Research with refugee women in Amman and Beirut shows the importance of access to safe urban leisure space for well-being and integration

Linn, S.

English

Linn, Sarah

Oxford University Research Archive

Women refugees, leisure space and the city

White Rose Research Online

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This is a repository copy of Women refugees, leisure space and the city.White Rose Research Online URL for this paper:http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/161216/Version: Published VersionArticle:Linn, S. orcid.org/0000-0003-2974-0152 (2020) Women refugees, leisure space and the city. Forced Migration Review, 63. pp. 36-38. ISSN 1460-9819 eprints@whiterose.ac.ukhttps://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/Reuse This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. This licence only allows you to download this work and share it with others as long as you credit the authors, but you can’t change the article in any way or use it commercially. More information and the full terms of the licence here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing eprints@whiterose.ac.uk including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. 36FMR 63Cities and townsFebruary 2020www.fmreview.org/citiesWomen refugees, leisure space and the city Sarah LinnResearch with refugee women in Amman and Beirut shows the importance of access to safe urban leisure space for well-being and integration.ForやselfまsemledやrefugeesやwhoやlackやaccessやtoやresourcesやandやareやoWenやsuTeringやtheやeTectsやofやtraumaticやexperiences╇やaTordableやandやaccessible green spaces can be instrumental to their well-being. The use of such spaces forやrelaxationやandやreSectionやorやforやexercise╇やsocialising and play can also assist refugees to build stronger links with their host community and lead to a deeper spatial understanding of the cities in which they live. However, typical refugee-receiving neighbourhoods in cities of the Majority WorldやsuTerやfromやinformalやdevelopmentやand planning, poor housing stock and high population densities. As a result, accessible public leisure spaces are rare andやoWenやneglected╆やSuchやspacesやmayやalsoやbe appropriated by particular groups or individuals, which can isolate or intimidate others, or may be closely monitored by  the State.  My research in 201617 focused on Syrian refugees gendered experiences of mobility, security and public space in neighbourhoods in the cities of Amman and Beirut.1 These neighbourhoods had been chosen by refugees forやtheirやperceivedやaTordabilityやandやproximityやtoや〉informal《やworkやopportunitiesやand╇やoWen╇やbecause of kinship links. However, women living in these areas typically did not have access to public green leisure spaces. This was not only because these cities lacked such spaces but was also the result of a number of intersecting structural and identity issues which combined to create a multitude of obstacles to womens access to public spaces and enjoyment of leisure opportunities. Obstacles to accessWomen highlighted societal and cultural norms governing their presence and mobility in public spaces. Vulnerability to verbal, sexual and physical harassment because of both their gender and their refugee status also shaped their experiences. Women also highlighted their precarity and lack of money, and the impact this has on their mobility. Spaces of leisure such as the Corniche in Beirut or King Hussein Sport City in Amman were too far away  and too expensive  to access. Women from lower socio-economic backgroundsやoWenやhadやlimleやknowledgeやof their host city beyond their immediate neighbourhoods, citing fear and confusion. In particular, those who were illiterate felt unableやtoやmoveやbeyondやtheやconRnesやofやtheir neighbourhoods as they felt blind  unable to read signs and road names and oWenやfrightenedやofやapproachingやothersやforやassistance. Leisure spaces within refugees immediate neighbourhoods were seen as neglected and unsafe. For example, refugee women in East Amman described their aversion to using a park in close proximity to their community as it was ugly, had a poor reputation with regard to personal safetyやandやwasやoWenやcharacterisedやasやfrequented by groups of loitering men. Similarly, women in Beirut felt that some local spaces, including a playground and a park, were breeding grounds for conSictやandやtensionやbetweenやrefugeesやandやthe local community. Many recounted playground tensions escalating into verbal altercations and threats between parents. While women emphasised that in Syria they had a varied social life, enjoying the sociabilityやofやtheやstreetsやatやdiTerentやtimesやof day, most stated that in their host cities theyやfeltやcompelledやtoやstayやindoorsやaWerやsunset╇やoWenやexpressingやfrustrationやatやbeingやprevented from enjoying the sociability of their neighbourhoods in the evening because their familys anxieties had led to restrictions on their mobility. Refugee women living in Beirut expressed greater concern than 37FMR 63Cities and townsFebruary 2020 www.fmreview.org/citieswomen in Amman about being outside their homes at night. This was directly linked to their lack of refugee status and legitimacy in Lebanon and the complex security framework operating in Beirut. These women feared having their papers checked (most were residing in Beirut with an expired legal permit or had been smuggled into Lebanon) and wished to remain unnoticed. In contrast, although Syrian women living in Amman did express some discomfort and fear while in public spaces, their greater sense of legitimacy and protection led them toやexperienceやsigniRcantlyやlessやrestrictionやonやtheir personal mobility in their host city. Impact on womens well-beingAs a consequence of these challenges, many women spent their leisure time in seclusion. If women had extended family ties in their neighbourhoods, or had built relationships with neighbours, they tended to spend their leisure time paying social visits. These relationships were vital to womens well-being. Those who did not enjoy these relationships described highly immobile, disconnected and isolated lives╉やtheyやalsoやexpressedやfeeling like strangers in their host city, which exacerbated their sense of fear when in public. Classes run by religious institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) also provided women with opportunities to socialise, relax, learn new skills and do activities such as sewing and cookery and oTeredやescapeやfromやtheやconRnesやofやtheやhouse. However, skill-building classes run by NGOs could be dominated by certain groups, particularly those from more middle-class backgrounds. Representatives fromやNGOsやexplainedやthatやoWenやwomenやwho were educated and bored would dominate cookery or sewing classes and manage to get themselves repeatedly readmimedやasやtheyやunderstoodやhowやtheやsystemやworked╆やThus╇やNGOやoUcesやemergedやas spaces of leisure for some refugee women, to the exclusion of others. Many long-term residents of both cities also lament the lack of safe and welcoming public spaces for leisure. Planners should prioritise those areas of the city that are under intense social change, highly resource-compromisedやandやsuTeringやenvironmentalやpollution. People need spaces that are green and accessible, in close proximity to their neighbourhoods, well lit and, if required, monitoredやtoやensureやpemyやvandalismやandやsexual harassment are discouraged. Women emphasised that they do not mind the presenceやofやsecurityやorやauthorityやRguresやifやit means that neighbourhood frictions are kept in check and general order is maintained. Spatial mapping  to discover the way in which refugees access various spaces in the city  can help planners and NGOs consider the ways and means by which women use space, how they feel when navigating public spaces and why they avoid certain spaces. Mapping has its own social and cultural challenges, and indeed raises wider ethical issues with regard to sharing information about refugees movements. However, some NGOs in LebanonやhaveやusedやitやeTectively╆やAnやNGOやin Beirut successfully mapped the routes that women took when visiting their drop-in centres, which facilitated open discussion of places/people/checkpoints to avoid and so on. The mapping was carried out in order to actively share information and ensure women felt safe and would continue to use the centres. Mapping methods like this could be further utilised to improve understanding of neighbourhoods and the use of leisure facilities and spaces.  Playground in Beirut, 2016.Sarah Linn38FMR 63Cities and townsFebruary 2020www.fmreview.org/citiesThe path of least resistance? EU cities and locally organised resettlementThe scaling up of locally organised, city-led routes to resettlement could form part of a larger solution to Europe’s current political crisis and deadlock around migration. ThisやincreasedやinSuenceやcanやbeやamributedやtoやpartnersやtoやeTectivelyやfulRlやtheseやtasks╆whenやlocalやgovernmentsやhadやtoやRllやmanyやgapsやservices╇やthereやhaveやbeenやclearやamemptsやonやtheやpartやofやlocalやgovernmentやtoやinSuenceやLocallyやorganisedやresemlementSmallまscaleやresemlementやschemesやbasedやonやaUnityやtowardsやthisやkindやofやbomomまupやresemlement╆やTheやmostやprominentやexample╇やCommunityやofやSant‒EgidioやhasやbeenやoTeringやprojectやoUciallyやstartedやatやtheやendやofやｲｰｱｵやandやItaly‒sやInterior╇やForeignやATairsやandやPlanners can work alongside NGOs and communities to prioritise the development of green public spaces which allow for wider community interaction. Spaces can be conceptualised and developed in partnership with various stakeholders, including host communities and refugees, to enhance a sense of shared ownership and responsibility to ensure the upkeep of spaces despite limited resources. Sarah Linn slinn1@shefield.ac.uk  ESRC-funded PhD candidate, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Shefield www.shefield.ac.uk/usp ｱ╆やThisやReldworkやwasやsupportedやinやpartやbyやtheやWhiteやRoseやDoctoral Training Centre (WRDTC). 

https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/161216/1/Women%20refugees%2C%20leisure%20space%20and%20the%20city.pdf

Women refugees, leisure space and the city

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