Refugees of the Syrian civil war
Refugees of the Syrian civil war are citizens and permanent residents of Syria who have fled the country throughout the Syrian civil war. The pre-war population of the Syrian Arab Republic was estimated at 22 million (2017), including permanent residents.[1] Of that number, the United Nations (UN) identified 13.5 million (2016) as displaced persons, requiring humanitarian assistance. Of these, since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011 more than six million (2016) were internally displaced, and around five million (2016) had crossed into other countries,[2] seeking asylum or placed in Syrian refugee camps worldwide. It is often described as one of the largest refugee crises in history.
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Armed revolts started across Syria in 2011 when security forces launched a violent campaign of clampdown on nation-wide protests, prompting opposition to form resistance militias, escalating the situation towards a civil war. Ensuing assaults on civilian areas by the Syrian Armed Forces resulted in the forced displacement of millions of Syrians, leading to a full-blown refugee crisis.[3] The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) was established in 2015 as a coordination platform including neighboring countries except Israel. By 2016, various nations had made pledges to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to permanently resettle 170,000 registered refugees.[4] Syrian refugees have contributed to the European migrant crisis, with the UNHCR receiving almost one million asylum applicants in Europe by August 2017.[5] Turkey is the largest host country of registered refugees, with over 3.7 million Syrian refugees.[6][7]
As of December 2022, a minimum of 580,000 people are estimated to be dead; with 13 million Syrians being displaced and 6.7 million refugees forced to flee Syria. The Ba'athist government and its security apparatus have arrested and tortured numerous repatriated refugees, subjecting them to forced disappearances and extrajudicial executions. Around 12 million Syrians live under conditions of severe food insecurity.[8] More than two-thirds of the displaced are women and children.[3][9]
The Law No. 10 issued by Bashar al-Assad in 2018 has enabled the state to confiscate properties from displaced Syrians and refugees, and has made the return of refugees harder for fear of being targeted by the regime.[a] Humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons within Syria and Syrian refugees in neighboring countries is planned largely through the UNHCR office. UNHCR Filippo Grandi has described the Syrian refugee crisis as "the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time and a continuing cause for suffering."[14]
In other Middle Eastern countries[edit]
By country[edit]
Armenia – The government is offering several protection options including simplified naturalization by Armenian descent (19,500 persons acquired Armenian citizenship), accelerated asylum-procedures and facilitated short, mid and long-term residence permits.[181] Ethnic Armenians in Syria have been fleeing to their historic Armenia homelands.[182][183][184][185] The Cilician school was established to provide education specifically for Syrian-Armenian refugee children[186][187][188] with support from the governments of Kuwait[189][190] and Austria.[191]
As of January 2017, there were 22,000 refugees, primarily ethnic Armenians in the country. In addition another 38 Armenian families (about 200 people) resettled in the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as of 2014.[192][193] 50 Yazidi families (about 400 people) have also found refuge in Armenia. Armenia is home to a Yazidi community, currently numbering 35,000.[194]
Azerbaijan – As of 2019, 43 Syrian refugees have applied for asylum in Azerbaijan.[195] Azerbaijan has voiced its protest against Armenia's measures to resettle Syrian Armenian refugees in the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani regions of Lachin and Gubadli (claimed by the Armenian-backed unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), accusing it of artificially changing the demographic situation and the ethnic composition of these once Azeri-populated districts.[196]
Bahrain – Bahrain rejected reports from Bahraini opposition that they were trying to alter the country's demographics by naturalizing Syrians.[197]
Israel – Israel has a disputed border with Syria's Golan Heights. In 2012, Israel announced preparations to accommodate Alawite Syrian refugees in the Golan Heights, should the Syrian government collapse.[198] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We will not allow Israel to be submerged by a wave of illegal migrants and terrorist activists."[199] Israelis from humanitarian groups have operated in Jordan to assist Syrian refugees who have fled there. By March 2015, nearly 2000 Syrians injured in the Syrian Civil War had been treated in Israeli hospitals.[200] In January 2017, the Israeli interior ministry announced that they will resettle around 100 unaccompanied Syrian refugee children. They will be given temporary residency status and will have full rights, though they would not receive an Israeli passport. The report also said that the Israeli government was even willing to promise the UN that after four years, the resettled refugees will be given permanent residency – allowing them to stay in Israel for a lifetime period.[201]
Iran – As of early 2014 Iran has sent 150 tons of humanitarian goods including 3,000 tents and 10,000 blankets to the Red Crescents of Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon via land routes to be distributed among the Syrian refugees residing in the three countries.[202]
Kuwait – Kuwait has an estimated 120,000 Syrians. More specifically, Kuwait extends residency permits for Syrian expatriates who have overstayed in Kuwait.[203]
Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia has offered resettlement only for Syrian migrants that had a family in the kingdom, and has an estimated number of Syrian migrants and foreign workers that reaches 100,000 living with their families[204] and has sent aid worth $280 million to help Syrian refugees.[205] Saudi Arabia, like all of the Gulf states, is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.[206] According to the Saudi official, Saudi Arabia had issued residency permits to 100,000 Syrians.[204] The BBC reported that "most successful cases are Syrians already in Gulf states extending their stays, or those entering because they have family there."[207] Amnesty International reported that Saudi Arabia has not actually offered any resettlement specifically to refugees.[208] They are not classified as refugees.[206] The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced in 2016 that it had accepted more than 2,500,000+ refugees into the kingdom.[209]
In North America[edit]
Canada[edit]
In July 2013, Canada promised to resettle 1,300 refugees by 2015 and pledged $100 million in humanitarian aid. "1,063 Syrian refugees are already here in Canada. The rest will travel in the coming weeks" (Kevin Menard, spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Alexander).[321] and the government agreed to resettle 11,300 refugees by the end of 2017, and then 10,000 by September 2016. Before the 2015 federal election, the Liberal Party of Canada promised to bring 25,000 refugees by the end of 2015.[322] After the election, the newly formed Liberal government failed to meet its self-imposed deadline and it was moved to February 2016 and began further screening in the aftermath of the 2015 Paris attacks. Canadians have expressed considerable interest in receiving refugees and Canadian politicians and business leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met the first two flights on 10 and 13 December 2015.[323] At the end of 2015, Canada had arranged 96 flights to airlift refugees from their host countries, welcomed 35,000 refugees into 275 communities across the country, and agreed to resettle 35–50,000 refugees by the end of 2016.[324] Resettlement arrangements for additional refugees and social integration of arriving refugees is ongoing. The cost over the subsequent six years was estimated between Can$564 to Can$678 million.[325] Justin Trudeau stated that the most vulnerable would be accepted first, including families, children and members of the LGBT communities.[326] Among the Syrian refugees accepted for resettlement are thousands of ethnic Armenians.[327] On 27 February 2016 Canada met its goal of resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees.[328] Canada continues to process applications and had accepted 40,081 refugees from November 2015 to January 2017.[329] The government maintains at least two programmes for resettlement: refugees can be sponsored either under the Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) programme, or under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSR).[330]
In South America[edit]
Argentina – Argentina decided in September 2013 to offer refuge to thousands of displaced Syrians. As of August 2013, more than three hundred refugee families have already arrived in Argentina.[356] In 2016, as a result of the intensifying conflict in Syria, Argentina offered to accept 3,000 refugees.[357]
Brazil – Brazil is the first country in the Americas to offer humanitarian visas to refugees. Brazil's embassies in countries neighboring Syria issue travel visas and allow for claims on arrival in Brazil.[358] These special humanitarian visas will also be provided to family members living in countries neighbouring Syria.[358] As of November 2015, there are 3,000 Syrian refugees in Brazil.[359]
Colombia – Colombia accepts refugees that have asked for asylum within Colombia. The refugees are registered with the UNHCR in Bogotá,[81] and receive aid from Pastoral Social, a Colombian NGO that works closely with the UNHCR.[360]
Uruguay – As of October 2014, more than 100 Syrian refugees are in Uruguay.[361] However, those Syrians resettled in Uruguay want to go back and leave Uruguay.[362]
Venezuela – In September 2015, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced that Venezuela is prepared to give asylum to 20,000 refugees in the wake of the European migrant crisis and Venezuela–Colombia migrant crisis.[363] President Maduro defended his decision by asking "how many more Arabs must die before a great human conscience of peace is awakened?". The Venezuelan government supported President Bashar al-Assad when the Syrian Civil War started in 2011 and described the conflict as a Western “imperialist” plot to topple him.[364]
In the Asia-Pacific region[edit]
Australia – In October 2015, Australia announced that it would accept 12,000 Syrian refugees.[365] By February 2016, Australia had settled 26 refugees.[366] By September 2016, 3,532 people had been resettled, with a further 3,146 visas issued. In addition, another 6,293 people were undergoing health, character and security checks after undergoing interviews.[367]
Hong Kong – In September 2015, the South China Morning Post reported that a Syrian refugee traveled 7,000 km to Hong Kong to seek asylum. The Hong Kong Immigration Department confirmed that the Syrian has filed a non-refoulement claim, which includes both torture and refugee applications with the government, and was later granted refugee status in February 2017. The city has a history of accepting the fewest asylum seekers and refugees with an acceptance rate of 0.6% as compared with 60% in Europe. As of December 2016, only 72 asylum seekers have their claims recognized by the Hong Kong authorities while many of them wait several years to have their claims screened.[368][369]
India – In September 2015, there were 39 Syrian refugees and 20 asylum seekers seeking registration with the UNHCR in India. Most of them were living in South Delhi.[370]
Japan – In February 2017, The government announced that Japan will accept a total of 300 refugees over 5 years.[371][372] Japan has only been processing the applications by strictly abiding by the refugee convention, while many countries in Europe, which have seen a sharp increase in Syrian asylum seekers in recent years, have been broadening their refugee definitions and support for asylum seekers.[373] Four Syrian asylum seekers initiated a lawsuit against the Japanese government to seek official refugee status after they were denied refugee status but have been granted tentative residence permits.[374]
Malaysia – In October 2015, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that at least 3,000 Syrian refugees would be resettled in the country. Malaysia is the first Muslim-majority country to make this offer. Najib stated that Muslim countries were partly responsible for ensuring the well-being of the marginalised Syrians fleeing their country in massive numbers, causing social and economic stresses in Europe, during the migrant crisis.[375] The first batch of refugees arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 11 December 2015 on a flight arriving from Istanbul, Turkey.[376] The second batch of 68 Syrian refugees arrived at the Subang Air Force Base (outside of Kuala Lumpur) from Beirut, Lebanon in May 2016.[377][378] In late December 2016, many of the refugees are found begging on the streets of Kuala Lumpur.[379] As of May 2017, around 1,980 Syrian refugees have been registered in Malaysia with the UNHCR.[380]
New Zealand – New Zealand has admitted 83 refugees,[381] and announced a further 750 will be accepted.[382]
South Korea – South Korea has refused to offer any resettlement places to refugees. The number of Syrian refugees who have applied for asylum in South Korea number 918 in total since 1994, expected to grow to over 1,000 by the end of 2015. There were only 3 applicants before 2011, but the number greatly increased due to the Syrian Civil War in 2011.[383] At the end of September 2015, the Ministry of Justice in South Korea said there are 848 Syrian asylum seekers in South Korea. Of those, 3 asylum seekers were accepted as refugees, which is an acceptance rate of less than 0.3%.[384] 631 people were permitted their residence on humanitarian grounds, 9 people decided not to accept refugee status and 75 withdrew their application; in total, 718 people had their status determined. The remaining 130 Syrians are still having their status determined.[385] South Korea has been giving aid to Syrian refugees for a few years. The Korean government and NGOs provided support to set up about 2,000 refugee tents in Zaatari, Jordan. There are small parts called 'Korean villages' in the camp, where refugees can learn 'Taekwondo', Korean martial arts and can enrol in some education programs. The Korean government said that "it has spent $27 million in aiding refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Sudan etc. in 2015".[386][387]
Turkmenistan – Since July 1985, some Syrian refugees were going to Turkmenistan, because of the political Turkmenistani-Syrian relations. There is also a community of 55 Turkmenistanis in Syria.
This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. Text taken from A Lifeline to learning: leveraging mobile technology to support education for refugees, UNESCO, UNESCO. UNESCO.
