Who Am I? Identity and citizenship in Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya Who am I? I am a refugee. I am . . . a dirty woman, hopeless, a hungry person, an ignorant person, a troublesome person, yet again another burden for the world to feed, another burden for the world to care, that is who we are . . . We have been labelled. But being a refugee is not by choice. If it is a choice I wouldn’t be a refugee anywhere. Looking at myself, I believe I am not a victim, but I am a survivor, a very strong person, a refugee woman. (Sudanese woman resettled in Australia, quoted in ANCORW and AWHRC, 2001) Introduction Life in the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya is harsh, dangerous and characterized by social chaos and lack of normal social structures. Refugee women and girls in Kakuma live in daily fear of sexual abuse and other forms of violence. Rape is endemic. Women are sometimes forced to trade sex for food development. Copyright © 2003 Society for International Development (www.sidint.org). 1011-6370 (200309) 46:3; 87–93; 035672. NB When citing this article please use both volume and issue numbers. SAGE Publications (www.sagepublications.com) Local/Global Encounters LINDA BARTOLOMEI, EILEEN PITTAWAY AND EMMA ELIZABETH PITTAWAY ABSTRACT Linda Bartolomei, Eileen Pittaway and Emma Elizabeth Pittaway examine the loss and ongoing denial of citizenship experienced by refugee women as one of the intersecting forms of oppression and discrimination they encounter that determines their identity. The case study used is that of Kakuma camp in the north of Kenya as part of a three-year project focusing on refugee women at risk. They focus on notions of citizenship and identity of refugee women, charting the range of oppressions experienced by refugee women in the Kakuma camp, and explore the manner in which these oppressions intersect to compound the risks of sexual- and gender-based violence. KEYWORDS gender; human rights; intersectionality; sexual oppression; violence