Summer heat deteriorates living conditions of displaced women in Idlib
Displaced women, who struggle to survive in tents, which do not protect them from the heat weather in summer, cannot access food, health services and clean water.
LİNA HATİP
Idlib- The chaotic environments created by the hegemonic states for their own interests badly affect women and children all around the world, especially in the Middle East. The displaced people, who have lost their houses and properties, cannot access food, health services and a safe life.
‘My children got sick’
Women living in IDPs camps of Idlib struggle to survive in tents that cannot protect them from the heat weather in summer and cold weather in winter. 32-year-old Subhiya Al-Bitar is one of them. She was forcibly displaced from the city of Maarat al-Numan to an IDPs camp in Idlib’s Harbanoush town. In an interview with NuJINHA, she spoke about the living conditions in the camp.
“We suffer from power outages and we cannot keep our tent cool in summer. My four children got sick because of the insects that appeared in the camp due to the extreme heat weather. Most of the children in the camp get sick due to the extreme heat weather. Our tents cannot protect us from the heat. Since IDPs camps are located far from the city, we cannot access health services.”
‘We live without hygiene due to water scarcity’
The devastating February 6 earthquakes forced 29-year-old Baraa Al-Satuf to leave the city of Haram. Since then, she has lived in an IDPs camp in Idlib. “We see poisonous insects in summer. Once, I found a scorpion in my bed. I am always worried about my children. We live without hygiene due to water scarcity. My children suffered from Leishmaniasis. We cannot use any air conditioner due to power outages. We try to keep ourselves cool by wearing wet clothes and sitting in the shade of the trees near the camp.”
‘We have to live in the tents that cannot protect us’
56-year-old Samira Al-Awad also lives in one of the IDPs camps in Idlib. She has diabetes and cannot bear the extreme heat. “We have to live in tents that cannot protect us from the extreme heat. My nine-year-old granddaughter has to walk for hours every day to fetch water. Due to the hot weather, she suffers from sunstroke, headache and unconsciousness.”