Changing population - Forced migration

Question 1

What is a refugee?

Answer 1

A person forced to leave their own country due to persecution, conflict, human rights or national disasters

Question 2

What is an asylum seeker?

Answer 2

A person that has left their own home in search of protection in another country, but whose claim for refugee status has not yet been decided

Question 3

What is an internally displaced person (IDP)?

Answer 3

A person forced to flee their home due to persecution, conflict, human rights violations or natural disasters
- but still living within their own country

Question 4

When did the Arab Spring protests take place?

Answer 4

2011

Question 5

What was the Arab Spring?

Answer 5

A series of political protests + uprisings against political dictators in the Arab world during 2011
- Largest change in Arab politics + democracy in decades

Question 6

Where did the Arab Spring take place?

Answer 6

Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria

Question 7

What happened after the Arab Spring Protests?

Answer 7

• In Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Oman, Jordan and Kuwait the government was not overthrown but changes were made
• In Egypt the government was overthrown but the new government was still developing
• In Libya, Syria and Yemen they were fighting a civil war
• In Saudi Arabia, protests were stopped and no major changes made
• In Tunisia the government was overthrown and a successful transition to democracy was made

Question 8

Why did conflict lead to forced migration in Syria?

Answer 8

• Lack of respect for human rights, democracy, free speech
• Led to protests + conflict - leading to a decline of economic, social + political development, undermining ‘quality of life’
• 30% housing destroyed/ damaged
• 400,000 estimate Syrian deaths

Question 9

What was the 2018 estimate for how many Syrians had fled from Syria since 2011?

Answer 9

5.6 million refugees
- and more than 6 million internally displaced

Question 10

What is the long-term situation of the Syrian refugee crisis?

Answer 10

• Lack of respect or recognition of human rights
• Assad family - state control 40years
• Dictatorship - police state
• No political opposition tolerated
• No free speech, no free press
• Internet searches, email accounts monitored
• Brutality + rule by fear

Question 11

Syrian refugee crisis 2011 onwards?

Answer 11

• Arab spring uprisings - ideas spread to Syria
• Teenagers in Derra - graffiti anti-government slogans
• 10 days detention + torture
• Public protest begin against state behaviour + demanding for the Assad government to step down

Question 12

What was the government response to the protests in Syria?

Answer 12

• Government response - suppress the protests
• Military response - escalation of protests
• Siege + bombardment of cities such as Homs

Question 13

What did the government response to the protests cause?

Answer 13

Insurgent groups + extremists (ISIS) moving into Syria

Question 14

Why did 5.6 million refugees migrate (+ more than 6 million IDPs)?

Answer 14

Because of the decline in development + quality of life resulting from conflict

Question 15

What happened to the Human Development Index (HDI) in Syria due to the conflict?

Answer 15

• Without the conflict UNDP estimate Syrian HDI would have increased from 0.646 in 2011 to 0.667 by 2014, keeping the country in the “medium human development” group
• However, because of the conflict Syria’s HDI fell from 0.646 in 2011 to 0.472 in 2014 putting it among the “low human development” group

Question 16

What are the reasons for why the Syrians migrated?

Answer 16

• $255 billion losses to the economy (E)
• 52% of children not in school (S)
• 1:660 - 1:4000 fall in doctors per person (S)
• 75% of people are now living in poverty (E)/(S)
• 3000 schools damaged or destroyed (S)
• 54% unemployment rate (S)
• Heating + Cooking costs increased by 300%
• 41 out of 91 hospitals out of service (S)