Objectives
News 
The testimony of 135 Syrian refugee women in the UNHCR report
Mariana Andrei - Coordonator Comunicare
22 July 2014
"Woman Alone – the Fight for Survival by Syrian Refugee Women" is a new report of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), based on the testimony of 135 of these women. The statements were given over more than three months of interviews at the beginning of 2014.
More than 145,000 Syrian refugee families in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan (one in every four households) are headed by women fighting alone for survival, the UNHCR report reveals. Besides the precarious conditions in which they have to live - ramshackle, overcrowded houses, insecure improvised shelters and tents - many of these women live under the threat of violence or exploitation, and their children face trauma and great suffering. But the main difficulty of Syrian refugee women is the lack of resources.
A UNHCR press release reveals that many of these women have spent all their savings - even selling their wedding rings - to pay rent, put food on the table and buy basic household items. Only one-fifth of them have paid work; many find it difficult to get a job or have too much else on their plate. Only one-fifth as well have support from other adult relatives. A quarter receive financial aid from UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies. A third of the women say they do not have enough food. "For hundreds of thousands of women, escaping their ruined homeland was only the first step in a journey of grinding hardship. They have run out of money, face daily threats to their safety, and are being treated as outcasts for no other crime than losing their men to a vicious war. It’s shameful. They are being humiliated for losing everything.", said António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Insecurity, a usual state
Syria faces the biggest displacement crisis in the world, with 2.8 million refugees and millions more internally displaced. Since the start of 2014, more than 100,000 Syrian refugees have registered each month in neighbouring countries. The total number of refugees is expected to reach 3.6 million by the end of the year. In this context, many of the Syrian refugee women became the main breadwinners in their families, living from hand to mouth together with their children, away from their communities and traditional sources of support. 60% of the interviewed women expressed feelings of insecurity, and one out of three were too scared or overwhelmed to even leave their homes. Nuha came to Cairo with her husband, but he was shot and killed while at work. "I don't want to leave the house because of the sadness in my heart", she said. "We left death in Syria only to find it waiting for us here in Egypt." Rapes are also a part of the picture, although many women are not prepared to talk about sexual violence and discrimination. "I would never turn to an organisation for help. "I would put salt on the wound and stay quiet, but I’d never ever say anything to anyone", said Noor from Lebanon.
Aside from the insecurity, the Syrian women also complained about regular verbal harassment - by taxi drivers, bus drivers, landlords, and service providers, as well as men in shops, at the market, on public transport, and even at aid distribution centres. "A woman alone in Egypt is prey to all men. I was living in dignity, but now no one respects me, because I don't have a man by my side", said Diala, who lives in Alexandria.
Most women were concerned about the impact of this life on their children. "I have to worry about money and school. I have to protect my children, provide for them and give them a mother's love, all at the same time. I feel overwhelmed", said Dina, in Egypt.
However, the report also gives many examples of refugee women who show initiative, support each other and work to find solutions to their daily struggle. One in five women are separated from their husbands or families because of visa or other restrictions, therefore the UNHCR report asks host governments to find solutions to reunite them with their families. Host communities also need a lot of support. At the moment, over 150 organisations provide services or support to Syrian refugee women and their families.
Source: http://unhcr.org/womanalonemedia/
More than 145,000 Syrian refugee families in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan (one in every four households) are headed by women fighting alone for survival, the UNHCR report reveals. Besides the precarious conditions in which they have to live - ramshackle, overcrowded houses, insecure improvised shelters and tents - many of these women live under the threat of violence or exploitation, and their children face trauma and great suffering. But the main difficulty of Syrian refugee women is the lack of resources.
A UNHCR press release reveals that many of these women have spent all their savings - even selling their wedding rings - to pay rent, put food on the table and buy basic household items. Only one-fifth of them have paid work; many find it difficult to get a job or have too much else on their plate. Only one-fifth as well have support from other adult relatives. A quarter receive financial aid from UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies. A third of the women say they do not have enough food. "For hundreds of thousands of women, escaping their ruined homeland was only the first step in a journey of grinding hardship. They have run out of money, face daily threats to their safety, and are being treated as outcasts for no other crime than losing their men to a vicious war. It’s shameful. They are being humiliated for losing everything.", said António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Insecurity, a usual state
Syria faces the biggest displacement crisis in the world, with 2.8 million refugees and millions more internally displaced. Since the start of 2014, more than 100,000 Syrian refugees have registered each month in neighbouring countries. The total number of refugees is expected to reach 3.6 million by the end of the year. In this context, many of the Syrian refugee women became the main breadwinners in their families, living from hand to mouth together with their children, away from their communities and traditional sources of support. 60% of the interviewed women expressed feelings of insecurity, and one out of three were too scared or overwhelmed to even leave their homes. Nuha came to Cairo with her husband, but he was shot and killed while at work. "I don't want to leave the house because of the sadness in my heart", she said. "We left death in Syria only to find it waiting for us here in Egypt." Rapes are also a part of the picture, although many women are not prepared to talk about sexual violence and discrimination. "I would never turn to an organisation for help. "I would put salt on the wound and stay quiet, but I’d never ever say anything to anyone", said Noor from Lebanon.
Aside from the insecurity, the Syrian women also complained about regular verbal harassment - by taxi drivers, bus drivers, landlords, and service providers, as well as men in shops, at the market, on public transport, and even at aid distribution centres. "A woman alone in Egypt is prey to all men. I was living in dignity, but now no one respects me, because I don't have a man by my side", said Diala, who lives in Alexandria.
Most women were concerned about the impact of this life on their children. "I have to worry about money and school. I have to protect my children, provide for them and give them a mother's love, all at the same time. I feel overwhelmed", said Dina, in Egypt.
However, the report also gives many examples of refugee women who show initiative, support each other and work to find solutions to their daily struggle. One in five women are separated from their husbands or families because of visa or other restrictions, therefore the UNHCR report asks host governments to find solutions to reunite them with their families. Host communities also need a lot of support. At the moment, over 150 organisations provide services or support to Syrian refugee women and their families.
Source: http://unhcr.org/womanalonemedia/
Back