Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/author/dominique-soguel/)
Women's eNews Arabic editor
Dominique Soguel was Women's eNews Arabic editor. She is now a roving reporter and VJ covering the Middle East.
Early marriages are subject to special pressures in the unstable conditions of refugee camp life in Jordan. The divorces that follow can be complicated by the questionable legal standing in which marriages are conducted.
Religious court data show a growing share of Jordanian marriage licenses going to Syrian female minors in the past three years. But the debate in the international aid community is whether early marriage is worsening for Syrian refugee girls or just being exposed by the crisis.
Prepared by their culture to stay home with the children, single female heads of household are ill-equipped for refugee life in the cities of Jordan. Survival sex, domestic violence and early marriage are all part of the coping effort.
In a group therapy session in Jordan, refugee women unload about the difficulties of caring for children afflicted by nightmares, aggressive outbursts and PTSD symptoms. “I have two boys, ages 3 and 5. They are scared of everything,” says one participant.
Every day dozens of Syrian female refugees living in Jordan sign up to return home. Some say they can’t make ends meet living abroad. Others want to find male relatives who didn’t make it through the border or were left behind.
This Arabic song, sung by a young Syrian refugee named Gufran now living in in Jordan, was dedicated to people killed in the war in Syria. This is a translation of the lyrics.
Jordan’s schools are opening their doors to Syrian refugee children. Yet, thousands of girls stay home; costs of supplies are too high and parents are too wary of the risky, long walks to school. The first of a series on female Syrian refugees.
In September 2013, Women’s eNews sent a three-person multi-media team to Jordan to cover and share the stories of Syrian female refugees living in that country. Some have said this century is the century of the refugee and, if so, these pieces may be emblematic of the experiences of all women fleeing armed conflicts.
Women’s representation in Libya was bolstered by a “zipper system” calling for male-female parity in parties’ lists of candidates. In a surprise, a liberal coalition edged out Islamists. “Women don’t want to wear the niqab,” says a women’s rights leader.
Assad’s military and pro-government militias are said to be regularly using sexual violence against men, women and children with impunity during the current Syrian conflict.