By Rachel Pollock
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| Many Iraqi families have been forced to leave their homes and live in refugee camps in Syria. (Photo credit: Creative Commons) |
Candidates in Iraq’s parliamentary elections have decided to focus their attention on refugees in Syria because they comprise the largest group of Iraqis who have been forced to leave their homes due to insecurity resulting from war. They also believe that the Iraqi expatriate community in Syria constitutes a large number of Sunni Muslims, which may prove to be influential in the elections.
According to a report by Refugees International, there are presently 1.2 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria. Because it is illegal for Iraqi refugees to work in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, many families become impoverished with limited financial options.
Despite the economic hardships of Iraqi refugees, most feel the situation in their home country would be far worse where unemployment, lack of basic services, and personal threat, are more widespread. Elizabeth Campbell, who is the senior advocate for Iraq at Refugees International told MediaGobal, “The majority of refugees in Syria cannot return due to ongoing security threats, fear of persecution, and the total destruction of their homes, properties, and livelihoods. Moreover, in many cases refugees cannot return to their original homes because they have been occupied by others. In such cases many refugees have nowhere to return to and fear returning to neighborhoods where they will be of the minority sect.”
Organizations have attempted to improve the situations of Iraqi refugees by providing third country resettlement. The United Nations Refugee Agency (known by the acronym UNHCR) is among those organizations working to provide assistance to families in need. The UNHCR cites resettlement as being a durable solution, along with voluntary repatriation, and local integration. UNHCR submits applications for resettlement on behalf of refugees and based upon the regulations put in place by the country of origin and also the individual situation of the refugee, the third country may or may not accept the application.
Farah Dakhlallah, who is the Public Information Officer of UNHCR Syria told MediaGlobal, “Resettlement is a protection tool afforded to those refugees who are unable to integrate locally in their country of asylum or to repatriate to their home country. It allows them to rebuild their lives far from persecution but also often requires that they learn a new language and adapt to a new culture.” Despite these efforts, less than 10 percent of Iraqis in Syria have been afforded resettlement.
Third country resettlement has been a crucial factor in determining the future of Iraqi refugees. In 2009, the UNHCR submitted over 17,000 cases for resettlement and 9,300 were awarded resettlement. Of this number, the United States was able to accept the majority of refugee cases, resettling 5,700 people. While the US will continue to play a vital role in third country resettlement, the fear is that one country will not be able to accommodate the growing number of Iraqi refugees.
The displacement not only impacts the lives of Iraqi refugees but also impacts the Syrian economy. Currently, Syria is experiencing the worst drought in 40 years, which resulted in a loss of half of the food production. In addition to helping Iraqi refugees, the Syrian government must also support its local farmers and communities, which have been affected by the drought.
For the majority of Iraqi refugees, most will stay in Syria, where they will not be able to work legally or return to Iraq. Despite the uncertainty of their futures, Iraqis had an impressive turnout at the polls last week. For many Iraqi refugees, they will continue to support a country, which may or may not support them.
