Finding purpose
In 2013, at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis, Reem started her humanitarian career in her home country of Egypt. It was during this experience that she was further drawn to her passion for women’s rights.
‘I think one of the things that has made me focus on this line of work was women’s issues, women’s rights, and the problems that women face,’ shared Reem.
‘When I got to work in the humanitarian sphere and the refugee side specifically, I got to see that these issues escalated more. They tend to get worse for women,’ observed Reem. ‘I think that has been my motivation and my passion, and since then I’ve been doing this work with different countries, contexts, and agencies when it comes to women, protection and similar issues.’
Facing Restrictions, Forging Resilience
Fast forward 10 years later, Reem is deployed through Australia Assists to support UN Women in Cox’s Bazar as a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Specialist. She arrived in the middle of one of the world’s largest refugee responses – home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees, with more than half being women and girls.
In Cox’s Bazar, UN Women focused on the prevention of violence against people based on their gender. These included activities focused on changing social behaviour and norms, supporting women to lead their own lives independently, and cultivating women’s leadership.
For Rohingya refugees, however, their circumstances were unique. Many women had already faced restrictions and limitations on access to education and services in the Rakhine State, prior to seeking refuge in Cox’s Bazar.
‘The Rohingya refugees themselves are not allowed outside of the camps. They’re not allowed to work outside of the camps. They’re not allowed to live outside of the camps,’ explained Reem.
‘But it gets worse when you are a woman or a girl. There are issues that come up, like early marriage or polygamy, or skipping school because their families cannot afford it,’ said Reem. ‘So, they prefer to send their son, not the girl… There is also pushback from men, from community and religious leaders – who are all men.’
Despite these challenges, Reem has witnessed the strong determination of Rohingya women.
‘They have started to get some access – education, sexual reproductive health services, gender-based violence, and psychosocial support. Some of them have been able to learn new skills, and started making money on their own,’ said Reem.
‘There is a strong sense in the women that they want to own their future. There’s a lot of scope for them to be future leaders in their own communities, and there is a lot of change happening within these social norms.’
'There is a strong sense in the women that they want to own their future.'
Carving out space
At the start of Reem’s deployment, UN Women didn’t have a dedicated GBV Specialist in Cox’s Bazar. Through her efforts, she helped strengthen the vision and foundation to support their preventative GBV work.
‘When I came in, there was a lot to get up to speed on,’ noted Reem. ‘We were setting up things, refining our work, and also trying to change our presence… What are we doing? What is our presence? What are we doing in each sector or working group? Are we linking ourselves to different groups? Who are we engaging with? We created a vision, which makes it easier for UN Women to continue our work.’
Reem worked alongside a small, but determined and hardworking team, with many of them being national staff. Within it, she found a culture of trust and support.
‘Everyone in that office is mostly triple hatting on a good day… Some of the staff were in the office since the Rohingya response started. So, they’re more of an institutional memory,’ said Reem.
‘There is a sense of trust that they will support you. They will give you guidance, even if they don’t have time… There was that collaborative sense in the office that was really nice.’
Moments that mattered
Looking back on Reem’s accomplishments over the two years with UN Women in Cox’s Bazar, Reem spoke fondly of the countless Rohingya women that she had met in her work.
‘I was very happy when we used to go on the field visits to the camps and meet with the women on my own, or with someone who helps with the language. And listen to the good things that they were able to push back on, that they would not have been able to push back maybe ten years ago,’ recalled Reem.
‘It may seem like a small thing, but when you hear it from them – they’ve achieved so much. They’re leading discussions. They’re changing their communities within their women’s circles and networks that they have. They’re pushing boundaries for social norms and behaviours. They are probably raising their children to have more space and agency than they themselves were raised.’
‘If they are part of a livelihoods program to learn a new skill, or do a job to get money for themselves, that’s a huge step forward. And being part of that – directly or indirectly – is something that I’m very happy to be a part of in any shape or form.’
'They’re pushing boundaries for social norms and behaviours. They are probably raising their children to have more space and agency than they themselves were raised.’
Building the Momentum
Towards the end of Reem’s deployment, she worked closely with the UN Women’s Gender Response to Governance and Protection (GRGP) team. The GRGP team oversaw the gender field work within the refugee camps, and managed the relationships with partners who focus on women leadership and GBV prevention. Through Reem’s efforts, the value of long-term, strategic capacity-building has seen UN Women investing further into this area. A national staff member was recruited to support the GRGP team and continue the vital work that Reem began.
‘All of them were not there when I first joined UN Women two years ago. So, it’s good to see that component growing and to know that it will not fall through the cracks, because there’s more people… I have worked with them for a while before I left, so I know the job is in good hands, if not great hands,’ said Reem.
‘It’s also part of a localisation effort – to see people are taking ownership of their own context. It’s their country. They’re doing this work, and it’s their people. And to see them continue this work themselves, it’s a good thing.’
The Risk of Global Disruption
While Reem left Cox’s Bazar feeling optimistic and hopeful for the future of Rohingya women, global disruption to the humanitarian sector has created a real risk of losing momentum. In times like these, it is even more important to remain focused on responding to those in need.
‘The camps are still predominantly women, girls and children. So, if you don’t focus on them, you’re basically ignoring more than half of the population in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps. And you leave them under the force of regressive or negative social norms, which we’ve been working hard to challenge.’
‘The moment we lose traction, or we lose focus on these issues, we’re going back like one hundred steps – and it’s really hard to move one step at a time,’ reflected Reem.
'The moment we lose traction, or we lose focus on these issues, we’re going back like one hundred steps – and it’s really hard to move one step at a time
Disclaimer: The information and views published here are the individual’s own and do not necessarily represent the partner organisation, Australia Assists or the Australian Government’s views, positions or opinions.