Women in Palestinian Refugee Camps: Case Studies from Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine

To be a refugee is hard, but to be a woman and a refugee is the hardest of all.

The aim of this paper is to take the reader on a journey into the lived experiences of Palestinian refugee women, in several stages. First, I offer an introduction to the historical roots and struggles of Palestinian refugee women. This is followed by case studies drawn from my field research in refugee camps in Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. The third part of the paper includes recommendations for improving the participation of refugee women in the social and political arenas of these refugee camps. Three main questions have driven the research for this paper: What is the role of women in the refugee camps? What changes have occurred in their lifestyles as refugees? What do these women think and do in pursuit of the principle of the right of return?

The Palestinian refugee issue was created in 1947 as a result of the Palestinian Nakba. Around 711,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homelands because their villages were destroyed. It has been a long and eventful ride for them up until the present day, despite all the attempts to resolve this intractable issue.

Read more or don't ...

#society