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Map charts Syrian diaspora
A new interactive map charts how over the past decade at least 13 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict or fear of persecution.
They have fled from the threat of imprisonment and forced conscription into the army as well as from bombs and bullets, chemical attacks and sieges.
They have left behind homes, jobs, and loved ones, often risking death in leaving.
Even now, most of the 6.6 million Syrians registered as refugees remain in neighbouring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan where life for them is precarious.
Another 6.7 million Syrians are internally displaced, living in camps or sheltering wherever they can a safe spot. For the overwhelming majority, with the COVID-19 crisis and borders mostly closed, leaving the country has ceased to be an option.
Since 2011, 201,000 Syrians – around 20,000 of them in Australia – have been relocated through the UN’s resettlement program, which enables so-called third countries to offer permanent residence to refugees.
These are often people with the greatest need. Numbers peaked in 2016, with Canada, the United States, and the UK the top destination countries. Since then, the flow has stopped because of COVID border closures and the rise of populist nationalist politics in many parts of the world
There have been some hopeful stories over the past 10 years, not least Australia’s acceptance of an extra one-off cohort of 12,000 Syrians.
Also, there have been programs that have seen families, individuals or faith groups banding together to sponsor Syrian families in faraway countries, offering them financial and emotional support.
Some Syrians have managed to integrate into new communities, going to school, working, and learning new languages. But many others have little freedom of movement, restricted rights to work, and fear being thrown out at any moment.
Recently, there has been growing pressure on people who have not been resettled elsewhere to go back to Syria. Some have begun to come home, but Syria’s war is not fully over and the economy has also collapsed. For the vast majority, return remains a risky option.
The new humanitarian publication has produced a new interactive map that looks at why and where Syrians have been forced to flee, the journeys they’ve taken, and where they’ve ended up, over 10 years of war.
