Mental health psychosocial and child protection for Syrian adolescent refugees in Jordan
UNICEF and International Medical Corps
Highlights
The conflict in Syria has resulted in over 2,975,448 Syrians, including 1.1 million Syrian children, registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This has left neighboring countries, like Jordan, the task of assisting these vulnerable groups. Jordan is one of the largest recipients of displaced Syrians, with more than 600,000 Syrian refugees representing roughly 10% of the Jordanian population. There are two main refugee camps in Jordan ( Za’atari and Azraq) which have been constructed to manage the overwhelming influx of Syrians into Jordan.
As the number of Syrians in Jordan has steadily increased over the last three years, tensions between the Syrian refugee and Jordanian communities have emerged, particularly among adults who are struggling with limited resources to manage the increase in housing rents coupled with a lack of income driven opportunities.
However, few studies have examined the experience of adolescent Syrian refugees in Jordan. As of August 2014, about 52% of the Syrian population in Jordan is aged 0-17 years old, with about 14% between 12-17 years old, making Syrian adolescents integral significant demographic group part within the community.