LEBANON / REFUGEE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Alya, a Syrian refugee sheltering in Bekka, Lebanon, a single woman in her 50s, was chosen as her settlement’s shawish – a title mostly reserved for men who act as informal refugee settlement supervisors and decision makers. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:48
• Production Date: 6 June 2018
• Asset Language: Arabic
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; WOMEN
• Geographic Subject: LEBANON; SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 2169521
• Parent Id: 2169521
• Alternate Title: unifeed180606a

Description

STORY: LEBANON / REFUGEE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
TRT: 1:48
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ARABIC /NATS

DATELINE: 4 MAY 2018, BEKKA, LEBANON

Shotlist

1. Pan right, refugee women walking towards informal settlement
2. Tracking shot, Alya walking inside the settlement
3. Various shots, Alya talking to a friend
4. Various shots, Alya talking to a man
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Alya, Syrian Refugee:
“The Refugees all wanted me to be the shawish. They said I would manage the settlement and attend meetings.”
6. Various shot, Alya standing in front of her tent
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Alya, Syrian Refugee:
“ If there are issues and conflicts then I resolve them and I bring people together.”
8. Med shot, Alya sitting on a chair
9. Med shot, Alya cutting wood with hammer
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Alya, Syrian Refugee:
“He told us girls to be strong, to stand-up for our rights. That even if a man is arguing we should reply.”
11. Med shot, Aliya opening the window of her tent
12. Various shots, Aida talking to Alya from the window
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) , Aida, Displaced Person:
“Alya is patient and calm. The job of a shawish can be stressful.’
14. Various shots, Alya standing inside her tent

Storyline

Alya proudly sports a keffiyeh, the scarf traditionally worn as a headdress by Arab men, just as she wears a title normally reserved for men: “shawish”, or community leader, a role she has taken up among fellow Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Alya, Syrian Refugee:
“The Refugees all wanted me to be the shawish. They said I would manage the settlement and attend meetings.”

In Arabic, the word shawish has been used in Lebanon to refer to men managing foreign labour in farming and construction. But since the onset of the Syria conflict and the influx of refugees into Lebanon, the word has found a new meaning.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Alya, Syrian Refugee:
“If there are issues and conflicts then I resolve them and I bring people together.”

Born and raised in a patriarchal society, Ayla says her father empowered his daughters.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Alya, Syrian Refugee:
“He told us girls to be strong, to stand-up for our rights. That even if a man is arguing we should reply.”

In informal tented settlements a “shawish” is as a refugee acting as the settlement supervisor and decision-maker. He - or she - is the focal point with local organizations, officials and UN agencies. Shawish register the settlements with aid agencies, manages aid distribution and resolve conflicts between refugees.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Aida, Displaced Person:
“Alya is patient and calm. The job of a shawish can be stressful.’

Alya is not paid for her job. She says she just want to help others and the job is giving her purpose and a sense of pride.