Topic: digitalcoin Development Foundation Syria Help Fund (Read 426 times)

Key findings
Refugees provided harrowing accounts of life and conditions inside Syria: brutal killings and targeted attacks, arbitrary arrests and torture, abductions and disappearances of loved ones, horrific sexual violence, unrelenting bombings, destruction of infrastructure, the evisceration of medical services, dwindling supplies of food, water and electricity, the inability to go to school or work in violence-ravaged neighbourhoods and recurring displacement.

While the majority of those uprooted by the turmoil remain in Syria, hundreds of thousands of Syrians managed to flee over the past two years—undertaking an often treacherous journey to find safe haven in neighbouring countries. Once there, they continue to face new and overwhelming problems.

While many live in camps, the vast majority have become so-called “urban refugees”—scattered through villages, towns and cities seeking shelter anywhere it is available. The more fortunate live with host families, but most live in wretched conditions, packed into small rented rooms and apartments in disrepair. Others squat in schools and unused spaces, or shelter in public buildings provided by host countries. Almost all fled with next to nothing, are in dire circumstances and increasingly depend on humanitarian aid to survive. Unfortunately, assistance to host communities is meagre as the international community provides the bulk of the limited available resources to refugees in camps.

The situation for refugee women and girls is grim. The Syrian refugees that the IRC talked to cited rape as a primary reason their families fled the conflict, yet there is an alarming lack of medical and counselling services to help them recover in the countries to which they have fled. They face unsafe conditions in camps and elevated levels of domestic violence, while reports of early and/or forced marriage of women and girls are increasing.

Countless Syrian children and youth are traumatised by the violence they have experienced and witnessed and are gravely affected by their families’ upheaval. Many children have already missed up to two years of their education because of fighting, and often the schools in host communities are full and unable to absorb more refugee students. Children continue to be at risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation in their environments of refuge.

Should the flow of refugees continue at its current pace, the UN estimates that the Syrian refugee population could grow to one million in the next six months. The refugee influx is straining the already limited resources of the neighbouring countries. In particular, the health, water, education and sanitation systems of host communities are increasingly struggling to cope and the cost of rent and commodities is rising. As tensions grow, the welcome mat is beginning to wear thin.

The Syrian crisis will very likely be a protracted and worsening humanitarian emergency. Inside Syria, the human and physical destruction is immense, the country’s civic and social fabric is in shreds and its economic foundation and infrastructure are devastated. Recovery and reconciliation efforts are certain to be extensive, particularly if forming a stable government proves challenging and sectarian violence increases. While most Syrian refugees tell the IRC they would like to return home as soon as they can, it could be months if not years before the uprooted are able to do so. Countries hosting refugees are under enormous strain, and the crisis threatens to increase political, ethnic and sectarian tensions throughout the region. Jordan and Lebanon are particularly vulnerable.

The breadth and scope of the Syrian crisis far outstrip the financial support provided by the international community. Given the gravity of the crisis and growing needs, the UN increased its appeal in mid-December to $1.5 billion. Current assistance levels are drastically insufficient to address existing needs, let alone the barest requirements to respond to a lengthy humanitarian emergency and post-conflict recovery.