Lesson 10:

Forced Migration

What you should know by the end of this lesson:

Have an understanding of the Syrian war and how it created the largest number of refugees in the world
Be able to explain the impacts on the Donor country (Syria) from such a large forced migration
Be able to discuss the impacts of forced migration on receiving countries

Background

Where is Syria?

The Syrian population in 2010 the year before the conflict began was an estimated 21 million people.

The cause of the Syrian Civil War

Syria has been politically unstable since the so-called Arab Spring in 2010, when there was a series of protests, riots and civil wars broke out in many Arab countries. The Syrian crisis is an on-going armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Baath government and those opposing them.

Syria borders 5 countries: Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon

Watch the 2 short videos below to get a brief idea of why there is fighting and why it keeps returning to the news

President Bashar al-Assad

Impact of the war in numbers and history

The current estimated death toll in Syria since 2011 is between 494,438 and about 606,000 as of June 2021. An estimated 6.8 million refugees have fled the country, with around 90% to neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan & Turkey. An estimated 6.7 million people have been internally displaced within Syria itself (Refugee figures from July 2021)

Digital Workbook and Paper Jotter

Use the notes and information below to create effective notes on the impacts of voluntary migration:

Effective notes could be:

Mind maps
Tables
Infographics
Written out clearly with effective highlighting
etc

Fleeing Syria

Push Factors

Thousands of Syrians flee their country every day. They often decide to finally escape when their neighbourhoods are bombed or family members killed
Bombings are destroying crowded cities.
Horrific human rights violations are widespread,
Thousands of people have been killed, kidnapped, tortured and raped.
Basic necessities like food and medical care are sparse.
Over 4 million people have been left homeless.
Much of the country’s infrastructure and essential services have been destroyed.
No employment or opportunity for earning money
For many Syrians it is impossible to lead a normal life.
ISIS had invaded parts of Syria (2014 - March 2019) from Iraq creating two wars in 1 country
Suspicions of chemical weapons being used by the government against the country’s people after a chemical attack outside Damascus in 2013.

Pull Factors

Many Syrians have family and friends already living abroad so it is easier to make the move.
Syria has porous land borders with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan which makes it relatively easy to migrate into these countries, even without a passport.
Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan are also Islamic countries. Israel is not and refuses to accept refugees and Iraq is still war-torn so do not offer a better opportunity than staying in Syria, this is why migrants mainly move to the 3 countries mentioned.

Impacts on the Donor Country

Much of Syria’s educated elite population (those who have money and connections) have fled their home in search of safety - "brain drain". There has been massive population loss across all sectors.
Syria does not have enough doctors and nurses to look after the injured and weak.
Also, they do not have the experienced professionals to train the next generation of doctors and teachers.
The UN estimate that 500 000+ Syrians have died during the course of the war
There has been huge destruction of the infrastructure, education, health and industry in many cities such as Damascus. Those that have remained then find it difficult to lead a normal life as much of the destruction just remains.
Destruction of significant ancient cultural/historical sites such as Palmyra and the Great Mosque at Aleppo.
Inside Syria, one in four schools has been damaged, destroyed or used for shelter. Less than half of primary school-aged children are enrolled in school and only one in three secondary and university-aged students have access to education. This means a problem with future skilled work force for jobs.
The collapse of the local economy - the value of Syrian trade in 2010 was $2.73 billion, the 2014 value was $0.7 billion.

Brain Drain

Brain drain is when those who are highly educated

leave an area first. They have the skills, money or

know how to leave the area. This leaves a gap of

educated professionals in an area which tends to be

doctors, teachers and lawyers.

Impacts to the receiving country (Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan)

The majority of Syrian refugees are living in Jordan and Lebanon putting a huge strain on towns/ cities with weak infrastructure and limited health and education services.
In Jordan, nearly 120,000 Syrians live in two refugee camps: Za'atari and Azraq refugee camps. At Azraq refugee camp, approximately 60% of refugees are children, including 240 who are unaccompanied and separated.
Increased food prices as demand for a limited supply increased in 2010 Lebanon had a population of 5 million. It is estimated 1 in 4 people in the country is a Syrian refugee.
Waste management is not coping leading to sanitation problems creating a rise in disease and poor health.
There are not enough teachers - some schools send Lebanese children home at lunchtime then teach Syrian children for the second half of the day.
Decreased wages Some Lebanese people say they have lost their jobs because Syrians are willing to work for less
Increased rent/house prices Local Lebanese say they have been evicted because Syrians share housing with large numbers of people, and can therefore afford rents that the Lebanese can't.
Since August 2014 more Syrians have escaped into northern Iraq at a newly opened border crossing. In a country that is still recovering from its own conflict, this influx brings huge additional problems.
An increasing number of Syrian refugees are fleeing across the border into Turkey - this has created new cultural tensions and resentment. Turkey states it has spent £billions on trying to deal with the refugees inside their borders.