WHY ARE THEY THERE?

The brutal Syrian Civil War has been raging for eight years now, since 2011. More than 350,000 Syrians have been killed as a result – 6.2 million have been displaced and another 5.6 million have left the country, seeking refuge across Syria’s borders. Neighbouring Jordan has taken in a large number of those refugees, many of whom have been living in camps for several years now.

Since being established in 2012, Za’atari has grown from a collection of tents to become Jordan’s fourth biggest ‘city’. More than half its inhabitants are women who were forced to flee their country, either because they were in fear of their lives due to chemical weapon warfare, or because their very homes were destroyed around them by warring militia.

With few legal rights and limited access to public services, the existence of these women is a kind of limbo, while they wait to be either resettled or returned to a homeland where they can once again feel safe.

As refugees who sometimes had to leave their homes in haste, they have few material possessions. One in five women are single parents to their children, having lost their husbands during the bloody civil war. One mother of nine thought she would be leaving her home for a month. Seven years later, she is still homeless, living a half-life in the refugee camp.

With 20 per cent of the inhabitants of Za’atari being children under five, and around 80 babies born every week in the camp, it is often left to the women to both care for their children and provide financially. Almost every single one has witnessed friends and family members being taken away or murdered during the war, and yet they must somehow find a way forward for themselves and their children in order to survive. – Gill Canning