ABSTRACT
Palestinian adolescents living in Jerash camp have been stateless refugees in Jordan for three generations, living in poverty with no end in sight. Their statelessness fundamentally shapes the opportunities and choices available to them and, in turn, the lack of opportunities further entrenches their inter-generational disadvantage. With limited access to university education and jobs, there is very little incentive for stateless Palestinian adolescents to complete their secondary education. Funding cuts, especially to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), have impacted educational provision, while the shifting focus of policy and programming efforts to Syrian refugees means Palestinian refugee adolescents have become the ‘forgotten’.
Drawing on findings from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) baseline research in Jordan, this chapter explores the experiences of younger (10–12 years) and older (15–17 years) Palestinian refugees in Jerash camp. It focuses on the key drivers of school dropout and how these intersect with other capability domains, including voice and agency, bodily integrity and freedom from violence, and psychosocial wellbeing. The chapter emphasises that irrespective of their legal status in Jordan, and despite the prioritisation of Syrian refugees, both the government and the international community must do more to improve the quality of education and the returns on investment in education. They must provide opportunities for economic inclusion of stateless Palestinian adolescents to ensure that they are not left even further behind.
