges refugee women face in resettlement in Salt Lake City. It will also analyze results
of current organizational efforts to address such issues and assess their effectiveness.




Bio:

Caitlin McDonald is currently working as the Refugee Womens Empowerment Coordinator
at the Refugee & Immigrant Center-Asian Association of Utah. After working for 5 years as
an Academic Advisor in International & Area Studies at the University of Utah and
graduating with her Master of Arts degree in Asian Studies focusing on womens issues,
Caitlin will be leaving in January 2016 to serve in Thailand for the Peace Corps.