[USCRI_Logo] [USCRI_Logo] Login / Register [ KEYWORD SEARCH ] [SEARCH] [Investigate] Investigate > Publications [images/rhs-countryreports.jpg] Newsroom &_Archives > World Refugee [images/spacer.gif] Syria End Survey Warehousing ========================== [../images/ [images/ [../images/ Resettlement spacer.gif] center- spacer.gif] 2006 Immigration [../images/grades/ arrows.gif] USCRI RefoulmC.jpg] [../images/ [images/ [../images/ 2005 Network Refoulement/Physical spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] Publications Protection According to [../images/ [images/ [../ images/ 2004 & Archives the Office of the UN High spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] World Commissioner for Refugees [../images/ [images/ [../images/ 2003 Refugee (UNHCR), Syria deported spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] Survey some Iraqi refugees during [../images/ [images/ [../images/ 2002 Refugee the year and refused entry spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] Reports to several others. In [../images/ [images/ [../images/ 2001 Refugee October, Syria denied spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] Voices entry to 8 Palestinian [../images/ [images/ [../images/ 2000 Anti- families from Iraq, spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] Warehousing totaling 19 individuals, [../images/ [images/ [../ images/ 1999 Bulletin which included women, spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] Archives children, and 2 semi- [../images/ [images/ [../images/ 1998 paralyzed men, but did spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] allow them to stay in the [../ images/ [images/ [../images/ 1997 El-Hol refugee camp on the spacer.gif] dot.gif] spacer.gif] border. Border officials restricted entry of Iraqi women between the ages of [../images/ [images/rhs- [../images/ 15 and 30 without an spacer.gif] refcondbycou.jpg] spacer.gif] accompanying male relative [One of: - on suspicion that they - Choose One --/ might engage in Afghanistan/ prostitution. Syria Albania/Algeria/ introduced new immigration Angola/ Argentina/ regulations in 2004 and Armenia/ 2005 requiring any aliens Australia/ that it expelled to obtain Austria/ permission from the Azerbaijan/ Minister of the Interior Bahamas/ to reenter. Bangladesh/ [../images/stats/ Belarus/Belgium/ Syria.jpg] There were Belize/Benin/ about 432,000 Palestinian Bhutan/Bolivia/ refugees in Syria under Bosnia and the mandate of the UN Hercegovina/ Relief and Works Agency Botswana/Brazil/ for Palestine Refugees in Bulgaria/Burkina the Near East (UNRWA) and Faso/Burma - see about 80,100 not Myanmar/Burundi/ registered with UNRWA. Cambodia/Canada/ Syria’s 1957 law on the Cameroon/Central legal status of African Republic/ Palestinians stated that Chad/Chile/China/ “Palestinians residing Colombia/Congo- in the Syrian Arab Brazzaville/ Republic territories are Congo-Kinshasa/ considered as Syrians by Costa Rica/Cote d origin in Syria, in all Ivoire/Croatia/ matters pertaining to the Cuba/Cyprus/Czech laws and regulations,” Republic/Denmark/ but it did not include Djibouti/ rights to naturalize or to Dominican vote. In April 2006, Syria Republic/East agreed to accept 181 Timor/Ecuador/ Palestinian refugees from Egypt/El Iraq who had been living Salvador/Eritrea/ in tents on the Iraq- Estonia/Ethiopia/ Jordan border for about a European Union/ month after Jordan refused Fiji/Finland/ their entry. France/Gabon/ Syria was not party to the Gambia/Gaza Strip 1951 Convention Relating and West Bank/ to the Status of Refugees. Georgia/Germany/ Since March 2003, it had Ghana/Greece/ respected UNHCR’s Guatemala/Guinea/ temporary protection Guinea-Bissau/ regime for Iraqi asylum Guyana/Haiti/ seekers and there were Honduras/Hong roughly 450,000 Iraqis in Kong/Hungary/ Syria at year’s end, India/Indonesia/ mostly in and around Iran/Iraq/ Damascus, 78 percent of Iceland/Ireland/ whom had arrived after the [../images/ Israel/Italy/ [../images/ 2003 war. More than 22,300 spacer.gif] Japan/Jamaica/ spacer.gif] Iraqis held UNHCR Jordan/ temporary protection Kazakhstan/Kenya/ letters as asylum seekers. Kuwait/ Nearly 2,600 held UNHCR Kyrgyzstan/ mandate refugee status. Latvia/Lebanon/ UNHCR conducted individual Liberia/Libya/ refugee status Lithuania/ determinations necessary Macedonia/Malawi/ for urgent third-country Malaysia/Mali/ resettlement in cases of Mauritania/ extreme vulnerability and Mexico/Moldova/ granted only 18 during the Mozambique/ year. Myanmar (Burma)/ In 2005, however, the Namibia/Nauru/ Government ceased to Nepal/ acknowledge UNHCR’s Netherlands/New protection letters and Zealand/ began to require residency Nicaragua/Niger/ authorization, which it Nigeria/North granted all Arab nationals Korea/Norway/ but only for three months Pakistan/Panama/ upon entry, after which Papua New Guinea/ time it required a Paraguay/Peru/ residence permit from the Philippines/ Department of Immigration Poland/Portugal/ and Passports. Many Iraqis Romania/Russia/ simply left the country Rwanda/Saudi and reentered to renew Arabia/Senegal/ their stay, but this was Sierra Leone/ difficult for poorer Slovak Republic/ Iraqis and, as a result, Slovenia/Solomon many had to live Islands/Somalia/ clandestinely. UNHCR also South Africa/ recognized nearly 5,000 South Korea/ refugees from Somalia, Spain/Sri Lanka/ Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan/ Suriname/ and some North African Sweden/ countries. Switzerland/ Some 200,000 to 250,000 Syria/Tajikistan/ stateless Kurds were in a Tanzania/ refugee-like situation in Thailand/Togo/ Syria since the Government Tunisia/Turkey/ had denied them Turkmenistan/ citizenship, passports, Uganda/Ukraine/ and birth certificates. Uruguay/United [../images/grades/ Kingdom/United DetentionD.jpg] States/ Detention/Access to Uzbekistan/ Courts In November, Syria Venezuela/ released 20 Palestinian Vietnam/Western activists as part of a Sahara/Yemen/ mass release of 190 Yugoslavia/ political prisoners. Zambia/Zimbabwe] According to the U.S. [../images/ [Submit images/ [../images/ State Department, Syria spacer.gif] go.gif] spacer.gif] held numerous [../images/ [../images/ Palestinians, including spacer.gif] spacer.gif] some it had arrested in [../ images/ [images/rhs- [../images/ Lebanon over the last 30 spacer.gif] searchthemap.jpg] spacer.gif] years, many of whom were [../images/ [images/ small- [../images/ likely still in detention. spacer.gif] world.gif] spacer.gif] It also detained an unknown number of other refugees and asylum seekers but allowed UNHCR access to some of them. UNHCR was able to determine refugee status for detainees and to negotiate with the Government to prevent their deportation and secure their release. [../images/grades/ FreedoMA.jpg] Freedom of Movement and Residence Syrian authorities permitted Iraqi and Palestinian refugees to move freely throughout Syria and to choose where they wished to live. Most resided in and around Damascus. A little over a quarter of Palestinians, some 115,000, lived in 13 camps. Documented Palestinian refugees who registered with the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees could obtain Syrian travel documents, which were valid for six years and were renewable at Syrian consular offices abroad. Additionally, Palestinians could travel between Syria and Lebanon using state-issued identity cards, and the Arab League also entitled them to travel documents. Stateless Kurds could not travel outside of Syria, and those who left could not reenter. [../images/ grades/ LivelihoodD.jpg] Right to Earn a Livelihood Syria did not permit Iraqi refugees to work legally. They were largely dependent on low- paying jobs in the informal sector without legal protection. Iraqi girls as young as 12 engaged in prostitution. Syria, however, did permit Palestinian refugees to work. The only restriction was that refugees who arrived in Syria after 1956 could not hold civil posts in the Government. A 1959 law required non- Palestinian refugees and other foreigners to obtain work and residency permits in order to work legally and prohibited their work in the public sector, a large portion of the economy. A 2001 law regulated the residency of foreign domestic workers and reversed laws that prohibited their employment. Labor laws did not protect them as only their contracts governed the terms of their employment. Syria also restricted non- citizens from owning property other than their homes and did not allow foreigners to own any arable land. In cases where this limitation interfered with Palestinian businesses, Syria allowed citizens to purchase property and transfer control to Palestinian refugees through binding agreements. Citing local resentment of soaring rents, overcrowded schools, and increased crime, a government lawyer predicted that President Bashar al-Assad would “sign an order barring Iraqis from purchasing property.” Stateless Kurds could not work in the public sector nor own property or businesses. [../images/grades/ PRelief&Educ.jpg] Public Relief and Education Iraqi refugee children had the right to public education but most schools were already at capacity. As well, some Iraqi families had a hard time finding money to pay for school uniforms and books, an obstacle that nationals shared. Such fees led to high dropout rates and often Iraqi refugee families made their children work long hours to earn money. UNHCR was able to aid only a few of the most vulnerable Iraqi refugees. It helped single women with housing and female- headed households with income generating activities. Palestinian refugees generally used UNRWA health services, which made referrals to Syrian hospitals as needed. UNHCR provided a limited number of vulnerable Iraqi refugees with medical services but these were inadequate to meet demand. Starting in January, Syria restricted foreigners’ access to the public health system to emergency care and childhood vaccinations. Syria strictly controlled nongovernmental organizations—especially those assisting stateless Kurds or focusing on human rights violations. Primary education was mandatory for Palestinian children, who could enter UNRWA elementary schools as well as Syrian elementary schools. Syrian schools and universities also provided them with secondary and higher education. UNRWA ran a vocational college training center for Palestinian refugees in the suburbs of Damascus, offering those who completed secondary school a two-year semi- professional training course and trade courses to those who finished preparatory school. In 1961, the Government had donated the land for the training center and it accepted five Syrian students each year. NEWS AND REPORTS [images/ 1_million_people dot.gif] became_refugees in_2004 (USCRI Headlines) [Online_Store] [World_Refugee [Anti- Warehousing] [National_Network] Survey_2006] U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 2nd Fl, Washington, DC 20036-2003 Phone (202)347-3507 | Fax (202)347-3418 CONTACT | SUPPORT_US | PRIVACY_POLICY | FEEDBACK