INTRODUCTION
An estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of the civil
war in March 2011. Now, in the sixth year of war, 13.5 million are in need of
humanitarian assistance within the country. Among those escaping the conflict, the
majority have sought refuge in neighbouring countries or within Syria itself. According
to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 4.8 million have
fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, and 6.6 million are internally
displaced within Syria. Meanwhile, about one million have requested asylum to
Europe. Germany, with more than 300,000 cumulated applications, and Sweden with
100,000, are EU’s top receiving countries.
This “refugee crisis” has turned immigration, asylum, border control, and state
sovereignty into interconnected problems, making migration not only a political event
but also a media spectacle. In so doing, it has brought certain issues to the fore, from
refugee quotas and the moral imperatives that ostensibly ground European
humanism to the impossibility of European unity, even as it has simultaneously
rendered others invisible, including older patterns of migration, border control, and
state violence.
These refugees are in lack of so many needs such as water, medical aid, nutrition,
education, etc. Their human rights are violated and they are far from their country
trying to escape the war. This has caused a international crisis among the world,
especially in the Middle Eastern Area and Europe. The refugees need to be
distributed to these countries, based on their land mass and prosperity level, to
prevent any further violations of both the refugees’ and the citizens rights among
this area.
KEY TERMS
Refugee: A person who leaves his or her country due to a well-founded fear of
persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, political views, or
membership in a particular social group. People fleeing conflicts are also generally
considered to be refugees since they are seeking refuge (safety). Refugees have
specific rights and protections under international law. For example, refugees have
the right to not be forced to return to the unsafe situation that they fled. Refugees
have the rights of security and freedom of movement. They have the right to keep
their family together. Similarly, countries that have refugees seeking asylum in their
territory have specific responsibilities under international law for the treatment of
those refugees.
Migrant: A person who moves to a foreign country for various reasons—for example,
for employment, education, or to reunite with family—usually for a year or more.
Unlike refugees, migrants do not face a direct threat of persecution or death in their
home country.
Internally Displaced Person (IDP): A person who is forcibly uprooted within his or
her country but who has not crossed an international border. IDPs may be forced
from their home as a result of armed conflict, human rights violations, or natural or
human-made disasters, yet remain in their country.
Host Country: The country to which a refugee relocates.
Asylum: Shelter or protection from danger granted by a country to someone forced
to leave their home country.
Asylum Seeker: A person who has moved across international borders in search of
protection and filed a claim for asylum with the host country’s government. While the
government reviews the claim, the person remains an asylum seeker. If the claim is
accepted, the person becomes a “refugee” in the eyes of the government. For
example, someone from Syria who is living in Germany and waiting to hear the
outcome of his or her asylum application would be considered an asylum seeker.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR): Established by the United Nations,
the UNHCR is an international organization responsible for the protection of refugees
worldwide.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Background: The Syrian Civil War
Since the 1960’s, Syria had been led by the al-Assad family who have ruled it as
quasi-dictators until the Arab Spring occurred in 2011. Arab Spring was a
revolutionary wave of protests and conflicts in the Arab world that toppled many
authoritarian regimes. These uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and
Yemen inspired the pro-democracy protests in Syria.
The protests first erupted in Daraa, after the arrest and torture of some
teenagers who painted revolutionary slogans on a school wall. The security
forces opened fire on demonstrators, killed several and took more to the streets.
This led to a nationwide protest demanding President Assad’s resignation and
the protestors’ hardened when the government started to use force in order to
crush the dissent. Opposition supporters eventually began to take up arms, first
to defend themselves and later to expel security forces from their local areas.
In July 2011, defectors from the military announced the formation of the Free
Syrian Army, a rebel group aiming to bring down the Assad government, and
Syria began to descent into civil war. Different ethnicities and religious groups
fought each other in changing coalitions. The Syrian population was trapped
between the regime, rebel groups, and the Islamic extremists.
A UN commission of inquiry has evidence that all parties have committed
horrible war crimes, including the usage of chemical weapons, mass executions,
torture, rape and enforced disappearances. They have also been accused of
using civilian suffering, such as blocking access to food, water and health
services through sieges, as a method of war. Consequently, Syrians had no
choice but to escape from this deadly conflict and seek asylum.
Five years since the conflict began, more than 250,000 Syrians have been killed in
the fighting, and almost 11 million Syrians
- half the country's pre-war population have been displaced from their homes.
Among those, escaping the conflict, the
majority
have
sought
refuge
in
neighbouring countries or within Syria
itself. According to the United Nations
High
Commissioner
for
Refugees
(UNHCR), 4.8 million have fled to Turkey,
Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, and 6.6
million
are
internally
displaced.
Meanwhile about one million have
requested asylum to Europe. Germany,
with more than 300,000 cumulated
applications, and Sweden with 100,000,
are EU’S top receiving countries.
Timeline: Refugees of the Syrian Civil War
The flow of Syrian refugees to neighbouring countries began in earnest April 2011. In
May, up to 5000 Syrian refugees escaped the harsh fighting in the town of Talkalakh,
many of them crossed into Lebanon using an unofficial border crossing. Later, in
July, the continuous shelling and fighting intensified the refugee flow into Turkey. By
the end of 2011, Turkey had spent up to $ 15 million to set up six camps for
thousands of refugees and military defectors.
Starting around March 2012, eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa valley became the principle
destination in Lebanon for Syrian refugees. Most Syrian refugees of Kurdish origin
headed for the Iraqi Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, to the Domiz Camp. Significant
numbers of refugees began arriving in Iraqi Kurdistan and they were generally wellreceived by their Kurdish host communities.
Fighting worsened in advance of April 12th UN ceasefire; over 2,500 swelled across
Turkish- Syrian border in one day. On July 18, 2012, a bomb exploded killing Bashar
al-Assad’s brother-in-law and other high ranking security officials. Anywhere from
18,000 to 40,000 refugees crossed into Lebanon over the next few days. On
September 2012, 11,000 people fled Syria in 24-hour period due to escalating
violence.
The rising number of refugees in neighbouring countries brought up many issues. In
September 2012, riots in Jordan’s Za’tari Camp erupted; hundreds of refugees
protested the living conditions. Later, in December, multiple cases of tuberculosis (a
highly infectious airborne disease) were discovered among Syrian refugees in
Lebanon.
By the end of 2012, the UNHCR reported that the number of refugees in Jordan, Iraq,
Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt were over 525,000.
On March 2013, it was announced by the UNHCR that the number of Syrians either
registered as refugees or being assisted as such has reached the 1 million mark.
A string of bombings took place in Lebanon’s capital in July, this was an obvious
proof that Syria’s internecine conflict was spreading across the border. Individuals
identified as Hezbollah, Iranian and Shia were the target of bombings throughout
2013.
With an average 6,000 people a day fleeing conflict in Syrica by summer 2013, UN
High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said that such rate has not been
seen since the Rwandan Genocide.
On September 2013, Germany agreed
to resettle 5,000 Syrian refugees- the
largest programme yet. Refugees could
stay for two years. Later in September,
the
Swedish
Migration
Board
announced that all asylum seekers
from Syria who have been granted
temporary residence in Sweden can
receive permanent permits.
(Image: Pledges as of mid-October
2013.)
On January 2014, United Kingdom announced that it will provide sanctuary to Syrian
refugees.
UNICEF released a report on the 5.5 million Syrian children living in Syria and in
neighbouring countries. By March, 1.2 million children were living as refugees in host
countries and 37,000 refugee children were born since the conflict began.
Malnutrition, lack of education, poor healthcare and emotional distress were just a
few of the many factors that were creating this “lost generation.”
By mid-summer 2014, Syria’s neighbours have accepted 3 million refugees, while
Europe has only accepted 100,000.
On June 2014, a new refugee crisis
began in the Middle East. The Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levent took
control of the Iraqi city Mosul. Many
fled the jihadists to the countryside.
The group stated that they will erase all
state borders. UN declared that an
estimated 1.2 million Iraqis have fled
their homes. By mid-august ISIS was
the most successful rebel group in
Syria, controlling the main Syrian oil
and gas fields. In September, President Barak Obama authorized US airstrikes
against ISIS inside Syria. Then, ISIS fighters began attacking Kurdish villages along
the Syrian- Turkish border, sparking fears of a massive refugee influx. The Turkish
border city of Suruç doubled in population as almost 400,000 Kurds fled across the
border from the besieged city of Kobani and surrounding villages. On January 2015,
Kurdish forces drove out Islamic State fighters, bringing a four-month battle to an
end. Later, in May, the historic Syrian city, Palmyra, fell under ISIS control. %50
percent of Syria’s territory was now under the control of ISIS.
In June, the number of people displaced by war reached a new high; it hit the
historical maximum of 59.5 million.
Germany was the first European country to suspend the 1990 protocol which
establishes that asylum seekers must seek asylum in the first European country they
encounter. Germany announced that they will take refugees no matter which
European country they have set foot before, and put pressure on other European
countries to follow similar steps. On September, 2015 the European Commission
presented a proposal or the reallocation of asylum seekers across EU member
states. 120,000 people were expected to be relocated under this scheme. In
November, The European Union started its scheme to resettle 160,000 asylum
seekers in two years time from the most affected first ports of entry to other EU
member states. The resettlement started at a low pace with only 1,418 places made
available by the 14 participating member states.
By the end of 2015, it was reported by the UNHCR that Europe has received one
million sea arrivals. According to the International Organization for Migration, 2015
has been the deadliest year so far, with 3,771 immigrants and refugees dead while
trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.
2016
After the Balkan countries decided to
shut their borders, thousands of asylum
seekers could see themselves trapped in
Greece. The so-called Balkan route was
the main refugee route to Northern
Europe, and the attention was diverted
to other routes as asylum seekers were
still arriving into Greek Islands.
European Union and Turkey, negotiated
a deal that would return arrivals in
Greece to Turkish soil.
Later in April, new research findings from Amnesty International claimed that Turkish
authorities have been expelling an average of 100 asylum seekers a day on a daily
basis since mid-January. All these forced-return practises are considered to be illegal
under Turkish, EU, and international law.
In May, a panel of judges in Greece ruled that Turkey was unsafe for Syrian
refugees; the basic human need were not guaranteed to asylum seekers and many
were at the risk of being sent back to Syria. Then, in June, Amnesty International
denounced in its briefing “No safe refuge” that Turkish system was not capable of
dealing with the increasing numbers of refugees in the country, 3 months after the
implementation of the EU- Turkey deal.
Right now, more than half of
the world’s refugee population
lives in only 10 countries.
Amnesty
International
denounces in its recent report
“Tackling the global refugee
crisis: From shrinking to
sharing
responsibility
that
wealthier nations are leaving
poorer ones to bear the worst
part of the current migration
crisis, and that this unequal
share is actually worsening it.
Consequences of Migration on the Host Country
A host country experiences both advantages and challenges as a result of
immigration. The higher population numbers placed strain on the infrastructure and
services within the host country. When immigrants move to a new country, they are
faced with many unknowns, including finding employment and housing, as well as
adjusting to new laws, cultural norms, and possibly a new language. It can be a
challenge for a host country to assimilate immigrants into society and provide the
necessary support.
Immigration is still a heavily debated topic in many host countries. Some believe that
immigration brings many advantages to a country both for the economy and society
as a whole. Immigration does cause an increase in the labor force. This can impact
great quantities of them if the immigrants are generally the same type of worker and
immigrate in large enough numbers so as to significantly expand the supply of labor.
Others believe that high immigration numbers threaten national identity, increase
dependence on welfare, and threaten national security (through illegal immigration or
terrorism). Another argument is that high immigration rates cheapens labor.
Neglecting the political, socio-economic and ideational factors that determine the
choices of migrants is one of the main reasons why so many government measures
to control migration fail. People who are forced to leave their country do not refrain
from doing so only because of new laws. Whenever a receiving country introduces
new immigration restrictions, migrants will adapt to the new situation and look for new
ways to accomplish their goal, most likely generating support for the human
trafficking industry.
Economic Impacts
Positive
-Migrants take up less desirable, menial jobs which natives would not take but need
filling.
-The host country can gain cheap skilled labor.
-Costs of retirement can be transferred to the country of origin.
Negatives
-Migrant children must be educated, they won’t necessarily speak the native
language of the host country.
-There is an over dependency in some industries on migrant labor, leading to a lack
of jobs for people native to the host country.
-Much of the money earned by the migrants isn’t spent in the host country and is
instead sent back to the country of origin.
-More people increase the pressure on resources and services such as health care
systems.
Social Impacts
Positive
-The creation of a multiethnic society increases understanding and tolerance of other
cultures.
-People from other countries can encourage the learning of new languages, helping
people develop skills for working internationally.
Negatives
-Aspects of cultural identity are lost, especially in second generation children.
-Schools might become dominated by migrant children.
Political Impacts
-Discrimination against ethnic groups & minorities which can lead to civil unrest and
extremism.
-Urgent need to control immigration.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
The modern international refugee regime was created in the aftermath of World War
II, but the exceptional nature and consequences of the Syrian refugee crisis have
brought into sharp relief a range of shortcomings. Less than 1 percent of the world’s
refugees are resettled in developed countries.
For this reason, the international community must identify ways to provide greater
assistance for refugees in front-line states through increased and sustained
development support aimed at improving the livelihoods of refugees and the
resilience of host communities. While the scale, scope, and complexity of the global
refugee crisis of 60 million displaced persons can be overwhelming, the crisis
becomes more manageable when addressed on a regional basis and when the
international community truly shares responsibility.
Applying matching theory to the distribution of asylum seekers
Recently, it has been argued by various economists and political scientists that
designing a matching system for the allocation of asylum seekers over possible host
countries may substantially improve the situations that both refugees and countries
are currently facing.
According to these researchers, one of the main advantages for refugees is that,
once implemented, such a matching system would take into account the preferences
of refugees over countries, which is not the case in the current situation. For
example, in the EU, the Dublin Regulation stipulates that an asylum seeker must
apply for asylum in the country where she first entered the EU. But asylum seekers
cannot usually choose where to enter the European Union, and particularly southern
and south-eastern European countries are natural access points whereas central and
northern European countries are not.
For the receiving countries, one of the main advantages is that they may benefit
economically from the distribution the matching system produces. Suppose country A
faces a high labour demand, whereas country B suffers under an overaged society
and is willing to invest in the education of its future labour force. A matching system
produces a distribution of asylum applicants sensitive to states’ preferences and may
ensure that a relatively large number of workers get assigned to A, and families with
children to B. This may make both countries better off relative to a random
distribution.
However there might be some problems. First, matching systems are likely to be
implemented in combination with distribution keys; but although a matching system
can include a maximum quota, it is technically difficult to include minimum quotas .
Second, if the basic units to be distributed are asylum seekers, then it needs to be
taken into account that not all are applying for asylum alone, but that there are
couples, families with children, etc., that cannot be separated. Finally, whereas
refugees may have preferences over possible host countries, states can have rather
complex preferences over groups of refugees, and this can also make the system
more complicated.
Opportunities for Circular Migration
In Europe, demographic losses at working ages are so large that the only realistic
option is to reopen channels for legal economic migration. Preference could be given
to circular-migration schemes in which migrants must return to their home countries
after working for a designated period, with the possibility of coming back for a second
or even multiple periods. Circular migration is promoted by the European Union and
some of its Member States as a way to address their labor shortages while avoiding
the social and cultural problems arising from permanent migration. It is also seen as
a way to relieve pressures on developing countries’ full labor markets while fostering
migration-induced development; a means of offering migrants an alternative to illegal
migration. Circular migration, however, works better when migrants keep a strong link
with their country of origin.
USEFUL LINKS AND DOCUMENTS
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https://www.choices.edu/resources/twtn/documents/choices-twtn-refugeeskey-terms.pdf
https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/syria-refugee-crisis-faqwar-affecting-children
http://syrianrefugees.eu/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War
https://culanth.org/fieldsights/900-introduction-refugees-and-the-crisis-ofeurope
http://carnegieeurope.eu/2016/02/04/how-refugee-crisis-will-reshape-eu-pub62650
http://books.openedition.org/ifra/565
https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/11/16/europes-refugee-crisis/agenda-action
http://www.lse.ac.uk/philosophy/blog/2016/04/28/towards-a-fairer-distributionof-refugees/