This study aims to explore how four Syrians, involved as case managers in Questscope’s mentoring program, describe and experience their lives in Zaatari Refugee Camp. The participants were asked to describe their experiences through qualitative interviews. The results were analyzed through the lens of Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory to examine each participant’s sense of coherence and what activities or people contribute towards a strong SOC. The results show that the participants face many challenges in Zaatari Camp, most notably the feeling that their lives have been reduced to a simple existence in which they are expected to be content with food and shelter. They express the feeling that their hopes and aspirations have come to a standstill and that camp conditions do not allow them to move forward in their lives, such as by completing university. However, their stories also include indications of strong SOC in that the participants make sense of their situation, perceive that there are resources available to deal with their situation, and have incentive to persevere in spite of their circumstances. They describe their work with Questscope, through which they are encouraged to take initiative and responsibility, as helpful and motivating because it builds their confidence, gives them purpose and allows them to hope and move forward.

This study seeks to explore what conditions contribute to sexual violence against refugees in conflict-induced humanitarian settings by focusing particularly on whether the physical and social insecurity in refugee camps may affect the reported levels of sexual violence. This study uses the method of structured focused comparison to study and compare the two Jordanian refugee camps Zaatari and Azraq during the period of 2014–2019. In particular, this thesis argues that high physical and social insecurity in conflict-induced humanitarian settings will lead to higher levels of sexual violence against refugees. By borrowing from the literature on conflict-related sexual violence, this study seeks to contribute to the scarce literature on sexual violence in humanitarian settings and explore the possible links between the occurrence of and explanations for this violence. Albeit modestly, the main findings suggest that the hypothesis is supported as the levels of physical and social insecurity seem to correspond with the expected variation in levels of reported sexual violence. Nevertheless, data limitations and other challenges call for caution and future research is needed to establish a more profound basis for this phenomenon.