Access to Higher Education for Refugees in Jordan
Throughout the five-year Syrian refugee crisis, education for refugee children has been prioritized in development, humanitarian aid, media coverage, discussion, and research. Extensive efforts have been made to increase children’s access to education to ensure their continued healthy development and provide security and stability during the refugee experience. As the majority of Syrian refugees in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan are under the age of 17, this attention is not unfounded. However, refugees’ access to higher education in Jordan has lacked the necessary attention. The initial response to higher education was isolated and sporadic, only recently becoming coordinated as the crisis and consequent displacement became protracted. While movement did not begin until 2015, conversation and advocacy on the issue had started long before. There was no shortage of support for higher education amongst the stakeholders interviewed. This paper maps the prior and current initiatives undertaken and the ongoing challenges present for refugees and other stakeholders. This is done with a clear ambition to contribute to the ongoing development of such programs as well as allow for reflection on how such programs could be better implemented in responses to mass displacement.
Legal Aid’s Four Pillars for Engaging Men and Boys in SGBV Prevention in Zaatari Refugee Camp
This report, based on ARDD-Legal Aid’s experiences of working with men and boys on SGBV prevention in Zaatari refugee camp, lays out four pillars of how SGBV prevention programs can be adapted to work effectively in the context. It first outlines the suitability of a psychosocial approach for SGBV prevention work in Zaatari, explaining how this can be used to build trust among participants, provide a useful service for male refugees, and create an environment in which progress can be made on sensitive gender questions. The report then focuses on, in turn, how to manage the stress and anger of refugees in Zaatari, how to understand prevailing conceptions of masculinities and gender relations, and how to ensure that the do no harm principle is adhered to in work in Zaatari.
2015 in Review: Women’s Rights and Access to Justice in Jordan
This paper reviews the state of women rights and access to justice in Jordan in 2015. Specifically it addresses recent developments that have taken place over the past year and examines the new initiatives and current barriers facing women in Jordan.