The Empowerment of Refugee Women
Refugees will furthermore receive legal status in Jordan and a refugee identification card which is valid for one year. They have the right to practice their religion, are entitled to legal assistance and free access to courts of law and are exempt from departure fees and overstay fines (UNHCR,1998) . Since the onset of the refugee crisis, the Jordanian government has estimated that they spent $8.6 billion in direct costs for hosting Syrian refugees, which is roughly 16 percent of their annual budget. In order to fund the aid for refugees, the government and UNHCR have asked for $7.68 billion in aid over three years in the Regional refugee and Resilience Plan 2017-2018 (UNHCR, 2017). However, as of October 2017, donations have only reached 42 percent of that amount. A combination of this funding deficit, a shortage of jobs and the related competition over jobs between refugees and the host community, has led to tensions between Syrian refugees and local Jordanians (Guay, 2015). In order to resolve these tensions, the Jordanian government formed the Jordan Compact in 2016 granting Syrians access to work permits and educational opportunities (IRC, 2017). The Jordan Compact helped raise funds and enhanced self sustainability of refugees by giving them opportunities and legal rights. This policy - deemed “successful” and "a sustainable refugee response" by the international community - shall be examined in more detail. Another contributing framework that we will look into is the Global Compact on Refugees (UN, 2018): ‘’It provides a blueprint for governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities get the support they need and that refugees can lead productive lives.’’ It strives to relieve tensions between the host community and refugees by providing host communities with support and enhancing refugees self-reliance with a focus on international cooperation between the stakeholders. And last, we will examine the UNHCR’s Policy on Alternatives to Camps (2014) in order to identify possibilities for empowerment of women. It seeks to find durable solutions for the protection of displaced people and adheres to the rights of refugees under international law. Camps, according to UNHCR, should only be a temporary solution: ‘’The possible alternatives are diverse and affected by factors such as culture, legislation and national policies. Refugees might live on land or housing which they rent, own or occupy informally, or they may have private hosting arrangements. Such alternatives typically allow refugees to exercise their rights and freedoms, make meaningful choices about issues affecting their lives, contribute to their community and live with greater dignity and independence.’’ (UNHCR, 2020) The policy is directed at staff members involved in the planning, design and delivery of programmes for protection of refugees and seeks partnership with the host government, community and other stakeholders (UNHCR, 2014).
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