Table Of ContentMarwan Khawaja and Åge A. Tiltnes (eds.)
On the Margins:
Migration and Living Conditions
of Palestinian Camp Refugees in Jordan
“On the Margins” takes a closer look at the living conditions of the
On the Margins:
Palestinian camp population of Jordan and presents statistics on a number
of topics central to their welfare, such as population and migration,
Migration and Living Conditions
housing, education, health, work, and income. The analysis is based on
survey data obtained from interviews of about 3,000 refugee families.
of Palestinian Camp Refugees
Moreover, the report is supplemented by insights from focus group
meetings in two of the camps.
in Jordan
One of the main findings of the report is that income poverty is more
widespread in the refugee camps than outside. Efforts have been made to
investigate the causes of this situation. Particular attention is paid to the
effect of migration. “On the Margins” also looks at the camp residents’
human resources and labour force participation. It demonstrates that
higher education increases workforce participation but that many young,
well-educated women are unemployed; that higher education has only a
moderate effect on earnings of camp dwellers; that camp refugees
overwhelmingly work in the private sector; and that they are quite
entrepreneurial.
The overall conclusion is that there is little reason to believe that camp
refugees will ever catch up with the average Jordanian because of selective
migration processes. Furthermore, the employed segment of the
population tends to be involved in low-paid, low-skilled occupations.
The study was made possible by funds from Norway, the USA, Canada and
Sweden. It was carried out by researchers from Fafo, Institute for Applied
International Studies, Norway and Yarmouk University, Jordan, and was
coordinated locally by Jordan’s Department of Palestinian Affairs.
P.O.Box 2947 Tøyen Fafo-report 357
N-0608 Oslo ISBN 82-7422-343-8
http://www.fafo.no/engelsk/ ISSN 0801-6143
M. Khawaja and On the Margins: Migration and Living Conditions
Å A. Tiltnes (eds.) of Palestinian Camp Refugees in Jordan
Marwan Khawaja and Åge A. Tiltnes (eds.)
On the Margins:
Migration and living conditions of
Palestinian camp refugees in Jordan
Fafo-report 357
© Fafo 2002
ISBN 82-7422-343-8
ISSN 0801-6143
Cover page: Agneta Kolstad
Cover photo: Department of Palestinian Affairs
Printed in Norway by: Centraltrykkeriet AS
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Contents
Research team ................................................................................................ 5
Survey fieldwork team................................................................................... 5
List of abbreviations ...................................................................................... 6
Preface .................................................................................................. 7
1 Introduction .................................................................................... 11
2 Population....................................................................................... 19
3 Migration ........................................................................................ 27
4 Labour force activity ...................................................................... 41
5 Income and poverty ....................................................................... 55
6 Education ........................................................................................ 71
7 Entrepreneurship ............................................................................ 99
8 Attitudes towards work .............................................................. 111
9 Housing and infrastructure ......................................................... 125
10 Health and health services ........................................................ 141
11 Conclusion................................................................................... 169
References .................................................................................................. 177
Tabulation appendix .................................................................................. 185
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4
Research team
Åge A. Tiltnes, Fafo
Marwan Khawaja, Fafo
Raslan Bani-Yasin, Yarmouk University
Ali S. Zaghal, Yarmouk University
Qais al-Nouri, Yarmouk University
Anwar R. Qura’an, Yarmouk University
Survey fieldwork team
Field directors
Akram Atallah, Fafo
Hani Eldada, Fafo
Fieldwork supervisors
Adel Tbeashat
Lana Abed Al Latif
Nayfeh Al Kaabeni
Othman Ibrahim Hassan
Samar Alsemadi
Siham Al Attar
Interviewers and data entry staff
Abeer Abu Shaweesh Nawal Al Soqoor
Bothayna Abu Romman Nazik Tawalbeh
Dalal Abed Alraheem Nibal Gharaybe
Deem Alhiyari Nihaya Aldrobi
Fatima Hamarsha Nirvana Al Jarad
Faynan Aqrabawi Nissreen Al Badri
Ghada Tawalbeh Randa Almasri
Ibtissam Matrok Al Kababaa Rola Almasri
Itimad Raja Alsaware Sanaa Al Kawasma
Jameela Arabiat Sawsan Abu Rabiaa
Khitam Hamaydeh Sima Ibrahim
Kifah Tawfik Suliman Suha Al Widyan
Manal Abed Al Hamid Tagrid Al Baba
Mayes Almasarwa Umayma Al Masri
Maysson Abu Rabiaa
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List of abbreviations
CIP Community Infrastructure Programme
DOS Department of Statistics
DPA Department of Palestinian Affairs
FP Family Planning
ILO International Labour Office
IMR Infant Mortality Rate
JD Jordanian Dinar ( 0,71 JD = 1 USD)
JLCS Jordan Living Conditions Survey
MCH Mother and Child Health
MI Micro International
MTFR Marital Total Fertility Rate
SES Socio-economic status
SPP Social Productivity Programme
TFR Total Fertility Rate
U5MR Child (Under-5) Mortality Rate
UN United Nations
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency For Palestine Refugees
in the Near East
US United States of America
USD US Dollar
WHO World Health Organisation
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Preface
In 1996 the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in co-operation with Norway,
undertook a national household survey to map living conditions in the Kingdom,
one of the project’s aims being to give a general picture of the living conditions
of Jordan’s large Palestinian refugee population. The results were presented to an
expert meeting of the Refugee Working Group (RWG) in the multilateral Middle
East peace process at Aqaba, Jordan, in December 1997. The RWG commended
Jordan for its pioneering study and said it would be interested in an in-depth study
to examine why the living conditions of refugees living in the camps were lower
than those of the refugees living outside them.
Jordan and Norway decided to work together to produce the in-depth study,
and obtained support and additional funding from the USA, Sweden and Cana-
da. Jordan’s Department of Palestinian Affairs took the lead in project implemen-
tation and local co-ordination under first Dr. Ibrahim Badran (Director General)
and Mr. Abdelkarim Abulhaija (Deputy Director General) and later under Mr.
Abulhaija (Director General).
Jordan seconded researchers from Yarmouk University while Norway commis-
sioned Fafo to carry out the project. A steering committee was set up to supervise
it with the following members: Ibrahim Badran/Abdelkarim Abulhaija (Depart-
ment of Palestinian Affairs), Raslan Bani-Yasin and Ali Zaghal (Yarmouk Univer-
sity), Jon Hanssen-Bauer and Åge A. Tiltnes (Fafo), Gunnar Lofberg (Director of
UNRWA Operations, Jordan).
The Jordanian and Norwegian researchers concluded the definition of the study
in July 1998. During a technical co-ordination meeting in Oslo in March 1999,
the “shepherds” of the RWG and those involved in it commented on the work
and contributed input and recommendations.
The project fieldwork was carried out by the Center for Jordanian Studies at
Yarmouk University and Fafo during the spring and summer of 1999. While the
researchers from Yarmouk University were responsible for the qualitative part of
the study, collecting data using focus group methodology, Fafo carried out the
quantitative element in the form of a multi-topic household survey. However, the
two partners have co-operated closely in all phases of the study process, from de-
sign to analysis.
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The findings of the in-depth refugee camp study were presented and discussed twice
in meetings prior to the completion of this report. The first meeting took place
in Amman on 20-21 October 1999 when Yarmouk University and Fafo research-
ers presented their preliminary results to an expanded Steering Committee and a
group of directors and deputy directors from UNRWA’s Headquarters (Amman)
and the Jordan Field Office. The second presentation was at an RWG technical
co-ordination meeting hosted by Jordan and Norway in Amman on 7-8 Febru-
ary 2000.
This report is the result of significant amount of input and many contribu-
tions from many people. We should like to express our sincere thanks to Dr.
Hussein Shakhatreh, Director General of the Department of Statistics (DOS), who
allowed us to use the national sample frame for selecting respondents for the house-
hold survey. We are also grateful to Fathi Nsour at DOS for the invaluable assist-
ance provided. DOS also seconded one of its most experienced and well-qualified
fieldwork supervisors, Mustafa Salameh, to assist us during fieldwork training.
We are also grateful for the excellent work provided by the staff of the execut-
ing institutions. In addition to those already mentioned, we should also like to
thank DPA’s Director of Information, Ms. Oroub al-Abed.
The work done by Yarmouk University was co-ordinated by Dr. Raslan Bani-
Yasin, the Director of the Center for Jordanian Studies. Other key team members
were Dr. Ali S. Zaghal, Director, Center for Refugee Studies, Dr. Qais al Nouri,
Institute of Anthropology and Dr. Anwar R. Qura’an, Center for Refugee Stud-
ies, to all of whom we should like to express our most sincere appreciation for all
their efforts. We also wish to thank Yarmouk University and its then President,
Dr. Fayez Khasawnah, for ensuring the success of the Project by allowing us to
use the University premises for fieldwork training and as a fieldwork base.
Turning to Fafo: Åge A. Tiltnes directed the work while several Fafo research-
ers (Marie Arneberg, Willy Egset, Karstein Haarberg, Laurie B. Jacobsen, Marwan
Khawaja and Jon Pedersen) participated in survey design and preliminary data
analysis. Akram Atallah and Hani Eldada organised and supervised the survey field-
work, including training of all local staff in fieldwork, coding and data entry. We
should like to thank all the fieldworkers for their excellent work.
The main authors of this report are Åge A. Tiltnes and Marwan Khawaja but
as this makes clear, the report is the result of a long and fruitful process of discus-
sions between the two research teams and of many valuable comments and ideas
offered by all those involved in consultations and presentations. It is therefore a
collective work. Our deepest thanks go to everyone for their contributions.
We would also like to thank the governments of Jordan, Norway, the USA,
and Sweden for their financial and political support, and the Government of Can-
ada, as Chair of the Refugee Working Group, for its funding and support.
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