JORDAN: Unemployed Refugee Women Face Poverty
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An elderly Palestinian refugee woman from Baqaa refugee camp, 20 km west of Amman. |
AMMAN, 16 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - More than 33 per cent of women in
Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan are unemployed, according to a study
released on Sunday by the Amman-based Palestinian Centre for Citizenship Rights.
This represents a significant increase and is almost double the unemployment
rate among their male counterparts.
The unemployment rate nationwide is
14.5 percent, the government says. A sluggish economy and an increased cost of
living after a recent hike in fuel prices is making life harder for those
without work and is having a profound impact on the living standards of
refugees.
"Residents of refugee camps are fighting an uphill battle to
make ends meet. They are living in a vicious circle; the poorer they get, the
less educated they become, meaning they will always struggle to find jobs," said
Mohammad Akel, a member of the Jordanian parliament who represents Baqaa refugee
camp, 20 km west of Amman and the largest camp in the kingdom.
There are
13 Palestinian refugee camps scattered around Jordan housing some 1.6 million
people, according to the United Nations’ agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA).
The vast majority fled to the kingdom after the Arab Israeli wars of 1948 and
1967.
The recent study stated that 31 percent of Palestine refugees live
below the poverty line in Jordan.
For women, it is much harder to find
work because of social and religious restrictions. Their relatives may refuse to
allow them to work in jobs which involve working closely with men. In addition,
women are less educated than men because the little money families have for
education is typically spent on boys.
"Refugee camps contain some of the
brightest women in the country, but with no money they cannot pursue higher
education. Many turned to unskilled labour or join an army of unemployed women
when they are most needed to help their families," said Akel.
"We need
universities or scholarships to improve their chances of getting jobs," he
added.
An official from the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education said
the government allocated 200 scholarships annually to Palestine refugees. Akel
says this is not enough.
Officials from UNRWA say the organisation has
opened its doors to women interested in acquiring skills to enter the job
market.
Fuzeih Mohammad, 46, said she purchased a sewing machine last
year thanks to a UNRWA microfinance scheme after having completed the necessary
training programme.
Fuzeih lives in Wehdat refugee camp in the heart of
the capital. She can now make clothes for her eight children and help her
husband by bringing in extra money.
Fuzeih hopes her children will get a
better chance in life than her.
"I am working day and night to help my
family. What to do? This is our destiny. I have to keep on working although I do
not see with my eyes like before," she said.
Fuzeih said her greatest
wish is to send her elder son, Jawad, to university. "I do not want him to
suffer like us. But that is not going to be easy because education costs a lot
these days," she added.
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