Abstract

Although the influx of Syrian refugees in Jordan initially attracted considerable international humanitarian support, funding has declined recently, and labour market restrictions have tightened. Adolescents in Azraq refugee camp face particular challenges due to its unique characteristics, including strong surveillance and security measures and a remote desert location, which affords only limited mobility and income-generating opportunities. Instead of offering protection and security for displaced Syrians, the camp has become a ‘violent space’. This article explores the experiences of younger (10–12 years) and older (15–17 years) adolescent girls and boys in Azraq camp. It provides insights into their gendered experiences in four capability domains—education, voice and agency, bodily integrity and freedom from violence, and psychosocial wellbeing—highlighting key vulnerabilities that need to be addressed to deliver the Leave No One Behind agenda. The findings suggest that when planning programmes and services, the government, international community and civil society actors working with adolescent refugees in Azraq need to take into consideration spatial dimensions of vulnerability. Such efforts should ensure that programmes are designed and implemented in an inclusive and accessible way so that male and female adolescents in specific camp settings can overcome the constraints that they uniquely face.

Highlights

  • The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make a commitment to ‘leave no one behind’

  • According to the Leave No One Behind agenda, adolescent refugees are especially disadvantaged as they face risks related to war and displacement, reside in refugee camps, have limited access to education and employment opportunities, and are likely to face discrimination due to their status as refugees (UNDP 2018)

  • This article is based on the qualitative analysis of 42 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and 6 focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted with younger (10–12 years) and older (15–17 years) Syrian refugee adolescents in Azraq camp

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Summary

Introduction

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make a commitment to ‘leave no one behind’. Five key factors have been identified to understand which groups of people are left behind and why: geography, discrimination, shocks and fragility, governance, and socioeconomic status. According to the Leave No One Behind agenda, adolescent refugees are especially disadvantaged as they face risks related to war and displacement (shocks and fragility), reside in refugee camps (geography), have limited access to education and employment opportunities (socioeconomic status), and are likely to face discrimination due to their status as refugees (discrimination) (UNDP 2018). The Syrian refugee population in Jordan is a young one: 21.5% of registered refugees in the country are aged 5–11, 13.8% are aged 12–17, and 28.9% are aged 18–35 (UNHCR 2019b). This means that many refugees are currently transitioning into adolescence or early adulthood

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