A Day in the Life of Maryam, a CARE Protection Officer in Northwest Syria
Maryam is a protection officer with Shafak, one of CARE International’s partner organizations in Northwest Syria. Through a European Union-funded project, Maryam advocates against gender-based violence and harmful social norms such as early and forced marriage. She also assists displaced women and girls living in abusive situations.
Ahead of World Humanitarian Day we celebrate the hundreds of thousands of remarkable women and men who go out of their way every day to support those affected by conflict and crisis. Maryam’s story, like that of many dedicated humanitarian workers, is her account of her daily routine in one of the worst humanitarian situations of our time.
6:00 am I wake up refreshed and full of enthusiasm for the new day. I begin with exercise and that pumps me with enough energy for the whole day. Then, I prepare breakfast for myself and my family. I like to spend time with my husband and three children before going to work.
7:00 am Saying goodbye to my kids is always difficult. I hate being away from them. My husband is away during the day as well. He is a volunteer teacher at the village school, so I leave my children with my in-laws.
Our office is on the outskirts of Idlib Governorate. It takes me two hours to get there. Fuel shortages are now a fact of life in Syria and the roads are so badly damaged that getting anywhere takes longer now.
9:00 am I have a cup of coffee with my co-workers. We go over my plans for the day and decide on the materials I will need for my sessions and presentations. Some days I hold formal sessions with large groups. Some days I make informal visits to individual women and families in their homes. I listen to them talk about their problems and advise them about their rights and how to get help. I continue to make follow-up visits to ensure they get the support they need.
10:00 am Once I have everything I need, it’s time to head out. Sometimes I go into the villages or other towns. I also visit nearby displacement camps. My visits to the camps are very busy. I typically meet with several families, women and girls. In town or villages, I meet about 3–4 families of about 10–15 people every day. This number is larger when I work in the camps.
Over 50 percent of the cases I encounter have to do with violence and abuse in various forms. Domestic violence is highly prevalent and is a serious problem. Tradition, culture and social norms favor men and turn a blind eye to the mistreatment of women. Many of the women I see are at their lowest points. They are anxious and depressed, and struggling to cope. Abuse can happen at any time, anywhere, but in crisis situations, the likelihood of violence is usually greater.
Through my work as a member of the outreach team, I introduce services offered in the community center and the safe space, including but not limited to psychosocial support services, skills building and vocational trainings, case management, and awareness raising sessions. I always encourage women to report any form of gender-based violence to reduce its spread.
1:15 pm This is usually when I head back to the office. The midday sun is out and it is very hot. The journeys to and from the office are the least favorite parts of my day. The long distances and the intense summer heat are almost unbearable. But I’m thankful for my work. The families living in the camps have little protection from the dust and high temperatures. They have no electricity either, and only limited water.
4:00 pm Work ends. I say goodbye to my colleagues and head home. It’s unsafe for women to be out alone after dark and the journey is long. While I’m glad to be returning to my children, I’m grateful for the chance to make a difference. I love my work a lot because I strongly believe that the ideas I’m presenting to the community through my sessions are helping women. I hope that through my work I can contribute to reducing gender-based violence, and to improving society’s view of women. I hope, one day, to author a law that will put an end to all forms of abuse and violence, once and for all.
With funding from the European Union, CARE through its partners, is providing psychosocial support to over 9,000 people in Northwest Syria. Together, we are working to help ensure that the basic rights of Syrian women, men, girls and boys are protected, even as the crisis continues in its 12th year.