According to the first comprehensive report by international aid agencies into
the plight of Iraqi refugees in Syria since the start of the war in March 2003
- a copy of which was obtained by IRIN - an estimated 450,000 Iraqis in Syria
"are facing aggravated difficulties" as a result of their "ambiguous legal
status and unsustainable income".
The survey - jointly conducted by the UNHCR, UN children's agency UNICEF and
the UN World Food Programme - highlighted "extremely worrying" statistics
indicating that a majority of Iraqis in Syria hoped to resettle in third
countries. The report went on to warn of a possible "huge secondary movement"
of Iraqis to Europe.
UNHCR representative in Syria Abdel Hamid al-Ouali noted that the problem
"poses a tremendous challenge for the international community, which must give
the situation urgent attention, planning and action in order to avoid a new
exodus".
Local NGOs put the number of Iraqis in Syria at about 800,000, the majority of
whom live in the suburbs of Damascus in deteriorating socio-economic
conditions. Before the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in April 2003, their
numbers were estimated at only 100,000.
The report further noted that prostitution among young Iraqi women, some as
young as 12 years old, "may become more widespread, since the economic
situation of Iraqi families is deteriorating." "Organised networks dealing in
the sex trade were reported," it noted, citing evidence that "girls and women
were trafficked by organised networks or family members".
Rising child labour was also cited as a worrying trend. According to Marc
Lucet, programme officer at UNICEF, minors represent almost 4 percent of the
current workforce. "NGOs have told us about an increasing number of children
taking on sometimes hazardous jobs for wages as low as 50 Syrian Pounds
(roughly US $1) per day, just to support their families," said Lucet.
The general health of most Iraqi refugees was found to be "satisfactory", with
the large majority of households enjoying access to "adequate food
consumption". Nevertheless, the report estimated that at least 1,500 families -
roughly 7,500 people - face "very difficult conditions", including "poverty,
expired legal documents and trauma".
"Malnutrition, low school enrolment, child labour and child prostitution are
likely to increase among these families," the report went on to warn. "Efforts
need to be sustained - and increased - to support those in need of direct
humanitarian support."
Both the UNHCR and UNICEF are currently working with a number of ministries,
including health and education, to improve living standards among the refugee
community. This has included coordination with local NGOs in order to tackle
the problem of child labour and prostitution.
"We can't leave Syria alone on this issue," said Dietrun Günther, senior
protection officer at the UNHCR in Damascus. "If the West really wants to help
Syria in this matter, it must negotiate new terms for its support of refugees."
IRIN
