The Forgotten Majority

The Syrian civil war is entering its 8th year with unpromising hope that the people of Syria will be able to go back to their homeland and live in peace and security soon. With millions displaced, the safety and wellbeing of female Syrian refugees comes to question. Female Syrian refugees face extreme forms of poverty and live in undignified forms of life. They suffer discrimination from NGO\u27s and government officials when they seek social assistance and many forms of sexual and physical assault from their families and other members of the community they live in. Historically, when a war breaks out, women unfortunately suffer rape, sexual and physical harassment and their rights are undocumented and not met. States need to be held accountable for the hardships women endure as refugees and victims of war and persecution. This paper addresses the failure of Lebanon and Jordan to uphold Syrian female refugee’s rights in accordance with the Convention Eliminating all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and General Assembly Res. 48/104 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This paper goes beyond to explore the diverse hardships female Syrian refugees encounter in relation to physical/sexual abuse and the effects on their health and wellbeing. Addressing the problem is one step closer to proposing a solution to hold States accountable for their actions