Child marriage among Syrian girls now living in Jordan is common. But Besan is determined to stay in school so she can chart her own destiny — and become an architect

How Syrian Children Cope — Besan Tells Her Story

Series: Children of Syria Speak, Part 4 of 5

 

Meet 14-year-old Besan. She lives in Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp, where, some days, harrassment by boys makes her long walk to school unbearable. "Some parents stopped sending their daughters," she explains. 

 

But Besan perseveres. "It's impossible for me to leave school, because if I do, then I would get married early." And that would most certainly spell the end of her plans for the future: to graduate, become an architect and return home: "My friends and I want to go back to Syria and rebuild it from scratch."

 

 

For five years now, the children of Syria have lived with raging conflict.

 

The violence has taken a toll. Of the 8.4 million children affected, some are displaced in their own homeland. Others live as refugees in neighboring countries. More than 15,000 have crossed Syria’s borders unaccompanied, separated from everything they knew, even their parents.  

 

“For the youngest Syrian children, this crisis is all they have ever known," says UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. "For adolescents entering their formative years, violence and suffering have not only scarred their past; they are shaping their futures.”

 

Yet they show remarkable resilience — and hope. Let's honor the children of Syria and their stories. 

 

See the rest of the video series:

 

Moheb’s story

 

Maya’s story

 

Ammar’s story

 

Saja’s story

 

 

Learn More