By Ardo Juweid
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Mariam suffers from being deprived of her right to build a future for herself through pursuing her education. She did not complete the fifth grade.
Mariam Idris, 12, a resident of the village of Jafr al-Mansour in the southern countryside of Aleppo, northwestern Syria, is one example of the girls living in rural Aleppo who have been deprived of their right to study due to the war.
With the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in March 2011, difficulties faced by families, especially girls and women, have increased. Many girls have endured both physical and psychological hardships, in addition to being deprived of their rights to education and the opportunity to consider better future options.
These circumstances force girls to drop out of schools and work in harsh conditions in order to support their families.
Harsh economic conditions
The economic situation plays a major role in this suffering. Hiba Ali, Mariam’s mother, told North Press, “We live in dire living conditions, and our men are used to depending on us to provide for the family. My children and I have to work both inside and outside the house, otherwise, we will not survive.”
The girls’ dropout from schools has detrimental effects on their future. Trapped in poverty, they are vulnerable to the worst forms of labor, exploitation, and early marriage.
Mariam’s mother said, “Our eight children, both girls and boys, work in shepherding and farming to secure our daily bread.”
She added that they are forced to leave their children’s education behind.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Mariam said, “I love school and studying with my friends, but I left it to avoid my father’s daily beatings and the problems at home with my mother.”
“Like slaves”
Many of the girls who dropped out of school are subjected to exploitation in the labor market. They work long hours in an environment lacking safety and comfort, in addition to being forced to work away from their homes.
For the past four years, 16-year-old Ferial al-Mustafa has been going to work in a plant nursery in the early morning hours every day and continues working until the sun sets.
Al-Mustafa, who is also from the Jafr al-Mansour village, earns 60,000 ($4) Syrian pounds per week.
The girl informed North Press, “All of girls in my age who work here are being exploited. We are 14 girls working mercilessly for meager wages because there are no other alternatives in the region.”
Ferial endures the immense hardships of work “due to the economic difficulties and prevailing customs in the region.” These factors exert tremendous pressure on girls’ families.
North Press has identified more than 500 girls from the villages surrounding Jafr al-Mansour who dropped out of school and work under difficult physical and psychological conditions.
Perilous labor
With the onset of winter, 11-year-old Safaa al-Sagheer, a resident of the town of Banan in the southeastern countryside of Aleppo, spends long hours among the sheep, herding them from one place to another where there is grass and water.
With her siblings occupied in farming, the burden of shepherding falls on her shoulders. She walks a distance of over a kilometer and has to traverse valleys and hills, exposing her to injuries and wounds, al-Sagheer told North Press.
Shepherding requires agility, endurance, and resilience in facing the harsh conditions, be it the scorching sun of summer or the freezing cold of winter, she noted.
Safaa said she has been accustomed to this type of work as she has been doing it for four years, despite suffering a fractured rib due to an attack by one of the sheep, which resulted in her staying in a hospital for over two months.
Deprived of her education and the opportunity to grow up like a normal girl, she spends her days with the sheep, seeking livelihood and earning a living.