on International Migration

The violent repression put in place by Syrian authorities against the anti-government protests which began in March 2011 is causing massive population displacements in Syria. For the most part, these movements are temporary and internal: however, the relevance of Syrian refugees entering Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon is currently on the rise. As of 22 October (2011), 7,749 Syrian citizens are based in four camps along the Turkish-Syrian border according to the Turkish government. This figure results from 19,382 arrivals vs. 11,633 returns observed since March 2011 (Government of Turkey, 2011). In Lebanon, since April 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has assisted over 9,000 people fleeing Syria. Among them, many returned, while others were relocated inside Lebanon. Today, there are 4,840 Syrian refugees (905 families) registered with the UN Agency, residing mostly with host families in precarious conditions (UNHCR, 2011). In Jordan, as of 28 December (2011), nearly 2,000 Syrians are registered with UNHCR, though larger numbers are estimated. Here, they tend either to stay with relatives or to rent accommodation on their own (UN Children’s Fund- UNICEF, 2011). These figures are particularly striking if we look at the number of Syrians registered with UNHCR before the crisis (2010, Jan 1st): 198 i