Iraqi Refugees in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon

By Venture International

September 2009

Prior to the 2003 invasion there were over one million Christians in Iraq. Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, religious persecution and sectarian violence was kept at bay and, for the most part, Christians were allowed to exist. After the invasion and the falter of the rebuilding process, Iraqi Christians began to be persecuted, blackmailed, intimidated, kidnapped, raped, tortured, and even murdered. Christian churches were bombed and lay leaders and members of the clergy were killed in the wake of sectarian violence. Some believe that Christians are looked upon as the enemy, a threat to fundamentalist Islam, or simply an easy target for extortion.

It is estimated that approximately 5 million Iraqis fled their homes to escape persecution. About 2.5 million were internally displaced while another 2.5 million became refugees in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and other countries. Approximately 500,000 were said to be Iraqi Christians who felt they would never have a safe home to return to.

As refugees, the Iraqi people are still facing various forms of persecution and suffering from the traumatic stress of being displaced. Most cannot legally find employment. Some are female headed families who have lost their husbands and fathers. Major humanitarian budget shortfalls are anticipated and necessary services will be curtailed very soon. For most Iraqis, their savings have run out; they are destitute and afraid to return home to Iraq.

Iraqi Refugees: Syria

As of February 2008, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had only registered 161,613 of the 1.5 million refugees in Syria. Most of these refugees were in or around Damascus and Aleppo while others were spread out a bit further.

After October 2007, Syria began requiring a visa for Iraqis to enter the country the number of refugees dropped sharply. Syria was desirable due to their acceptance of Iraqi refugees and their close proximity to Iraq; however, the shear number of refugees was staggering and underestimated by the U.N. and the world. The World Refugee Survey 2009 reported that of the remaining 1.2 million in Syria, only 209,200 are actually registered.

Iraqi refugees have no legal right to work in Syria and have to resort to under the table income, humanitarian aid, and their own savings. Syria is comfortable in working with the U.N. but very cautious with NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations).

Iraqi Refugees: Jordan

By February of 2007, the UNHCR and other NGO’s working in Jordan had estimated the number of Iraqi refugees to be over 1 million. Jordan has adopted a semi-protectionist policy towards Iraqi forced migrants. The Jordanian government lets them in, but can not give them refugee status. Although the border with Iraq had always been open, it soon closed and Iraqi people could then only enter on a temporary visa that only allowed them to stay for 6 months. This is due to Jordan having its own economic challenges.

Jordan is not a signer of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, which guarantees asylum-seekers the chance to apply for "refugee" status – a status that grants many of the rights of citizenship to its holder. Instead, Jordanian authorities treat what could be bona fide refugees as "guests" or "temporary visitors."

The stress under which these refugees must live takes a heavy toll on relationships, eating away at the fabric of the family. Heads of households feel ashamed that they cannot provide for their families; distraught men sometimes become violent toward their wives and children.

As of January 2009, official estimates put Iraqi Refugees at approximately 405,000. Some local organizations put this estimate much higher. Regardless, only 65,000 are actually registered.

Iraqi Refugees: Lebanon

In early 2008 Lebanon moved to regularize the status of Iraqi refugees residing illegally in the country, a decision the top U.N. refugee agency said would benefit thousands of Iraqis and help release hundreds in detention. Lebanon gave foreigners, including Iraqis, who entered Lebanon illegally or who have stayed beyond their visa limit, a three-month grace period to legalize their status.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says there are an estimated 50,000 Iraqis in Lebanon, 77.5 percent of whom entered illegally, according to a survey by the Danish Refugee Council conducted in late 2007.

As of the publishing of this report, the numbers of Iraqi’s entering Lebanon are growing daily, but exact numbers are not known at this time.

Iraq Refugee: Challenges

The UNHCR says that reaching Iraqi refugees in larger cities such as Damascus and Aleppo in Syria, Amman in Jordan and Beirut in Lebanon is extremely difficult and refugees may be missing out on vital assistance.

Iraqi women will resist returning home, even if conditions improve in Iraq, if there is no focus on securing their rights as women and assuring their personal security and their families’ well being. Some women said they won’t return because they are members of targeted minority groups, or because of injuries they suffered. Many widows fear returning to homes where their husbands were killed, and where they now have no means of economic survival.

It is thought about half the Christian population of Iraq has moved - the majority to Syria, fewer to Jordan and some to northern Iraq. That means, as a proportion, Christians are massively over-represented in the Iraqi refugee population. What is clear is that Iraqi refugees, especially the 500,000 Christians, are not going home anytime soon.

Latest UNHCR Middle East Report

There was some improvement in the situation in Iraq with many parts of the country seeing a notable reduction in the number of security incidents. Furthermore, there was a rise in the number of people returning to their home areas, especially among internally displaced persons. However, the security situation in Iraq remains fragile and is not conducive to large scale returns.

To view the full 15 page report in PDF click here.

To read stories from the field related to the Iraqi Refugee situation click here.