January 30, 2019

 

During times of emergency and in fragile settings affected by humanitarian crises, women and girls are at a heightened risk of violence. In Jordan, one of the countries most affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. The Arab Women’s Organization (AWO), a grantee of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, runs two women’s centres to respond to the unmet needs of women and girl survivors of violence; serving both Syrian refugees and the local Jordanian community.  

In these centres, Syrian refugee women and local Jordanian women alike receive access to support services including case management, legal consultations, referral services and skills training.

One of the activists at AWO’s centre in Mafraq, Rasha, leads workshops focused on increasing awareness of the forms and dynamics of gender-based violence. She explains that the community initially tends to understand and “recognize physical violence, but [violence] can take more than one form”.

Her classes include information on how to also identify emotional, economic and psychological violence. She meets women individually to discuss their questions and makes appropriate referrals to available services in the community. Rasha explains that “many women are unaware of their rights and feel helpless about their situation. Such attitudes change, when women participate in the centre’s activities”.

Noura, who has six children and fled from Syria to protect her family, said “with the help of a legal counsellor and classes at the centre, I feel confident about myself and my future”. 

 

 

 

Photo: A skills training class held at an Arab Women's Organization centre outside Amman, Jordan. Photo: Adina Wolf/UN Trust Fund.  
A skills training class held at an Arab Women's Organization centre outside Amman, Jordan.