WUNRN
SYRIA - WOMEN REFUGEES ARE SOLE
PROVIDER FOR l/4 OF FAMILIES WHO HAVE FLED THE FIGHTING - POVERTY, HARASSMENT,
ISOLATION - UN
A Syrian refugee
hangs laundry at a camp in the Lebanese town of
Women are the sole providers for one in four Syrian refugee families, struggling to provide food and shelter for their children and often facing harassment, humiliation and isolation, according to a report from the UN high commissioner for refugees.
More than 145,000 Syrian families now
living in
Those interviewed for the report, Woman Alone – the Fight for Survival by Syrian Refugee Women, said they lacked resources, jobs, food, housing, protection and security. One in three reported they did not have enough to eat.
"For hundreds of thousands of women, escaping their ruined homeland was only the first step in a journey of grinding hardship," said António Guterres, the UNHCR chief. "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."
Angelina Jolie, UNHCR special envoy, said: "Syrian refugee women are the glue holding together a broken society. Their voices are an appeal for help and protection which cannot be ignored."
The report authors took testimony from 135
women, aged 17 to 85, this year. All had primary responsibility for their
families, and most became the head of their household after the war in
"Whatever their circumstances, all the women interviewed had to navigate an unfamiliar and often unnerving new environment," said the report. "Most faced a daily struggle to find enough money to pay the rent, buy food and basic items, or access services such as healthcare. Their stories were often heartbreaking: mothers having to spend hours getting their sick children to a hospital for treatment; mothers having no choice but to let their children work, or leaving their children alone to go find a way to make money."
One in five of the women had found paid work; a quarter received cash assistance from aid agencies. One in three said they were too scared or overwhelmed to leave home, and 60% expressed feelings of insecurity. Most were worried about their children's security.
Many reported regular verbal harassment.
"A woman alone in
Shaden,25, from
Faten, 70, now living in
One woman said she had moved house four times because of sexual harassment by landlords; others reported being offered free accommodation in return for sexual favours. But almost three in four reported positive treatment by landlords.
Most said they felt stressed and fearful
about their new circumstances and responsibilities. Iman, 42, left her home and
business in
The report concludes: "
It makes a number of recommendations to
host governments and aid and development agencies, including easing
restrictions on working, and providing childcare, community centres and safe
spaces. It calls for increased funding by the international community for
Syrian refugees.