The Syrian refugee crisis has been one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time, largely due to

the full-scale civil war and consequent poverty currently occurring in Syria. 11 million people, almost
half of Syria’s pre-war population, have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war in 2011,
creating major refugee flows including from Syria to Germany. The sheer volume of refugees who
need urgent humanitarian aid has greatly impacted on the host countries. Both government and
non-government organisations (NGOs) need to implement programs to assist these refugees who
are a product of conflict and economic hardship.

One of the main factors which caused this refugee crisis was the Syrian civil war. It began as a
peaceful uprising against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 when many Syrians were
complaining about issues under the authoritarian regime of the president including high
unemployment, widespread corruption, lack of political freedom and state repression. As the
protests continued to increase in strength and size, the regime responded with heavier force, for
example cutting off utilities and communications. The country descended into a full-scale civil war
when hundreds of rebel brigades were formed to battle government forces for control of the
country, leaving over 386,000 people dead. The military, financial and political support from regional
and world powers including Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the USA has directly contributed to the
intensification and continuation of this war, causing almost half of Syria’s pre-war population of 23
million to be displaced. Many people have fled due to the potential loss of life, destruction of their
homes, lack of education and ensuing poverty which arose from the war, searching for a safe and
peaceful life away from the conflict.

Another factor which has contributed to the Syrian refugee crisis is poverty. Almost 3 million Syrians
have lost their jobs due to the conflict, meaning more than 12 million Syrians have lost their primary
source of income. This can be observed through the unemployment rates rising from 14.9% in 2011
to 57.7% in 2014. As a result, their quality of life has decreased as they are unable to afford basic
needs including food, water and access to health services. 95% of Syrians lack access to adequate
health care and 70% access to clean water, meaning children are also more susceptible to sanitation
issues and diseases arising from poor hygiene such as cholera. Food production rates have also
dropped 40% compared to pre-conflict levels, seen by Syria’s GDP contracting 55% between 2010
and 2015. More than 7 million people are food insecure amid rising prices and food shortages as a
result. Extreme hardship and poverty has forced people to flee Syria to attain their basic needs and
seek refuge in other countries.

The resulting Syrian refugee flow included over 2.9 million people to Turkey and 1 million to
Lebanon. In 2015 alone, 890,000 refugees fled to Germany. As Angela Merkel, the German
chancellor stated, “As a strong, economically healthy country, we have the strength to do what is
necessary”, showing Germany’s motivation for accepting such a multitude of refugees.

The majority of refugees fled Syria by crossing the border into Turkey, then journeying to Greece,
Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria and finally Germany. The main forms of travel included walking,
boat, coach and train. One such example is Abu al-Abd, who journeyed from Syria to Germany in 11
days, crossed nine countries and the Mediterranean Sea, encountering bribery, checkpoints and
warring groups. He was one of the lucky refugees arriving in Germany escaping Syria’s violence and
poverty.
This influx of refugees into Germany has generated many negative impacts. There is great pressure
on natural resources, infrastructure and social services because of the sudden entry of many
refugees. The concentration of a significant number of refugees in a relatively small area creates
social upheaval and division between refugees and the local community as they are perceived to be
taking local jobs and contributing to crime. Refugees are also seen to be competing for employment,
education and health services as the population increases and availability for these services becomes
limited. Consequently, religious and ethnic tolerance is strained and refugees become alienated.

However, Syrian refugees also have positive implications on their hosting countries, including
stimulating the economy. The German economy is estimated to grow approximately 0.2% faster
than it would have without refugees. This is both due to the new skills and knowledge the refugees
bring to Germany, and the 685,000 jobs they are able to fill out of the million vacant positions.
Whilst some may view the introduction of a new culture in a negative light, others may embrace the
cultural differences to enrich their lives.

There are currently 13.5 million Syrian refugees needing humanitarian assistance, meaning the
government and NGOs need to implement strategies to assist. One such response is the Australian
government providing an additional 12,000 humanitarian aid program places to the existing 13,750.
The amount will increase incrementally each year so the influx is not overwhelming to the Australian
society. Once assessed, priority will be given to the most vulnerable refugees and they will be settled
as soon as possible. Through increasing the number of refugees we accept, we will be able to save
more refugees from threats such as persecution and poverty whilst simultaneously relieving other
countries from the burden of too many additional people. Whilst the assessment of refugees may be
time consuming, the benefits seen in Germany will also be seen in our society in addition to saving
the lives of refugees.

Another response is to increase the aid from the Australian government, NGOs and the UNHCR to
Syria. For example, the Australian government can give an extra $70 million for food, water,
healthcare and emergency supplies. This relief would again take the burden from other countries
and ensure the 13.5 million refugees can receive the urgent humanitarian aid they require. This is an
essential response as the world powers might disagree on how to resolve the conflict, however
there is nothing preventing them from addressing the humanitarian crisis. With the conflict showing
no signs of slowing, we need to help the refugees now rather than wait for the end of the war,
emphasising the necessity of this strategy.

Further, another response from international governments is a political agreement. The world
powers should hold a summit with the Syrian government to find a political solution to the war
rather than a military based response. This would tackle the issues of the initial uprising at its core,
and provide more of a permanent solution rather than patching up the issue and causing the conflict
to escalate. The solution must originate from governments as this will bear the most significance and
have the greatest impact.

Therefore, the Syrian civil war and the ensuing poverty has created a colossal refugee crisis,
generating many refugee flows which impact greatly on the recipient countries. These issues of
conflict and poverty have forced many Syrian people to flee their country, thus substantiating that
refugees are a product of conflict and economic hardship.