Information on the Migrant Crisis
Background
Syrian Civil War
March 15, 2011 marks the beginning of the civil war in Syria. This date references a series of violent crackdowns by Syrian security forces in response to non-violent, student-led protests in Syria's southern city, Daraa.
The following ten years of conflict have resulted in over 500,000 casualties, which includes over 55,000 children. Intermittent bombings, chemical attacks, and war crimes along with severely damaged and collapsing infrastructure has forced millions of Syrians to flee from home.
An estimated 12 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, half of whom have been displaced across the country. The remaining 5.6 million are seeking refuge in primarily neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.
In 2015, an estimated 1.3 million Syrians sought refuge in Europe, thousands of which arrived daily in Greece. This surge in European migration came about during a period of reduced funding within the World Food Program, eliminating much of the needed rations to assist beneficiaries in Lebanon and Jordan.
The following years were tumultuous for Syria, marked by international agreements for de-escalation that were ultimately usurped by continued fighting and devastating winter storms. Despite significant efforts and progress across coalitions, the ongoing crisis in Syria is so sizable that a majority of displaced persons remain in critical vulnerability.
(Source: Reid, K. (2020, April). Syrian refugee crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help. World Vision, Inc.)
For more information on the Syrian refugee crisis, please visit: World Vision
Afghan Refugee Crisis
Over 2.6 million registered refugees are from Afghanistan, making it the second-most serious incidence of displacement in the world behind Syria. Violence and natural disasters spanning a period of over forty years have forced Afghan families to relocate to Europe, Iran, Pakistan and the United States.
In 2018, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan recorded the highest ever documentation of civilian deaths (11,000 casualties) which included the highest recorded number of children killed in conflict. In addition to the dangers faced at home, the Afghan refugee and asylum-seeker condition is made more difficult by forced returns from Europe, Pakistan and Iran as well as subjection to detention camps on Manus Island and Nauru off the shore of Australia.
Between 2015 and 2016, the number of Afghans returned by European countries nearly tripled to 9,460. Since the height of the European migrant crisis in 2015, a number of countries (notably Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Finland) have increasingly rejected asylum claims and forcibly returned tens of thousands of Afghans.
In 2016, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and World Bank issued a joint warning against forced Afghan returns, stating that systemic asylum claim refusal would lead to further instability and displacement.
(Source: Afghanistan’s refugees: forty years of dispossession. (2019, June 20). Amnesty International.)
For more information on the Afghan refugee crisis, please visit: Amnesty International
Following attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Iraq, millions of Iraqis have been displaced since 2014 and the country's infrastructure has been left in ruins. Approximately 260,000 people have fled the country, whereas an additional 3 million have been displaced internally. The refugee crisis in Iraq is complicated by the considerable population of asylum seekers coming from Syria (an estimated 280,000) forced into further precariousness and vulnerability.
In 2018, a significant number of internally displaced people (IDPs) were able to return to their homes in Afghanistan, however these persons continued to face significant obstacles in security and access to basic infrastructure and daily necessities. More than 2.3 million people are lacking proper access to food, water, sanitation and shelter and their livelihoods are put further at risk by harsh winters.
(Source: USA for UNHCR. (2019, November 7). Iraq Refugee Crisis Explained. UNHCR.)
For more information on the Iraqi refugee crisis, please visit: The UN Refugee Agency
Crisis in Europe
Migration Crisis
In the first six months of 2015, figures for refugees and migrants attempting to enter the European Union rose by 83% compared to that same period in the previous year. This influx is largely attributed to European entry coming from Turkey to Greece through the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Years of ongoing and worsening conflict in Syria eventually exhausted capacity in Turkey, where an approximate 2 million Syrians had sought refuge. Deteriorating resources in Turkey, coupled with the promise of opportunity in Europe, urged refugees to risk life-threatening voyages across the Mediterranean. In April 2015, 1,308 refugees were lost at sea marking a dismal record in migration-related loss of life.
European Union states adopted two approaches in response to increasing migration flows. The first approach was to strengthen borders so that movement was restricted through Northern and Eastern Europe and the second approach was to intervene by restricting the smugglers and traffickers responsible for Mediterranean crossings.
NGOs and refugee advocacy organizations have argued that the handling of the migration crisis in Europe should redirect focus towards the hardships faced by asylum seekers instead of the challenges posed to the EU.
(Source: UNCHR, Berry, M., Garcia-Blanco, I., & Moore, K. (2015, December). Press Coverage of the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in the EU: A Content Analysis of Five European Countries. Cardiff School of Journalism.)
For more information on the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in the EU, please visit: UNCHR
EU Migration Policy
Following the height of the 2015 migration crisis, the European council has implemented a series of policies to control migration flows which have since reduced irregular arrivals by more than 90%.
Irregular arrivals to Europe occur primarily through three channels: the Eastern Mediterranean route, Western routes or the central Mediterranean route. The Eastern Mediterranean route refers to irregular arrivals to Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria. Western routes refers to the Western Mediterranean route, having to do with irregular arrivals to Spain, and the Western African route, which refers to arrivals at the Canary Islands. The Central Mediterranean route refers to irregular arrivals to Italy and Malta.
The bulk of EU migration policy is geared towards targeting criminal networks of migrant smugglers and traffickers that have profited from orchestrating increasingly dangerous voyages across the Mediterranean.
(Source: EU migration policy. (2021, January 6). European Council.)
For more information on EU Migration Policy, please visit: European Council
Current Statistics
In 2018, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) reported 138,000 migrant and refugee arrivals, as well as 2,000 drownings, resulting from travel to Europe by sea. In this same year, most of the 2,700 children in Greek reception centers were reported to have missed between one and four years of schooling.
In 2019, more than 27,000 refugees arrived in Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Malta and 584 individuals were reported missing or dead as result of perilous journeys to Europe.
For more information on the EU migration crisis, please visit: UNHCR
Crisis in Greece
EU Policy
Restructuring of EU policy laid the brunt of responsibility for migrant welfare on Greece and Italy. In March 2016, agreements set forth by the European council restricted border crossings and resulted in approximately 16,000 refugees stuck on Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios, Kos, Samos and Leros. These agreements led to overcrowding on the islands and exasperated conditions in holding centers meant to accommodate asylum seekers throughout the evaluation process for their refugee application.
Greece Crisis Watch
Approximately 38,000 refugees live on Greek mainland, concentrated among urban areas. In the aftermath of Greece's 2015 financial crisis, unemployment rates remain high among locals, mounting tensions and barriers to refugee integration. Approximately 43% of Greek youth are unemployed.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has highlighted the pressing need for coordinated intervention at the local and national level to improve the integration process for asylum seekers while also stressing the importance of local assistance and organizations.
For more information on the IRC's work in Greece, please visit: International Rescue Committee
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