The Syrian Humanitarian Disaster: Understanding Perceptions, Aspirations,

and Behaviour

Dissemination Workshop

9 December 2015

Dawn Chatty

Presentation Outline

• Historical contextualizing of the Syrian state as refuge for forced migrants [Bilad al Sham]

• Contemporary contextualizing of the humanitarian crisis across neighboring states of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan

• Disparity of perceptions and aspirations among refugees, host community members and practitioners and policy makers in each of the three countries

• Preliminary conclusions

Ottoman Response to RefugeeMovement

• 1857 Refugee Code • Rumeli and Anatolian resettlement [6 or

12 year dispensation from taxes and conscriptions]

• 1860 Ottoman Commission for the General Administration of Immigration

• Liaison with international aid agencies

French Mandated Syria: the Refuge State.

Refugees Fleeing Syria November 2015

Refugees in Lebanon

• High level of social discrimination despite or perhaps because of close social and kinship ties

• Illegal curfews and vigilantism

• Late implementation of cash assistance to the most vulnerable;large scale NGO involvement

Refugees in Jordan

• Discrepancy between local press and policy makers re negative influence of Syrian refugees.

• Negative impact of cash assistance on rental and other livelihood expenditures

• Tribal relationships muting expression of social discrimination

Refugees in Turkey

• General sympathy to Syrian forced migrants but not to ‘Gypsies’

• Lack of clarity regarding government efforts for Syrians in Turkey

• Widespread support from civil society especially NGO sector despite lack of common language or social ties

Concluding Remarks

• History and historical context matters• Social ‘differentiation’ appears to

promote sympathy and local integration• Self settlement preferred by most

refugees; UNHCR camp template generally rejected;

• For many Syrians, conditions are intolerable; onward migration will grow as conditions worsen

Facebook post October 2015