DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The word “migration” cannot describe many Syrians’ aspiration for more than a decade. It is better to be described as “fleeing, seeking refuge or escaping”. Many have been compelled to leave a country that can no longer provide even the most basic necessities of life. Syria has become a place of daily struggle, with approximately 90 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
Emigrating from Syria is no longer solely driven by a desire to improve one’s life, but has become a matter of escaping death and ensuring survival. As a result, Syria has lost many of its youth and professionals, as well as millions of other citizens.
The humanitarian situation in Syria remains dire, with many people lacking essentials and struggling to access life-saving essentials, like food, water, and healthcare.
The largest refugee crisis of our time
War in Syria has created the largest refugee and displacement crisis of our time. In fact, it represents the largest displacement crisis in the world since World War II, affecting millions of people and spilling into surrounding countries.
According to the UN statistics, more than half of the population was forced to flee, displace or migrate, whether outside or inside the country. Their numbers are estimated at about 13 million people.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said few days ago in a video message to the 7th Annual Brussels Conference that the “suffering of Syrians defies description.”
He added that “Over 12 million have been forced from their homes”, and that “9 in 10 Syrians live below the poverty line.” while “Over 15 million — 70 percent of the population — require humanitarian assistance.”
What keeps them?
What drives Syrians to migrate? A question answered by Sami al-Qadri, who left his country through a dangerous journey that led him to Germany years ago, with another question, “What can stop Syrians from emigrating? There is no safety, no electricity, no work; even getting bread has become difficult.”
Al-Qadri told North Press that he sold his house and car to be able to pay for the smugglers who helped him to emigrate, or escape, as he calls it.
“I think that the financial barrier is what keeps the rest of Syrians in the country. There are many who are trying to leave Syria, but the costs of leaving are what prevent that,” he added.
Al-Qadri said that he risked his life through smuggling routes, he told North Press the details of his dangerous journey that led him from Syria to Lebanon, then Turkey, later he crossed the sea with an inflatable boat, all the way to Greece, to start another lesser journey.
Maysa, one of those who went through that harsh experience, recounts how she escaped with her husband and their four-year-old child, saying: “I will never forget those hours we spent at sea, the real fear of drowning at every moment, the feeling that I had made a mistake, especially when I saw fear in my little boy’s eyes, but I was also confident that I would save him from the possibility of real death that stalked us every day.”
From bad to worse
Getting out of Syria does not always mean salvation, especially for those who have not been able to reach countries that provide a minimum level of protection for refugees.
Omar, who arrived in the UAE about two months ago, was working in Lebanon as a waiter in a restaurant from ten in the morning until twelve at night for $150 a month, an amount which is not enough for him to continue living.
Omar has been looking for a job for about two months. All the opportunities that were available to him were 10 hours’ work for 1,000 dirhams ($370) per month.
In addition, Omar cannot start any work without having a residence permit in the UAE, which needs a large sum of money.
Omar spends most of his nights with relatives and friends whose conditions are not much better than his, as they live in small rooms that barely accommodate one bed.
“If we had a house in Syria, I would return to it, whatever the circumstances, because there is nothing worse than what I am experiencing here,” he told North Press.
No body returns
Another Syrian who immigrated to Germany about five years ago told North Press that he had been searching for someone returning to Syria with whom he could send some papers to his family, but “no one returns to Syria, everyone leaves.”
“What could attract Syrians who left back to their country? A country which is suffering from many humanitarian crises,” he wondered.
“What prevents most of those who remain in Syria from leaving is the high costs of leaving, which start with the cost of the passport itself, which has become the most expensive passport in the world in terms of price, not value. If most Syrians had enough money, Syria would be almost empty,” he concluded.
No hope for a better life
A social researcher told North Press that security, political, or economic reasons have combined over the past years to push Syrians to abandon their country.
She further explained that these reasons forced many Syrians to go out to sea, despite the great possibility of drowning.
“No one leaves his country in this way, except for those who have lost hope for any improvement in conditions in their country, which is suffering from continuous collapse,” the social researcher stressed.
At the beginning of the crisis, the security and political reasons were behind the early waves of migration or mass displacement. Later, the economic reason gained prominence, as securing the basic life requirements is no longer possible for many families. All those who migrated were looking for stability and safe life.
There is another factor behind this phenomenon, which is the loss of hope for finding a solution to this crisis. Many are convinced that this crisis is getting worse, without any signs of a near solution.
Most prominent reasons
The most prominent reason for this phenomenon is not only the state’s abandonment of its responsibilities, but rather its transformation into one of the key causes of them, according to the social researcher.
State institutions, in accordance with the government’s directives, began to raise the prices and wages of their services and goods to large limits, while keeping salaries and wages at their minimum levels, she added.
Thus, Syrians find themselves alone in a country that is collapsed geographically, politically, and economically. There is no better choice for them but to challenge death and escape their country to a better place if they had the opportunity, she said.
A former director of the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs and Population, a governmental body tasked with improving the conditions of the Syrian family, told North Press that the migration levels should be one of the most important issues that should concern the government, as the Syrian society has lost and is still losing part of the best qualified human resources, especially the youth, which includes university graduates and those with science majors.
He confirmed that the percentage of the elderly aged 65 years and over increased from 3 to 4.4 percent.
Studies have shown that immigration has created multiple gaps in some age groups, especially the age group up to four years, and the economically active and reproductive group aged 15-49 years.