Poor economic conditions and lack of resources have forced many women and children in the southern province of Daraa to seek jobs commensurate with their physical potential, and to provide them with a temporary source of income, which contributes to meeting some of their essential growing needs.
“Umm Mohamed,” a 40 years-old widow who lost her breadwinner in a battle of the Free Army with the regime forces four years ago, says that she is forced to work in seasonal agricultural jobs, no matter how difficult the work, in order to secure the basic needs of her family such as food and drink.
She explained that her monthly income ranges between 60 and 75 thousand Syrian pounds, and sometimes more, and yet it is not sufficient for the minimum requirements of her family.
She added that she is the mother of three children, the eldest of whom is 12 years old, who are all in school, and has no provider after losing her husband, noting that she was getting her husband's salary, which is estimated at 70,000 pounds, from one of the former military factions. But after the regime took control of Daraa with the help of the Russians two years ago, it lost this privilege.
She said that she works from 7:00 AM until 15.00PM, with a daily wage estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000 Syrian pounds, pointing out that this amount is barely enough for food, drink, and detergents, in light of the exorbitant cost of the country.
She added: "I always seek an excuse for those close to me for failing to provide assistance, for me and my children ... because the situation is partly, and everyone suffers from bad financial conditions and the people's conditions are similar."
For her part, 30-years old Anaam. S indicated that she works in all the available agricultural works, such as "land cultivation", "olive harvest", "tomato pickling" and "potato" and other agricultural works, indicating that she is forced to work because she supports a family of two children and an elderly father and mother (her parents), after the regime arrested her husband three years ago.
She added: "In the past there were associations and guarantors, they used to provide in-kind and material assistance to the detainees' wives, widows and orphans. But after the regime took control of southern Syria, no one would dare to offer anything for fear of security prosecutions, so everyone is forced to search for a livelihood."
Meanwhile, the 15-year-old child "Amer" did not want to rely on his mother to secure the family's expenses, pointing out that he had left his school to join the labor market in a bicycle repair workshop.
Amer decided to take the shortest path, in order to find a job, and learn the profession of repairing bicycles, which he loves so much.
He added: "I would have liked to stay in school alongside my companions, but my family's circumstances are difficult. He pointed out that now he mastered the profession well, and he collects between 2000 and 2500 Syrian pounds daily, contributing to securing some of the family's needs
Sohail Ahmed, a sociologist, says that work is an essential need to secure an income that preserves the dignity remaining for a person. He pointed out that the poor economic conditions, the lack of resources, and the absence of the main breadwinner for the family are all reasons that pushed women and children into the labor market.
He added that the absence of charitable societies and welfare institutions, and the regime's lack of interest in orphans, widows, and wives of the dead and detainees, made this army of orphans and women go to the market to search for work to secure some of their needs.
He explained that Syrian women in general practice all professions in order to secure the food of their children, and we can see them as taxi drivers, a bakery workers, a farmer in the field, a worker in the factories etc.
He pointed out that the regime has begun to treat members of the Syrian society on the basis of loyalties and affiliations, while it cares for the children and women of the dead of its forces, and provides them with some services and salaries, leaves the rest of the groups with similar circumstances on the side of the road, exposed to all forms of moral and behavioral deviation.
Dozens of families without a breadwinner in the governorate are suffering compelling humanitarian conditions, in conjunction with the spread of unemployment, lack of resources, and the exorbitant price tag that is hitting the country, which requires generous people inside and outside the country to make possible efforts, and work to find mechanisms of assistance that contribute to alleviating the the suffering of these families, especially in the winter season.
In the governorate of Daraa alone, there are more than 12,000 orphans, according to unofficial statistics, most of them are children of the detainees, the missing, and the dead, living in the worst economic conditions, after international organizations and charities abandoned them shortly after the regime regained control of southern Syria.
Furthermore, there are thousands of women from the detainees' wives, missing persons, and widows, all of whom are in urgent need of sources of income to protect themselves from bad conditions.
Eqtsad
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