Going into more detail:
Loss of hope and deepening poverty driving Syrians to seek refuge in Europe
September 25, 2015, By Ariane Rummery, Geneva
Taken and slightly edited from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Website - http://www.unhcr.org/560558b06.html
GENEVA, Sept 25, (UNHCR) – The United
Nations’ Refugee Agency today identified
“loss of hope” and “appalling living
conditions” as major factors behind the
recent spike in the number of Syrian refugees seeking
asylum (legal acceptance) in Europe. Around four
million Syrian refugees are currently living in
neighbouring countries, but recent months there has
been a marked increase in the number of those seeking
refuge further afield, notably in Europe.
#1
Syrian children living in Egypt
Amin Awad, Director of the United Nations Bureau for the Middle East and North
Africa, said this was primarily because Syrian refugees are facing deriorating living
conditions in the countries where they are currently living, as well as of a loss of hope
of ever being able to return home again. "Refugees face horrible living conditions, and
restrictions in the…in the countries where they live … When people don't have proper shelter
and are living on 45 cents a day of course they want to move," he told a press briefing in Geneva,
adding: "Syrians are checking out from the neighbouring countries."
#2
There have now been almost 429,000 applications by Syrians to enter Europe since
2011, but due to the lack of reception facilities in Europe many of the most recent
arrivals have yet to apply. "Refugees are having to adopt negative survival strategies
– like child labor, dropping out of school, begging and prostitution. They need much more
support," Awad, who is also the Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Syria Region, said. "These
are societies that put a high value on education and now they are seeing their children out of
school."
#3
He stressed the situation would only end when a solution was found for Syria and the
region stabilized. "Syria is burning; towns are destroyed and that's why people are on
the move, that's why we have an avalanche, a tsunami of people on the move towards
Europe… As long as there's no resolution in Syria and no improved conditions in neighbouring
countries, people will move," he state at the briefing at the UN's Geneva headquarters.
#4
Essay on Syria
Side Two
With Syria's crisis now into its fifth year with no solution in sight, hope is dwindling for
many refugees. Feelings of uncertainty about the future are compounded by miserable
living conditions, fuelling a sense of despair and desperation. Refugees cite the high
cost of living as a factor in deciding to stay or go. In many cases savings have been long
depleted, precious valuables have been sold off and many refugees across the region live in
miserable conditions, struggling to pay rent, feed their families, and cover their basic needs.
#5
Aid programs for refugees and host communities in the region have been plagued by
funding shortages. The current United Nations Syrian regional refugee plan is only
41% funded, which has meant cuts in food aid for thousands of refugees--while those
that receive it have to survive on 45-50 cents a day. Many refugees in Jordan told the United
Nations that food aid cuts were the “last straw” in their decision to leave the country.
#6
Limited education opportunities were cited as a problem for Syrian refugees in
Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq. Education is highly valued among Syrians, who
enjoyed free, mandatory schooling at home before the war. The deteriorating
conditions that refugees face in exile are having a devastating impact on their education. In
Jordan, some 20 percent of children are abandoning school in order to work, and in some cases
girls are being forced into early marriage to earn money for their family to live. Some 90,000
Syrians of school age have no formal education, with 30,000 of those able to access only
informal education, while the rest miss out completely.
#7
Questions to process:
1) According to paragraph #1 and #2, what has led to the recent spike in the number of
Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Europe?
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Essay on Syria
Side Three
2) In which ways are the basic needs and the education of Syrian refugees
currently being threatened?
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3) What do experts suggest as possible solutions to the refugee crisis?
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4) Briefly explain and support the central idea of the article. Use direct quotes to
support your explanations.
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