SYRIA: ALMOST 50% FEWER REPATRIATIONS SO FAR THIS YEAR OF FOREIGN CHILDREN TRAPPED IN UNSAFE CAMPS, FIVE YEARS SINCE FALL OF ISIS

22 Mar 2024 Syria

Almost 50% fewer foreign children and women have been repatriated so far this year in syria

AMMAN, 22 March 2024 - Almost 50% fewer foreign children and women have been repatriated so far this year compared to the same period last year from camps in Syria housing people displaced from the collapse of ISIS, marking a step back in progress, said Save the Children.

Five years after the fall of Al-Baghouz - the last Syrian village controlled by ISIS – at least 6,160 children [1] of foreign nationality are still trapped in Al Hol and Roj camps in Syria living in dire conditions. Over 70% of the total population of the camps are under 12, according to the United Nations [2].

We stand side by side with children in the world's toughest places.

So far this year, only Kyrgyzstan has repatriated 99 of its nationals, including 72 children and 27 women. This figure represents almost half (45%) the number for the same period in 2023, when over 180 nationals were repatriated from eight countries, including Spain, France, and Canada.

The disappointing trend shows a step in the wrong direction, said Save the Children, with Sweden even announcing last month that it would not take back any more children from camps in Syria. The appalling decision would condemn children to poor conditions and violence in the camps. [3].

Child repatriations from camps in Syria numbered around 497 in 2023, 388 in 2022, and 324 in 2021 [4], showing a steady decline.

Thousands more Iraqi and Syrian children are also in the camps waiting for an opportunity to safely leave, including hundreds trapped in separate detention centres.

Humanitarian conditions in the camps are dire – there’s a lack of food, water and few washing facilities – amid overcrowding and widespread violence and insecurity.  A recent security operation in January halted access to NGOs for two weeks, pausing all non-emergency services.

Emily*, 17, has been living in a camp in Northeast Syria with her three sisters and mother since 2019.  Unable to attend full-time education, she draws artwork of her homeland:

“Even though my country and people forgot about me, I am still here, wanting them to see that I am holding onto colours and brushes to draw, not weapons. I am trying to show the world a different side of me. I miss walking on roads lined with green trees. This is the sort of thing that I have not done since coming to Syria.”

Her mother, Ayesha*, 40, said:

“It hurts my heart when my girls blame me for their life inside this camp. They say they are dying slowly here, that life feels like a slow death. Six months after arriving in Syria, my husband was killed. I was unable to return to my country…They say that if we were back home, they would be going to high school now. It is heartbreaking for a mother not to be able to change things their children want, like where they live.”

Rasha Muhrez, Country Director for the Syria Response Office, said:

“We need more safe repatriations – not less.  For five years, children have been trapped in these awful camps, abandoned by their governments. They deserve safety, education, and care. Fewer repatriations shows that governments are turning their backs on these children. Governments ignore their duty, leaving children stuck in misery. 

Save the Children has been working in Syria since 2012, reaching over five million people, including more than three million children across the country.  We provide protection and support services in Al Hol and Roj including child friendly spaces, specialised case management support for children with particular needs as well as nutrition and education services.

Footnotes:

[1 & 4] Internal Save the Children tracker

[2] UN - https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/017/61/pdf/n2401761.pdf?token=cPIqsibxrtcD7HfPM9&fe=true

[3] Save the Children Sweden PR - https://press.raddabarnen.se/news/uttalande-om-regeringens-beslut-att-inte-ta-hem-de-svenska-barnen-fraan-laegren-i-syrien-481177

ENDS 

For further enquiries please contact: Soraya.ali@savethechildren.org (based in Amman)

Our media out of hours (GMT) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements and location Vlogs.

Related News

Maysa*, 28, holding her son Khalid*, 3, in the camp where the family is displaced in Syria

Maysa*, 28, and her husband, Bahaa*, 24, have two young children; Khalid*, three, and Khansa*, one and a half. The family is now living in a displacement camp in Syria after fleeing the violence in Lebanon. In 2019, Bahaa fled Syria to Lebanon, to escape escalating violence in his village, in search of safety and work. In Lebanon, he married Maysa*, a Syrian refugee. The family worked in agriculture, living in tents set up in the fields they worked in. Life wasn’t so easy for them, often landowners withheld their wages which were barely enough to cover basic needs. Some non-governmental organisations provided aid, which helped them get by, but life remained tough. When the violence escalated in Lebanon, the family fled to Syria to save the lives of their children. Save the Children is assisting the family by providing Ready-to-Eat kits, hygiene kits, dignity kits for women, and Plumpy Nut butter for children under 5 years. They are one of the 117 families who arrived on October 29, 2024, in one of the displacement camps in Syria and are living through difficult conditions. They have limited access to water, food, and warm clothes for their children. Despite receiving some basic supplies, such as blankets, a tent, and food baskets, the extreme cold affected their son’s health, and he fell sick. Roni Ahmed / Save the Children

13 Nov 2024

Lebanon

ABOUT 300,000 CHILDREN HAVE FLED LEBANON TO SYRIA, WHERE AID NEEDS HAVE NEVER BEEN HIGHER

About 300,000 children have fled from Lebanon to Syria in the past seven weeks to seek safety from the worsening conflict, only to arrive in a country where humanitarian needs have never been higher. We have multimedia content to accompany this press release: www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2S11VJ1U
READ MORE
Mpox Case Isolation Center Uvira, DRC

Prudence*, 26, a mother of three from South Kivu province, fled armed conflict with her family to Uvira, DRC, in 2023. The hot climate led to widespread illness, with her family suffering from malaria and her children contracting cholera, which is endemic in the area. In May 2024, Mpox spread in her health zone, primarily affecting children. By September, her youngest daughter Christelle*, just 5 months old, fell ill with Mpox. Unsure of the illness, Prudence* initially treated her with medicine from a local pharmacy, which was ineffective. While seeking help from a traditional practitioner, Prudence* encountered community relays trained by Save the Children, who advised her to seek proper treatment at the Mpox isolation centre. Christelle’s* health began improving during her two-week stay at the centre, much to her mother’s relief. Prudence* is thankful for the support she received and dreams of a better future for her children, hoping for peace to return to her village so she can resume farming. Elias Mcito / Save the Children

13 Nov 2024

Burundi , Democratic Congo

Cases of new mpox strain more than double among children in DR Congo and Burundi since emergency declared

The new and aggressive strain of the potentially deadly mpox virus  is spreading rapidly among children in the DRC and Burundi, with cases more than doubling since a public health emergency was declared in mid-August.
READ MORE
default-image

12 Nov 2024

Global

COP29: CHILDREN CALL ON WORLD LEADERS TO ACT AS CLIMATE DISASTERS THREATEN THEIR HOMES, EDUCATION, AND LIVES

Children are calling on world leaders meeting at the COP29 Summit in Azerbaijan to include children’s needs in their response to the climate crisis. Photos and link to the full press conference available here. 
READ MORE