To focus on existing literature from humanitarian actors in Jordan in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the situation of Syrian refugee children in Jordan, particularly children living in host communities.

Priorities

Multi-sectoral-please see inside report

Main Findings

CP: Syrian refugee children are at a higher risk of experiencing physical violence compared to refugee adults. The home is perceived as one of the locations of highest risk of physical violence especially for girls, but also for boys. Sexual violence and harassment against children, both boys and girls, is reported to be occurring inside and outside camp settings. Since January 2013, there have been 1,687 unaccompanied and separated children identified and supported by UNICEF, UNHCR and partners. An estimated 30,000 children, mainly boys, are engaged in child labour in Jordan, approximately one in six children (16%). Adolescents report feeling ‘grief’ and ‘fear’ a lot of the time. Adolescents in camp settings reported experiencing safety fears (65%), or a specific fear (35%), such as being arrested, being shot, kidnapped, etc. GBV: The prevalence of early marriage (registered) for Syrians in Jordan in 2012 was 18 per cent as opposed to 15 per cent of Syrian marriages in Syria. There were nearly 1,500 cases of GBV registered from January-April 2013 and in the majority of cases, the husband was the abuser, with 80 percent of GBV cases in Irbid perpetrated by a husband, who was non-Syrian, thus Jordanian or another nationality. Women are at a high risk of harassment in host communities, in communal camp areas and during non-food item (NFI) distributions. Education: Approximately 83,232 children (64% of eligible children) are enrolled in public schools (primary and secondary education) in Jordan in both camp settings and host communities as of Sept 15th 2013. There are an estimated 19,500 children on waiting lists and additional schools in host communities require support and increased capacity. Approximately 57,000 may not be eligible for formal school because they have dropped out of school over three years ago, or older children may want to work or train for a profession. Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition: Early in 2013, a measles outbreak of 74 identified cases was very concerning, as years had passed without measles in Jordan. Two campaigns for measles, vitamin A and polio targeted children in Za’atari (as well as all arrivals receiving appropriate vaccines) and children in the host communities of Mafraq and Irbid, including Jordanians. In Za’atari camp, the under 5 mortality rate is 41/1000 live births, 15 which is double the rate for Jordan (21/100016) and Syria (15/100017). The majority of women are not breastfeeding for the recommended two years, and most stop after the child is one year old (42.7% in host communities). The most recent nutrition assessment in 2012 found that the global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate was 5.1 per cent among camp refugees and 5.8 per cent among non-camp refugees. WASH: Water services cover 95% of the population, but sewage services only cover about a third of the population and mainly in urban centers. Septic tanks are often in an inadequate state. Families living in temporary shelters in rural areas are particularly vulnerable. They are least likely to have piped water or septic tanks, are at increased risk of bad water quality, are likely to have a latrine outside their home or non-existing, and have the lowest levels of hand-washing practice. A third of households in host communities lacked soap. Nearly half of families, (45%), had difficulties to wash their hands, mainly because of the cost of soap (34%) and lack of water (24%). Access to Information and Services: A lack of awareness, distance from service, and reduced movements particularly for women and children means accessing services is challenging. Around a third of women and children rarely or never leave the home. Certain services, such as reproductive health and Gender Based Violence (GBV) are limited and women’s awareness of where to access these services is low. Disability: Potentially 10 per cent of the Syrian children in Jordan may have a sensory, intellectual or mental health disability. Barriers for children with disability have been identified in a few assessments, such as the physical infrastructure of schools and bathrooms.