After three years of conflict in Syria, hundreds of thousands of refugees living in urban areas are struggling to meet their daily needs, a new report by the UN Refugee Agency has warned.
The landmark study by UNHCR and its longstanding partner International Relief and Development (IRD) highlights for the first time the struggle and day-to-day survival of 450,000 Syrians who live outside Jordan’s formal refugee camps.
Nisreen Rubaian, UNHCR Acting Head of Office in Abu Dhabi, said: “To date, there are 585,000 Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in Jordan. Eighty per cent of them live in urban areas throughout the country. Syrian refugees in urban areas face rising rents, inadequate accommodation, and educational challenges for their children.”
The new report was based on 92,000 interviews during home visits in 2012 and 2013, and marks growing concern that as the war enters its fourth year, many refugees have reached the limits of their ability to cope.
The report shows the dilemma that refugees face to survive in urban areas, despite the outstanding generosity and significant support that Jordan has continued to offer them, including free public health and education.
“After escaping the horrors of war at home, hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have fled the violence and deprivation are facing a second crisis in their place of refuge,” says Andrew Harper, UNHCR’s representative in Jordan. “Syrian refugees in Jordan are hanging on by a thread: struggling to keep a roof over their heads and to earn enough money to get by.”
Almost four in five Syrian refugees in Jordan live outside the formal camps, but only get a fraction of the international attention, contrary to the focus on Zaatari refugee camp. UNHCR and IRD workers visited and interviewed tens of thousands of households to identify needs and help the hidden majority of refugees who live in towns and cities throughout the country.
The report comes amid indications that as the last of their assets are drying up, many families are turning to negative coping mechanisms to make ends meet, sometimes placing themselves at risk of exploitation.
“Syria’s children have already lost their past. We cannot now allow a generation to lose its future,” said Harper. “Syrian children in Jordan must be given the skills to rebuild, for themselves and the future of their country.”
By the end of 2013, UNHCR had given close to $32.5 million in cash assistance to 120,000 Syrian refugees, including generous donations from across the UAE. People in Abu Dhabi can support by visiting UNHCR website donate.unhcr.org/Syria”
