Published : 29-03-2021
Palestinian refugee families in Jaramana camp, in Rif Dimashq, have raised concerns over the increasing abductions, home-burglary attempts, and sexual harassment reported in the area, particularly overnight due to chronic power blackouts.
A couple of weeks ago, the Syrian authorities reportedly arrested a two-member gang involved in property-theft in the camp. The two thieves were caught burglarizing a Palestinian refugee’s home.
Over recent years, residents of Jaramana Camp have launched cries for help over the dire socio-economic conditions, high unemployment rates, poor infrastructure, steep rental fees, and chronic water crisis rocking the area.
Jaramana camp is 8km from Damascus on the road to Damascus International Airport. The camp was established in 1948.
UN data indicates that before the start of the conflict in 2011, there were over 18,000 Palestine refugees living in Jaramana camp. During the Syrian crisis, the number of Palestine refugees in the camp and the surrounding area increased to 49,000 due to an influx of displaced Palestine refugees from other areas, including the camp of Yarmouk. As a result, Jaramana has become one of the most densely populated areas of Damascus.
Many of the refugees worked as street vendors, government employees or in nearby industrial plants. Some inhabitants find work in the informal sector through collecting garbage for recycling. The majority of women are domestic workers in Damascus to supplement family income. Like other areas in Syria, displacement, unemployment, inflation, protection and security risks are among the main concerns shared by Palestine refugees and Syrians alike.
This is not the first time that UNRWA operations in the camp were affected; the construction of a highway to Jaramana in 2006 meant that parts of the community centre, a health centre, a sanitation office, the newly installed sewerage network, urban development projects and schools had to be vacated. This was accompanied by a large number of refugee families being moved to a nearby new government housing project in the Palestine refugee gathering of al-Husseinieh or to shelters in the nearby villages and camps.
The camp occupies an area of 0.03 square kilometres. Historically, the camp has been inhabited by those displaced by the conflict in 1948, as well as Palestinians who had taken refuge in the Golan Heights and were displaced as a result of the 1967 hostilities.
Palestinian refugee families in Jaramana camp, in Rif Dimashq, have raised concerns over the increasing abductions, home-burglary attempts, and sexual harassment reported in the area, particularly overnight due to chronic power blackouts.
A couple of weeks ago, the Syrian authorities reportedly arrested a two-member gang involved in property-theft in the camp. The two thieves were caught burglarizing a Palestinian refugee’s home.
Over recent years, residents of Jaramana Camp have launched cries for help over the dire socio-economic conditions, high unemployment rates, poor infrastructure, steep rental fees, and chronic water crisis rocking the area.
Jaramana camp is 8km from Damascus on the road to Damascus International Airport. The camp was established in 1948.
UN data indicates that before the start of the conflict in 2011, there were over 18,000 Palestine refugees living in Jaramana camp. During the Syrian crisis, the number of Palestine refugees in the camp and the surrounding area increased to 49,000 due to an influx of displaced Palestine refugees from other areas, including the camp of Yarmouk. As a result, Jaramana has become one of the most densely populated areas of Damascus.
Many of the refugees worked as street vendors, government employees or in nearby industrial plants. Some inhabitants find work in the informal sector through collecting garbage for recycling. The majority of women are domestic workers in Damascus to supplement family income. Like other areas in Syria, displacement, unemployment, inflation, protection and security risks are among the main concerns shared by Palestine refugees and Syrians alike.
This is not the first time that UNRWA operations in the camp were affected; the construction of a highway to Jaramana in 2006 meant that parts of the community centre, a health centre, a sanitation office, the newly installed sewerage network, urban development projects and schools had to be vacated. This was accompanied by a large number of refugee families being moved to a nearby new government housing project in the Palestine refugee gathering of al-Husseinieh or to shelters in the nearby villages and camps.
The camp occupies an area of 0.03 square kilometres. Historically, the camp has been inhabited by those displaced by the conflict in 1948, as well as Palestinians who had taken refuge in the Golan Heights and were displaced as a result of the 1967 hostilities.
