[Ftffacilitationteam] Fwd: AWID Friday File: The Situation of Refugee Women in the Arab Region

Vie Abr 25 11:52:33 GMT+3 2008

FYI--

Rosa

____________________________________
 From: resource en lists.awid.org
Reply-to: contribute en awid.org
To:  resource en lists.awid.org
Sent: 4/25/2008 5:20:50 A.M. Central Daylight  Time
Subj: AWID Friday File: The Situation of Refugee Women in the Arab  Region

AWID Friday File: The Situation of Refugee Women in the Arab Region

Friday April 25, 2008 

1) The Situation of Refugee Women in the Arab Region

A review of 'The Dream of Return, the Fear of Trafficking and

Discriminatory Laws' a report by the Karama Movement in the Arab Region.

By Kathambi Kinoti

_____________________________________________________________________

1) The Situation of Refugee Women in the Arab Region

A review of 'The Dream of Return, the Fear of Trafficking and

Discriminatory Laws' a report by the Karama Movement in the Arab Region.

By Kathambi Kinoti

The Arab region is host to some of the largest populations of refugees in

the world. Conflicts in Iraq, Sudan and Somalia, as well as occupation in

the Palestinian territories, have internally and externally displaced

millions of people. Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt have had to take in

the refugees that these wars have created.

Displacement affects refugees in complex ways that touch on their human

rights, economic, social and legal status, and their mental and physical

health. The Karama Movement in the Arab Region has compiled a report on

'The Dream of Return, the Fear of Trafficking and Discriminatory Laws' to

highlight the situation of refugee and stateless women across the region. 

Although there are a number of international conventions that provide for

the protection of the rights of refugees, their practical application is

limited in several ways. Of the 21 member states of the Arab League, only

nine are party to the 1951 Refugee Convention. Jordan and Lebanon, which

host huge numbers of refugees, are not party to the Convention. 

Displacement has in many cases caused a change in traditional gender roles.

According to the report, sixty five per cent of Iraqi women and eighty per

cent of married Iraqi women of reproductive age have become widows since

the war began. Many of these women have subsequently become the primary

breadwinners of their families and most have limited livelihood options. In

Syria, those who engage in sex work, which is illegal, are subject to

exploitation and abuse and have no legal protection. They also risk forced

repatriation to their country. Jordan does not recognize Iraqis as refugees

and therefore most are in the country illegally, cannot work, and face the

risk of deportation. Iraqi women and girls both inside and outside Iraq are

particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. 

At the beginning of the occupation of Palestine sixty years ago, there were

few jobs for Palestinian women refugees in Syria. They were mostly confined

to domestic labour and fruit picking. However over time women's

opportunities for education increased and many were able to become

professionals in fields such as engineering and medicine. 

Palestinian women and Syrian women have equal access to jobs in the private

and public sector. The only restriction for Palestinian women is that they

cannot hold elected office. On the other hand, there is a high rate of

unemployment in Syria and with the influx of two million Iraqi refugees in

Syria, the opportunities for Palestinians have become more limited.

For about three decades there have been Sudanese refugees in Egypt,

displaced by the civil war in their country. 

Before 1995 they had virtually the same rights as Egyptian citizens, but

following the deterioration of political ties between Egypt and Sudan,

their status has worsened. There are now restrictions on access to

employment and housing. The Egyptian government and media scapegoat the

refugees for the deteriorating economy and there has been a rise in

xenophobia. The low level of literacy amongst Sudanese women refugees

heightens their inability to access jobs and most of them therefore work in

low paying and exploitative positions. These women are often the primary

breadwinners of their families and this empowers them within the household

which is one positive aspect of their otherwise bleak situation. 

Somalia has been without a central government for almost twenty years and

millions of Somalis have fled their country or been internally displaced.

Women's mobility has been restricted by rising fundamentalism as well as

insecurity including the ever present threat of rape. The Union of Islamic

Courts during its short lived governance of Somalia imposed strict dress

codes and forbade women to leave their houses without the accompaniment of

a male relative. Even after the Union was overthrown, many women still

comply with the dress code to avoid danger, and this restricts their

ability to do work in agriculture, slaughterhouses and fisheries, where

previously they had been employed in large numbers. 

The Report makes it clear that there has been an abdication of

responsibility by international community and the states directly affected

by conflict to cater for refugees. Host countries need to formally

recognize people fleeing into their territories as refugees and accord them

their rights under international law. The rights to basic services and to

work need to be secured. There needs to be greater effort to find political

solutions to the conflicts in Iraq, Sudan, Palestine and Somalia and to

prioritize reconstruction in Southern Sudan so that refugees can return.

Above all there is the need to prevent conflict in the first place. 

__________________

Notes:

1. The full report is available for download at

http://elkarama.org/En/Portals/0/Refugee%20report%20EN-FINAL%20draft.pdf

2. Open Democracy has reviewed the report. The review is available at

http://www.opendemocracy.net/blog/jane_gabriel/we_live_like_the_dead

---------------------

RESOURCE NET is brought to you by The Association for Women's Rights in

Development (AWID). Announcements posted on this discussion list do not

necessarily reflect the opinion of AWID, but are meant to provoke thought,

generate solutions and inspire action.

-

This list is only open to members of AWID. You can become a member at

www.awid.org/members. To remove yourself from this list, send an email with

your request to membership en awid.org. AWID produces e-lists in English,

Spanish and French. If you are a member of AWID and would like to subscribe

to the Spanish or French lists, please email your request to

membership en awid.org.

-

To contribute to Resource Net write to contribute en awid.org.

-

You are free to replicate AWID's information in other formats, and use it

in your advocacy, provided you give credit to the Association.

-

AWID is an international membership organization committed to gender

equality and a just and sustainable development process. AWID facilitates

an open exchange among researchers, practitioners, policymakers and others

in order to develop effective and transformative approaches for improving

the lives of women and girls worldwide. If you are not already a member of

AWID, please visit our web site at www.awid.org to find out more.

-

The Association for Women's Rights in Development

215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 150

Toronto, ON M5T 2C7

CANADA

Tel: 416-594-3773

Fax: 416-594-0330

Email: awid en awid.org

Web: www.awid.org

**************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car 
listings at AOL Autos.      
(http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851)
------------ próxima parte ------------
Se ha borrado un adjunto en formato HTML...
URL: http://listas.chasque.net/pipermail/ftffacilitationteam/attachments/20080425/3027df65/attachment.html