FES: Which factors have to be taken into consideration in Germany in order to support Syrian women's integration?
Nisren Habib: First, I would like to point out that I have spoken to 46 Syrian refugee women in Berlin for my research project, so my conclusions only refer to this particular group. There are two parties involved in the integration of Syrian women: the women themselves and German society. Integration cannot be achieved by one side alone. All Syrians urgently need language and integration classes so that they can quickly play a part in their new environment. But classes alone are not enough. Many Syrians, particularly those that came here within the last two years, are caught in transitional situations where they find themselves living in emergency shelters and initial reception centers with an unresolved residence status. Most have difficulties finding an apartment. Others are waiting for a decision on their residence status. For many, the most urgent question is what will happen to the families they left behind.
Most women you talked to live in one of the large mass accommodation facilities in Berlin. Which gender-specific problems are they struggling with there?
For these Syrian refugee women, the biggest challenge is living in such a place for six to 18 months or even longer. There is no privacy, either for them as human beings or as women. Some live in gymnasiums or small cubicles that are only separated by some fabric. Others live in communal rooms or rooms they cannot lock. The communal bathrooms and kitchens make many women feel like they are living in a large prison. Some experience sexual harassment partly by other refugees, partly by employees of the organizations in charge of running the institutions.
Another important aspect is that new communities evolve in these institutions which are “neither Syrian nor German.” In these communities, many women feel like they are under permanent surveillance. They feel that they have to behave in a certain way, not because they really want to, but so that they are not constantly judged. They do not feel like they are in a place in which men and women have equal rights and where they can do what they like.
At the same time, the women are limited in their contact with German society and only interact with security guards, social workers and sometimes volunteers. At times these interactions foster negative images of both German and Syrian society simply because such situations can be tense.
FES: Which factors have to be taken into consideration in Germany in order to support Syrian women's integration?
Nisren Habib: First, I would like to point out that I have spoken to 46 Syrian refugee women in Berlin for my research project, so my conclusions only refer to this particular group. There are two parties involved in the integration of Syrian women: the women themselves and German society. Integration cannot be achieved by one side alone. All Syrians urgently need language and integration classes so that they can quickly play a part in their new environment. But classes alone are not enough. Many Syrians, particularly those that came here within the last two years, are caught in transitional situations where they find themselves living in emergency shelters and initial reception centers with an unresolved residence status. Most have difficulties finding an apartment. Others are waiting for a decision on their residence status. For many, the most urgent question is what will happen to the families they left behind.
Most women you talked to live in one of the large mass accommodation facilities in Berlin. Which gender-specific problems are they struggling with there?
For these Syrian refugee women, the biggest challenge is living in such a place for six to 18 months or even longer. There is no privacy, either for them as human beings or as women. Some live in gymnasiums or small cubicles that are only separated by some fabric. Others live in communal rooms or rooms they cannot lock. The communal bathrooms and kitchens make many women feel like they are living in a large prison. Some experience sexual harassment partly by other refugees, partly by employees of the organizations in charge of running the institutions.
Another important aspect is that new communities evolve in these institutions which are “neither Syrian nor German.” In these communities, many women feel like they are under permanent surveillance. They feel that they have to behave in a certain way, not because they really want to, but so that they are not constantly judged. They do not feel like they are in a place in which men and women have equal rights and where they can do what they like.
At the same time, the women are limited in their contact with German society and only interact with security guards, social workers and sometimes volunteers. At times these interactions foster negative images of both German and Syrian society simply because such situations can be tense.
FES: Which factors have to be taken into consideration in Germany in order to support Syrian women's integration?
Nisren Habib: First, I would like to point out that I have spoken to 46 Syrian refugee women in Berlin for my research project, so my conclusions only refer to this particular group. There are two parties involved in the integration of Syrian women: the women themselves and German society. Integration cannot be achieved by one side alone. All Syrians urgently need language and integration classes so that they can quickly play a part in their new environment. But classes alone are not enough. Many Syrians, particularly those that came here within the last two years, are caught in transitional situations where they find themselves living in emergency shelters and initial reception centers with an unresolved residence status. Most have difficulties finding an apartment. Others are waiting for a decision on their residence status. For many, the most urgent question is what will happen to the families they left behind.
Most women you talked to live in one of the large mass accommodation facilities in Berlin. Which gender-specific problems are they struggling with there?
For these Syrian refugee women, the biggest challenge is living in such a place for six to 18 months or even longer. There is no privacy, either for them as human beings or as women. Some live in gymnasiums or small cubicles that are only separated by some fabric. Others live in communal rooms or rooms they cannot lock. The communal bathrooms and kitchens make many women feel like they are living in a large prison. Some experience sexual harassment partly by other refugees, partly by employees of the organizations in charge of running the institutions.
Another important aspect is that new communities evolve in these institutions which are “neither Syrian nor German.” In these communities, many women feel like they are under permanent surveillance. They feel that they have to behave in a certain way, not because they really want to, but so that they are not constantly judged. They do not feel like they are in a place in which men and women have equal rights and where they can do what they like.
At the same time, the women are limited in their contact with German society and only interact with security guards, social workers and sometimes volunteers. At times these interactions foster negative images of both German and Syrian society simply because such situations can be tense.