Women refugees who have survived gender-based torture comprise one of Ireland's most vulnerable segments of the refugee population. There is widespread agreement regarding the particularities of women refugees' experiences, including interrelated issues like lack of language training and childcare options. The increasing number of women in Ireland's refugee community accentuates the disparity between their particular needs and the various services available to them. I propose a holistic and humanitarian approach to the rehabilitation of torture survivors. I will contend that rape as a form of torture is invariably a gendered and ethnicised phenomenon. Because the social constructions of gender and ethnicity manifest themselves in the physical body, women's bodies are targets of violence. Women who have survived gender-based torture share unique survival and healing needs. I will argue that it is necessary to develop specific policies and programs, as well as an integrated service delivery model, to address the situation of this marginalized group to ensure women's opportunity to create a healthy life for themselves and their families. I will posit community-based approaches to torture rehabilitation that have been successful in Canada and Nigeria to advocate for the implementation of appropriate services to these women survivors in Ireland. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd.

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violence World gender relations Eurasia Western Europe refugee ethnicity Europe health care service provision Eastern Hemisphere asylum seeker womens status Ireland immigrant population