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| Despite the freezing cold, children will be children... (via telegraph.co.uk) |
Most people, especially children, hope for a White Christmas. It is
certainly not the wish of over 1.1 million Syrian children, now scattered across their
own country or taking refuge in neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq.
With Christmas just over a week away, most families are now filling
bags of gifts for their children, decorating their homes, putting up Christmas
trees and stocking up on food for the festive season.
In the Middle East, and especially in Syria and Palestine, children
will not even know it’s that time of year.
In Syria, in particular, where over half of all 2.3 million
refugees are children, will this shameful milestone of conflict deliver more
than headlines?
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| Nowhere else to sleep... |
Why is it that the human heart and conscience remains blank and
cold in the face of the tragedy of these kids? Why are there no more
initiatives such "Do They Know It's
Christmas?" in 1984 and Live Aid in 1985?
The UN refugee agency UNHCR is stepping up measures to protect the
hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, including 120,000 living
in flimsy tents, as they face the onslaught of a massive winter storm in the
region dubbed “Alexa.”
"For the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Lebanon, as well
as those in neighboring countries and the displaced in Syria, a storm like this
creates immense additional hardship and suffering," said Amin Awad,
director of UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa Bureau. "With Lebanon's
help, we're doing everything we can to get rapid additional help to people who
most need it. This is on top of the winter preparations already done over the
past months."
A host of other humanitarian agencies are working on the winter
response in Lebanon, including the World Food Program, the Norwegian Refugee
Council, the International Organization for Migration, Oxfam, Medair, Save the
Children, World Vision, Humedica, Mercy Corps, Caritas and Handicap
International.
Lebanon is now the largest Syrian refugee-hosting country in the
region, with almost 840,000 Syrians either registered as refugees or awaiting
registration, according to UNHCR. Unlike other countries neighboring Syria,
there are no established refugee camps. Instead people are living in the
community in nearly 1,600 different areas.
Before the storm hit last week, UNHCR undertook a research project,
conducted over four months, on what life is like for Syrian children in the two
countries hosting the highest number of Syrian refugees -- Jordan and Lebanon.
The
Future of Syria: Refugee Children in Crisis found that Syrian refugee
children face a startling degree of isolation and insecurity. If they aren’t
working as breadwinners -- often doing menial labor on farms or in shops -- they
are confined to their homes.
Perhaps the statistic we should pay the most attention to, says
UNHCR, is: 29 percent of children interviewed said they leave their home once a
week or less. Home is often a crammed apartment, a makeshift shelter or a tent.
Too many have been wounded physically, psychologically or both.
Some children have been drawn into the war -- their innocence ruthlessly
exploited.
A grave consequence of the conflict is that a generation is growing
up without a formal education. More than half of all school-aged Syrian children
in Jordan and Lebanon are not in school. In Lebanon, it is estimated that some
200,000 school-aged Syrian refugee children could remain out of school at the
end of the year.
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| The Arsal makeshift Syrian refugee camp in northeast Lebanon |
Another disturbing symptom of the crisis is the vast number of
babies born in exile who do not have birth certificates.
A recent UNHCR survey on birth registration in Lebanon revealed
that 77 percent of 781 refugee infants sampled did not have an official birth
certificate. Between January and mid-October 2013, only 68 certificates were
issued to babies born in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp.
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| How is this allowed to happen? (via yallasouriya.wordpress.com) |
Much more needs to be done if a catastrophe is to be averted, says UNHCR,
including:
Keep the borders open: For all
the problems identified in the report, children have access to protection because
countries like Lebanon and Jordan have welcomed them. No effort should be
spared in supporting Syria’s neighbors to keep their borders open. Further
afield, in the past few months, many adults and children have lost their lives
attempting to reach Europe. States must do more to ensure the safety of people
attempting to cross water and land borders.
Help the neighbors: The unwavering commitment of
neighboring countries to tackle the monumental task of supporting hundreds of
thousands of Syrian refugee children must be matched by international
solidarity. Overstrained school systems must be built up, health services
expanded and local communities reassured that support is available for them
too.
Stop recruitment and
exploitation of children: Children should never be drawn into conflict.
All parties should make every effort to end this practice.
Expand resettlement and
humanitarian admissions programs for Syria’s children: Countries
beyond Syria’s borders should also offer a home to Syrian refugees. These
programs are important lifelines for the most vulnerable, including people who
continue to be in danger and families with seriously wounded children.
Unaccompanied and separated children are only considered for these programs
after a careful examination of their best interests.
Provide alternatives so
children do not have to work: We urge individuals and
businesses to help fund UNHCR’s financial assistance scheme that targets
vulnerable refugee families and call on governments to explore alternative
livelihoods opportunities for Syrian refugees.
Prevent statelessness: Lack of
a birth certificate or related documentation can increase the risk of
statelessness and expose children to trafficking and exploitation. Returning
home may be impossible for children without the necessary documentation.
Progress is already being made in neighboring countries, but it is vital that
host countries continue to improve access to birth registration.
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| A few of the 1.1 million Syrian refugee children trying to keep warm |
Of the 1.1 million Syrian children registered as refugees with
UNHCR worldwide, some 75 percent are under the age of 12. Children represent 52
percent of the total Syrian refugee population, which now exceeds 2.2 million.
The majority live in Syria’s neighboring countries, with Jordan and Lebanon combined
hosting more than 60 percent of all Syrian refugee children. As of 31 October
2013, 291,238 Syrian refugee children were living in Jordan and 385,007 in
Lebanon.
The war in Syria has torn families apart, with over 3,700 children
in Jordan and Lebanon living without one or both of their parents, or with no
adult caregivers at all. By the end of September 2013, UNHCR had registered
2,440 unaccompanied or separated children in Lebanon and 1,320 in Jordan. In
some cases the parents have died, been detained, or sent their children into
exile alone out of fear for their safety.
UN agencies and partners help to find safe living arrangements for
unaccompanied and separated children, reuniting them with their families or
finding another family to look after them. Despite living in already crowded
conditions, Syrian refugee families continue to open up their homes to
relatives or even strangers.
The unrelenting exodus of Syrian refugees to Jordan and Lebanon is
having a dramatic impact on these small countries. Lebanon, with a population
of a little more than 4 million, has received more than 800,000 Syrian refugees
in two years. The economy, essential services and stability of the country are
all suffering.
Jordan, one of the most “water poor” nations in the world, with a
population of a little over 6 million, is now home to more than 550,000 Syrian
refugees. It is also buckling under the pressure on its services,
infrastructure and resources.
While many Jordanians and Lebanese display kindness and generosity
towards Syrian refugees, tensions between the communities -- and even within
refugee communities -- have put refugee children at risk.
Has the world changed so much since the 1980s? Have we become
immune to suffering, even that of children?
Maybe Santa doesn't exist after all…
