International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies (2019) 10(4.1): 24–43 DOI: 10.18357/ijcyfs104.1201919285 SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF SYRIAN FEMALE YOUTH IN JORDANIAN REFUGEE CAMPS Mohammed Abdel Karim Al-Hourani, Abdel Baset Azzam, and Addison J. Mott Abstract: This study aimed at documenting the sexual harassment of Syrian female refugees in refugee camps in Jordan. A purposive sample of 187 Syrian female refugees in the Za’atari camp was selected. The results showed that the environment of the camp played an important role in motivating males to harass females owing to the weakness of the security measures and the lack of sanctions upon deviant behaviors. Our findings show that females were subjected to numerous forms of sexual harassment, including hearing sexual jokes and sexual expressions, and being subjected to suggestive looks, sexual letters, and unwanted touching. Additionally, our results revealed that participants responded to sexual harassment by keeping silent because they feared making their situation worse by provoking conflict within their families. This left the victims without protection or the chance to obtain justice. Keywords: Syrian female, sexual harassment, refugees, Jordan Mohammed Abdel Karim Al-Hourani PhD (the corresponding author) is an Associate Professor of Applied Sociological Theory in the Sociology Department at the University of Sharjah, P. O. Box 27272, Sharjah, UAE. Email:
[email protected]. Professor Al-Hourani can also be reached at Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan. Email:
[email protected] Abdel Baset Azzam PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Sociology at Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan. Email:
[email protected] Addison J.