Syrian Refugee Crisis Worsening

On Thursday, November 13th, 2014, Al Jazeera reported on the worsening refugee Crisis in Syria and surrounding countries. In their story, they reported on a new publication from the International Rescue Committee and the Norwegian Refugee Council, in which the organizations write on the dire conditions facing Syrian refugees. 

In the report, it talks about the conditions facing Syrians, as well as the countries who have taken in the millions of refugees. For example, countries such as Jordan and Lebanon have stressed that they are having difficulties accepting more refugees. They have called for other intentional actors to play a role in accepting refugees. 

As Al Jazeera explains, “The report praises Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, which have taken in more than three million Syrian since the conflict began in 2011, while countries outside the region have agreed to accept around 50,000, or less than 2 percent of the total refugee population.” 

This is a failure of the international community to not open their borders to help these refugees. Despite the fact that many countries have signed onto the 1951 Refugee Convention, many states are doing little to actually accept refugees. Professor Julie Mertus has written an excellent article (entitled The State and the Post Cold War Refugee Regime: New Models, New Questions) on the decline in state action towards refugees in recent decades, and notes that state security has been at the forefront of decision making policy, at the expense of helping refugees. The evidence continues to supper this, seeing as many Western states have done little with regards to accepting refugees domestically.

Unfortunately, even the situation facing refugees (many of which are children) in these neighboring countries is troubling. And yet, the international community continues to be virtually silent on actually helping these victims of war. 

Let us call for states in the international community to do all that it can to ensure that refugees are protected and supported. This should mean opening borders to help those who have no where else to turn. If the international community is serious about human rights, actors will coordinate with one another, and will make it a top priority that resources are allocated to ensure that these families have food, shelter, medical care, and education for children.