Published : 01-03-2021
Director-General of the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees in Syria (GAPAR) Ali Mustafa said Syrian authorities continue to prevent Palestinian newborns and children aged below 14 from being included on lists of smart card beneficiaries.
Smart cards have been used by the Syrian government to ration bread and a wider range of subsidized goods, namely fuel, rice, tea, and sugar.
Mustafa said he reached out to the Syrian Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources on March 15, 2020 and the Social Affairs Ministry in November 2020 along with the Ministry of Internal Trade on February 24, 2021, but to no avail.
He said the measure contravenes Syrian laws and regulations which insist that Palestinian refugees, including those aged 14 or less, be treated equally to Syrian nationals in accordance with Law 260.
560,000 Palestinian refugees are registered with GAPAR in Syria.
After ten years of conflict, Palestine refugees continue to be one of the most vulnerable groups in Syria with immense humanitarian needs.
Palestinian refugees in Syria (PRS) continue to launch cries for help over their deteriorating humanitarian condition due to the sharp decrease in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound compared to the USD and their lack of access to the local labor market. The price leap has overburdened the cash-stripped refugees. House rents have also seen a striking hike from previous years.
Protracted displacement, deteriorating socio-economic conditions aggravated by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, dire humanitarian needs and protection concerns continue to affect the lives of Palestine refugees in Syria, according to UNRWA’s “Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal 2021”.
UNRWA said in its fact-sheet that in Syria, the protracted conflict has devastated human security and left 91 per cent of the 438,000 Palestine refugees estimated to remain in the country in absolute poverty and 40 per cent displaced.
In 2020, living conditions deteriorated further as a result of an economic crisis, leading to an increase in prices, including of the most basic commodities.
As the coronavirus pandemic has rebounded around the MENA region and the globe, Palestinian refugees in war-torn Syria continue to struggle with growing poverty and economic hardship.
Many PRS lost their sources of income; refugee camps have seen unprecedented levels of destruction; rental prices have dramatically gone up; undernourishment and poverty have been a daily nightmare.
Due to the serious protection gaps, children have been forced to drop out of school and join armed groups to help feed their starving families.
Hundreds of families have had women as their sole breadwinners; and in several other cases boys and girls are spotted begging in the street for a few pounds.
Director-General of the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees in Syria (GAPAR) Ali Mustafa said Syrian authorities continue to prevent Palestinian newborns and children aged below 14 from being included on lists of smart card beneficiaries.
Smart cards have been used by the Syrian government to ration bread and a wider range of subsidized goods, namely fuel, rice, tea, and sugar.
Mustafa said he reached out to the Syrian Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources on March 15, 2020 and the Social Affairs Ministry in November 2020 along with the Ministry of Internal Trade on February 24, 2021, but to no avail.
He said the measure contravenes Syrian laws and regulations which insist that Palestinian refugees, including those aged 14 or less, be treated equally to Syrian nationals in accordance with Law 260.
560,000 Palestinian refugees are registered with GAPAR in Syria.
After ten years of conflict, Palestine refugees continue to be one of the most vulnerable groups in Syria with immense humanitarian needs.
Palestinian refugees in Syria (PRS) continue to launch cries for help over their deteriorating humanitarian condition due to the sharp decrease in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound compared to the USD and their lack of access to the local labor market. The price leap has overburdened the cash-stripped refugees. House rents have also seen a striking hike from previous years.
Protracted displacement, deteriorating socio-economic conditions aggravated by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, dire humanitarian needs and protection concerns continue to affect the lives of Palestine refugees in Syria, according to UNRWA’s “Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal 2021”.
UNRWA said in its fact-sheet that in Syria, the protracted conflict has devastated human security and left 91 per cent of the 438,000 Palestine refugees estimated to remain in the country in absolute poverty and 40 per cent displaced.
In 2020, living conditions deteriorated further as a result of an economic crisis, leading to an increase in prices, including of the most basic commodities.
As the coronavirus pandemic has rebounded around the MENA region and the globe, Palestinian refugees in war-torn Syria continue to struggle with growing poverty and economic hardship.
Many PRS lost their sources of income; refugee camps have seen unprecedented levels of destruction; rental prices have dramatically gone up; undernourishment and poverty have been a daily nightmare.
Due to the serious protection gaps, children have been forced to drop out of school and join armed groups to help feed their starving families.
Hundreds of families have had women as their sole breadwinners; and in several other cases boys and girls are spotted begging in the street for a few pounds.
