Married Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon and Jordan face overlapping crises of poverty, limited access to education and livelihood opportunities, gender inequality, and family violence. Research from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) program finds that early and arranged marriage is common as a coping strategy, but takes a toll on girls' well-being. Married life brings responsibilities that girls are unprepared for, leaving them exhausted and isolated with little support. The economic crisis in Lebanon has exacerbated girls' hardships. Violence from husbands and in-laws is prevalent, while girls have little agency or ability to access support networks. Programming recommendations include preventing early marriage, improving relationships within marriages, expanding support for survivors,

1. Sally Youssef and Nicola Jones, November 2021
Overlapping crises:
The emotional lives of married Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon and Jordan
Palestinian girls in Lebanon © Sally Youssef / GAGE 2020

2. Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE):
A longitudinal research programme (2015-2024)
By finding out ‘what works,’ for whom, where
and why, we can better support adolescent girls
and boys to maximise their capabilities now and
in the future.
We are following 20,000 adolescent girls and boys - the largest cohort of
adolescents in the Global South

3. GAGE 3Cs Conceptual Framework

4. GAGE longitudinal research sample
Jordan: 4,100 230 50
Lebanon -- -- 100
Global: 20,000 800 200

5. Background contexts
Lebanon
• In the midst of deep economic and political crisis
• Has prohibited UNHCR from building formal
camps and (since 2015) registering refugees
• Authorities demolish homes and use forced
deportation to encourage Syrians to leave
• Some Palestinian refugee camps are heavily
weaponised
Jordan
• Has three formal camps, though most (approx.
85%) live in host communities
• Has worked with the international community to
ensure Syrians are provided for
• Home to UNICEF Jordan’s Makani programme—
aimed at reducing myriad risks facing children
and improving their psychosocial wellbeing
• Syrians’ access to work is legally restricted
• Poverty is nearly universal—most depend on aid
• Child marriage is a common coping strategy
• Girls typically marry men 7-10 years older
• Consanguineous marriage is common—especially for the youngest girls
• Secondary enrolment rates are very low for Syrians

6. GAGE findings
Refugee out-of-school girl in Lebanon © Elie Matar GAGE 2021

7. Girls are pushed into accepting marriage
In Jordan:
 only 6% of Syrian girls reported
their marriages were forced
Girls feel like agents—with
many feeling to blame when
their lives become unbearable
But that is only part of the story:
parents acknowledge that they
are controlling girls’ responses
 2/3 reported that they were
ready to marry at the time

8. Married life is exhausting
• ‘My life …has become a black hole. I have a newborn who cries all
the time. I do not know how to comfort him. My mother, who should
be here teaching me how to care for him, cannot come. My husband
has lost his job and is angry at me all the time because he is stressed
about our financial situation. I am constantly worried about running
out of milk and diapers for my son. I am so tired of life.’ (Lebanon)
Lebanon
• ‘After marriage I have a lot of responsibility. Of the house, the family, the children and the
husband. There is more difficulty after marriage. The girl cannot take responsibility at the
age 14 and a half.’ (15 y.o. girl, Jordan)
Jordan
Photo credits © GAGE research
participant from Lebanon

9. The crisis in Lebanon has added to girls’ exhaustion
‘I am always nervous, shouting at the children.
…. I am not able to handle all of this and
sometimes when I get nervous I lash out at my
children hitting them to relieve my anger.’
(Lebanon)
‘I used to have some good time at the
evening when I put my daughter to sleep
eating fruits and chit chatting … but now with
the electricity cuts, my daughter does not
sleep and she keeps crying at night asking for
light … I tell her that there is no electricity but
she does not understand that, She wants the
light on to sleep.’ (Lebanon)
‘The electricity cuts are making our lives even
more harder … When there is no electricity,
we do not have water in our house and we
need to fill it in buckets from the main tank of
the camp … I feel tired and stressed all the
time, and the children keeps fighting and
crying when there is no electricity because
they are bored without the TV …’ (Lebanon)
‘When there is no water, I can't wash dishes,
or I use gallons to wash them. When the
electricity is on, we use the heater to boil
water.’ (Lebanon)

10. Husbands provide little practical support to girls
• When my daughter is crying while I’m busy with the household chores he shouts, “Take her away from
me!” (16 y.o. girl living in ITS, Jordan)
In some cases men do not want to provide support to their wives
• ‘The man cannot take care of the children; people will criticise him and gossip. Even if he plays with his
children in the camp, they will say that this is ‘shameful’ and ‘where is his mother?’ Because we mothers
are the only ones responsible for the children. . . .The husband can only play with the children inside the
house.’ (Lebanon)
Other men feel they cannot due to discriminatory gender norms
• ‘I do not like children and my husband did not want to have children now because we are both very
young … but my mother-in-law wants children because she married her son early because he is her only
son and she wants him to have sons … she forced us to have a child at first and when it was a girl, she
wanted me to get pregnant again to bring her a grandson … she told me that if it is a girl, then I will keep
having children every year to get sons or she will get her son a second wife.’ (Lebanon)
Forced fatherhood is common

11. Married girls have little agency
‘After marriage, my mother-
in-law receives my money.’
(17 y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘When my family decided that I will get married to my cousin, my father-in-law who is my uncle
forbade me from going to school … My family locked me in the house and I could not do
anything … I was good at school and I did not want to leave it.’ (Lebanon)
‘I love to learn hairdressing and makeup and work in a salon. It is my dream! But my husband
does not allow me to take courses because he tells me that women cannot work outside the
house.’ (Lebanon)
‘I submitted to his wishes… I
decide what we are going to
eat, that is it.’
(16 y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘We agreed at the start that I obey
him at all times and listen to what
he says.’ (18. y.o. girl, Jordan)

12. Violence from husbands is common
‘My husband is always mad at me … he does not
allow me to go out of the house and he always
hits me for no reason … If my brother-in-law did
not like the tea, he will hit me … If he did not like
the food or I served it late because I was late in
my work in the fields, he will hit me ... He
became even worse and angry all the time
because there is little work now and the money
became not enough for anything.’ (Lebanon)
‘I did not know anything before this night…he put
the bed sheet over my face to prevent me from
crying and he had sexual relationship with me.
Then, he went out and I started crying.’
(17 y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘When my father came to me… he told me he
would take me with him… I said to him that I
did not want to go… I was afraid of the girls
and society view at me and I was thinking
about what they would say about me.’
(16 y.o., Jordan)
‘I always get back to him because I am afraid
that I will lose my daughter or not be able to
raise her by myself because I know that he will
not give me money.’ (Lebanon)
Participatory photography © GAGE PAR research participant
‘I fear him. My husband…can ruin my life if I
don’t listen to him.’ (17 y.o. girl, Jordan)

13. Violence from in-laws in common
‘They (my in-laws) prevented me food and fruits; there
was no food. I was pregnant at the sixth month and
there was no food.’ (17 y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘My mother in-law is my aunt but she treats me worse than a stranger would do … She is forcing me to
stay in my marriage although she knows that her son and I do not want each other, he has another wife
whom he loves … She would not allow me to visit my family in Syria whom I did not see in years since I
got married. I cannot tell my family anything because she does not allow me to hold the phone… I am
forced to stay with her, do the housework and cook and take care of my husband’s children from another
wife all the time …’ (Lebanon)
‘His mother used to tell me "your family sold you and
we bought you”.’ (18 y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘The mother in law is not as the mother …. the mother
in law don’t have to tolerate anything.’ (16 y.o., Jordan) Palestinian girl in Lebanon © Natalie Bertrams / GAGE 2019

14. Some married girls have emotional support
A very few girls report
feeling supported by
their husbands
‘I always find him by me
in any problem … he is
the nearest to me and he
is always by me… He is
the most one support me
if I fall in a problem or
misfortune.’
(16 y.o. girl, Jordan)
Sisters-in-law are often
friends
‘I do not have anyone in
my life to speak with
except for my cousin who
is my husband’s sister …
She is the only person that
I am allowed to see … She
understands me and the
only person who relieves
me.’ (Lebanon)
Some mothers-in-law are
supportive
‘I go talk to (her)
whenever I feel upset… I
go complain to her,
because I cannot do this
with mom I would not
harm her…when I fight
with my husband. I go tell
my aunt (mother-in-law)
and complain about it.’
(17 y.o. girl,Jordan)
Girls’ natal families can
be allies
‘My mother is my friend, I
tell her everything and
she gives me advices on
what to do.’ (Lebanon)

15. But most marriages are not close
‘If you want to talk with your husband, you whisper to him so that your neighbour does not
listen to you or your in-laws. . . . [Y]ou cannot even laugh at home. . . . It is as if the whole
camp lives in a single tent.’ (Lebanon)
‘It feels like he is married to that game. He keeps playing the game and when I tried to talk to
him, he silences me and ask me not to talk since his online party maybe able to hear me.’
(16 y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘There was love between us, then it turned to suspicion, jealousy, banning of everything..
Things turned upside down….. We were not allowed to go out together or hold hands in front
of people. He wasn’t allowed to smile at me in front of people.’ (18 y.o. girl, Jordan)

16. And many girls do not have their parents’ support
Lebanon
• ‘My family is in Syria and I am not allowed
to visit them or to talk to them privately on
the phone. When I am allowed to talk to my
mother I feel that knows about my misery
even if we could not say a word to each
other.’ (Lebanon)
• ‘Even your mother, you cannot tell her
everything. Sometimes when you visit your
mother telling her about your problems
with your husband, she gets angry and she
shouts that she will kill him. . . .’ (Lebanon)
Jordan
• ‘I do not even share my thoughts with my sister,
not my mother…. She is already stressed, why
would I add more stress to her?’ (17 y.o., Jordan)
• ‘He didn’t want me to be close to my parents…. He
made me change my number and prevented me
from talking to or visiting them. It was just like
prison. ….He tried his best to isolate me from
people.’ (18 y.o. girl, Jordan)
• ‘My mother said, “you should obey your husband,
you should obey all your brothers –in law, you
should obey your mother- in law and you shouldn’t
tell me anything happens at your house”.’
(18 y.o. girl, Jordan)

17. Most married girls have little access to friends
‘When a girl is living in her (birth) family’s house, she has friends
and she can receive them whenever she wants, and also she can
go to visit her friends, she goes with her mother anywhere, but at
the husband’s house he prevents her from going to visit her
friends, he also prevents her from receiving her friends at home.’
(16. y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘We were a close group of friends, but after
marriage this changed. .. We communicate on
WhatsApp. Sometimes we go out together. … I do
not tell them about home secrets and private life. …
It is true that they are my friends, but marriage
changes things.’ (18 y.o. girl, Jordan)
‘My life before marriage was very different, I used to spend my
time with my friends and to visit my relatives all the time … but
after marriage you cannot go out for long or visit your friends and
relatives.’ (Lebanon)
‘My friends and I lost contact after we got married because we did
not have phones to talk and now each of us live in a different place
whereas before we lived in the same camp ... Even now after I got
a phone, I do not talk to my friends because the phone is their
husband’s and I do not know when they have it.’ (Lebanon)
Palestinian girls in Lebanon © Elie Matar GAGE 2021

18. Access to formal services is mixed—in many ways
• ‘I used to attend psychological aid classes in the Woman and Girl center. They discuss subjects
like who are the people that support us and they encourage us to talk with them about
anything that’s troubling us and not keep it inside. It encouraged us not to resort to self-harm
when under stress and anger…. It wasn’t very long, just 5 sessions.’ (18 y.o. girl, Jordan)
• ‘I do not like to get involved with centres. I cannot handle the ideas and conversations they
have in that sessions….like if the woman was hit by her husband, she should complain about
her husband then he would be punished or arrested….in my opinion, these stuffs are silly!’
(17 y.o. girl, Jordan)
Jordan
• ‘We prefer to stay silent because nobody wants to listen to us. Even the people at the
organizations treat us in a bad way. They never ask us anything but rather come to us when
they have training on issues health and hygiene. Why would we not know how to wash our
hands?’ (Lebanon)
• ‘I do not know about any centers or courses here … I did not think there are such
organizations, now I am learning from the girls in the group that these exists.’ (Lebanon)
Lebanon

19. Programming and policy
recommendations
Refugee girl in Lebanon © Natalie Bertrams / GAGE 2019

20. Implications for programming and policy
1
Step up efforts to prevent child and consanguineous marriage—working with girls, young men,
girls’ and boys’/young men’s parents, and communities—using religious leaders as possible.
2
Provide young married couples with classes aimed at improving communication and building
relationships.
3
Expand support for the survivors of violence—stepping up access to reporting avenues, legal
and psychosocial support.
4
Provide married girls with recreational opportunities—including access to caring adults and
unstructured downtime with friends. Opportunities should foster girls’ confidence and voice
and might win marital families’ approval if they also taught girls domestic and childcare skills.
5
Work with husbands and in-laws to shift the social norms that restrict married girls’ mobility
and voice and drive their distress.
6
Provide married girls with opportunities to continue their educations as well as culturally-
sensitive training that will help them earn their own incomes.

21. GAGE
publications
on
child
marriage
and
adolescent
well-being
‘No One Should Be Terrified Like I Was!’ Exploring
Drivers and Impacts of Child Marriage in Protracted
Crises Among Palestinian and Syrian Refugees
Child Marriage in Humanitarian Crises: Girls and
Parents Speak Out on Risk and Protective
Factors, Decision-Making, and Solutions |
Through their eyes: exploring the
complex drivers of child marriage in
humanitarian contexts
Adolescents in protracted displacement:
exploring risks of age- and gender-based
violence among Palestine refugees in
Jordan, Lebanon and the State of Palestine
Adolescent well-being in the time of covid-19
Empowering adolescents through an
integrated programming approach: exploring
the effects of UNICEF’s Makani programme on
Dom adolescents’ well-being in Jordan
Adolescent well-being in a time of crisis: assessing
SDG progress during covid-19 and priorities for a
resilient recovery for adolescents and youth

22. GAGE
MENA
publications
on
covid-19
impacts

23. GAGE
publications
on
global
covid-19
impacts
‘Some got married, others don’t want to attend school as they are
involved in income-generation’: adolescent experiences following
covid-19 lockdowns in low- and middle-income countries
Adolescent well-being in the time of covid-19
Intersecting barriers to adolescents’ educational access
during COVID-19: Exploring the role of gender, disability
and poverty
Adolescent well-being in a time of crisis: assessing
SDG progress during covid-19 and priorities for a
resilient recovery for adolescents and youth
Life skills for adolescent girls in the COVID-19
pandemic
‘I have nothing to feed my family…’: covid-
19 risk pathways for adolescent girls in low-
and middle-income countries |
Intersecting vulnerabilities: the
impacts of COVID-19 on the
psycho-emotional lives of young
people in low- and middle-income
countries |
Social isolation and disrupted
privacy: impacts of covid-19 on
adolescent girls in humanitarian
contexts | GAGE (odi.org)

24. Contact Us
WEBSITE
www.gage.odi.org
TWITTER
@GAGE_programme
FACEBOOK
GenderandAdolescence
About GAGE:
 Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence
(GAGE) is a nine-year (2015-2024) mixed-
methods longitudinal research programme
focused on what works to support
adolescent girls’ and boys’ capabilities in
the second decade of life and beyond.
 We are following the lives of 18,000
adolescents in six focal countries in Africa,
Asia and the Middle East.