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July 2016 UN EXPERT CONCERNED OVER PLIGHT OF IDPS IN SYRIA CONFLICT More are expected to be displaced if no urgent actions are taken. By Kanaga Raja A United Nations human rights expert has voiced grave concerns over the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the ongoing armed conflict in Syria, which he said presents "an extremely complex and challenging humanitarian crisis" situation. In his report to the recent thirty-second session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Mr Chaloka Beyani (of Zambia), said that the situation of many internally displaced persons, particularly those under areas controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), "is largely unknown and deeply worrying." According to the report, the conflict in Syria has caused the largest displacement crisis since the Second World War, with over 11 million people displaced either internally or to neighbouring countries. More than half of the Syrian population has been forced to flee their homes; over 6.5 million people are displaced in the Syrian Arab Republic. "Without urgent action to end the conflict, hundreds of thousands more are likely to be displaced in the coming months," the report warned. The Special Rapporteur's report comes following an official visit that he undertook to Syria between 16 and 19 May 2015 whose objective was to examine the human rights situation of internally displaced persons in the context of the ongoing conflict that has engulfed the country since 2011. The Special Rapporteur noted that from 2011 onwards, numerous armed clashes led to the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians from different locations. Around 1 million people were displaced due to fighting in Aleppo in October and November 2013, while hundreds of thousands more were displaced from Aleppo as a result of barrel bombs and shelling as of mid-December 2013. By 2013, the extent and multiple fronts of the conflict had led to an average of 9,500 persons being displaced each day. By June 2014, close to half of the entire population had fled their homes, with almost a third of the population displaced within the Syrian Arab Republic, the remainder having fled to neighbouring countries. In 2015 alone, more than 1.6 million people were newly displaced by events, including the fall of the city of Idlib and other areas in Idlib governorate to non-State armed groups from March to May 2015, which led over 300,000 people to flee their homes. "The prospects for new displacement and mass population movement is high given the instability in many parts of the Syrian Arab Republic and the ongoing conflict with armed opposition groups, as well as the devastating role of ISIL," Mr Beyani said. "Dire warnings from the United Nations predict that the conflict could displace hundreds of thousands more if it continues unabated," he added. While an estimated 13.5 million people inside the Syrian Arab Republic at the end of 2015 remain in need of protection and humanitarian assistance, the situation of internally displaced persons is particularly grave and potentially life threatening, said the rights expert. Many fled with few possessions or financial resources. While many have fled the conflict and the indiscriminate bombardments or ground attacks, others left due to fear of violence or remain in locations that may fall under different areas of control or shifting front lines. According to the report, the Syrian conflict presents an extremely complex and challenging humanitarian crisis situation. The situation of many internally displaced persons, particularly those under areas controlled by ISIL, is largely unknown and deeply worrying. Equally, more than 400,000 persons are living in besieged areas, with little or no access for humanitarian actors. The Special Rapporteur cited several factors that hinder the humanitarian response including the complex conflict and security situation, restriction on access to humanitarian agencies, and the current shortfall in international funding for essential assistance. "Government and non-State armed opposition groups have also been accused by investigators of using civilian suffering, such as blocking access to food, water and health services, as a method of war in contravention to international humanitarian law." He noted that there is currently no national legal or policy framework for the protection of internally displaced persons that would help to enhance an effective and timely response to their needs. According to many of those consulted, this greatly hampers the ability for national and regional governments and other partners to respond effectively to internal displacement with coordinated and clearly defined protection and accountability mechanisms, structures, procedures and dedicated budgets. Moreover, existing laws have not been amended to address major issues arising from the conflict, such as housing, land and property issues or access to documentation. Data on the displacement situation in the Syrian Arab Republic remain "partial, frequently inaccurate and unverifiable." Mapping of internally displaced persons' locations, population flows and comprehensive needs assessments, including assessments of protection issues and concerns, are also urgently required to ensure that assistance can be deployed rapidly and programmes established where they are needed most, said the rights expert. The Special Rapporteur also said in the collective shelters for internally displaced persons that he visited, the IDPs expressed their general satisfaction with the assistance and services being provided. Parents reported that their children were attending schools and most facilities had some form of primary health-care services in place. "Nevertheless, many internally displaced persons remain living in cramped and basic shelters, with several family members sharing a single room and with communal bathing and cooking facilities, many months or years after their displacement." Most are entirely reliant on humanitarian assistance for food, medicine, water and sanitation and essential non-food items. The majority lack income-generating activities and have little prospect of return to their homes or improvement of their living conditions. While the Special Rapporteur welcomed the Government's actions to date to respond to the needs of internally displaced persons, he highlighted that he saw only "the very tip of a massive displacement iceberg." Only a small minority of internally displaced persons are in collective shelters, while the vast majority are living with host families where they may not receive regular assistance, if any at all. Those in the camps that he visited are in relatively safe locations and with good conditions and services. Many hundreds of thousands of other internally displaced persons are facing dire circumstances and insecurity and lack basic services. The Special Rapporteur highlighted some of the most critical humanitarian and human rights challenges facing internally displaced persons in the Syrian conflict. One was over the lack of or restricted access to many areas of the country, besieged cities and, consequently, where many persons affected by the conflict, including internally displaced persons and other civilians are in desperate need of assistance. Access is severely limited by the security environment and the complex and frequently changing dynamics and shifting lines of the conflict. The safety of humanitarian personnel cannot be guaranteed in some locations, including those areas under the de facto control of ISIL and some other non-State armed actors and extremist and listed terrorist groups. Equally, bureaucratic barriers imposed by the authorities have had a significant impact on humanitarian actors' access to internally displaced persons and vulnerable communities, and their operational effectiveness. "The need for government approval for almost all operations, including missions to identify protection needs and monitor evolving situations, has proven cumbersome and time-consuming." Another urgent concern for many internally displaced persons is the loss of their personal documents, in particular identification documents, which has significant implications for their security and access to services, assistance and employment. While assurances were provided to the Special Rapporteur that the replacement of essential identity documents is ongoing, some 50% of civil affairs departments in the Syrian Arab Republic have reportedly been destroyed and long delays were reportedly experienced by those seeking to replace documents. "Problems exist with regard to all forms of civil documentation, including the registration of births, deaths and marriages, and measures are urgently required to remedy this situation," he said. Yet a further challenge pertained to shelter and non-food items, where at the time of his visit, the Special Rapporteur was informed that there were 618 government shelters hosting about 350,000 internally displaced persons. "More long-term shelter and housing solutions are urgently required and priority should be given to the most vulnerable, including internally displaced persons in unsafe locations, informal camps, tents and shelter that is unsuitable for extreme high and low temperatures," he said. He noted that additional challenges will be faced in the winter months for those internally displaced persons who lack adequate heated shelter as temperatures fall sharply. Many were forced to flee without their possessions or any essential household items and are in urgent need of basic items like mattresses, blankets, hygiene kits and kitchen sets. The rights expert underlined that the situation of internally displaced persons outside of collective shelters throughout the country is cause for serious concern. Fewer than 5% of internally displaced persons find shelter in official collective centres set up by the Government. The majority lives with host families or in private accommodation, makeshift camps and scattered informal settlements, damaged or unfinished buildings. "It is imperative to put in place all necessary mechanisms to map, provide information to and assist those internally displaced persons living outside of camps who are the hardest to reach." The Special Rapporteur also highlighted challenges faced by internally displaced persons over access to food, healthcare and education. According to the report, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed in late July 2015 that about 9.8 million Syrians are currently suffering from food insecurity, including 6.8 million who require urgent food aid. Agricultural production and livestock populations have plummeted since the conflict began, while food prices have sharply increased with the decline of government support and the devaluation of the Syrian currency. The price of bread has risen over the past year by up to 87% in public bakeries. UNICEF reports that the crisis has led to a dramatic increase in malnutrition among children. An assessment of the nutritional status of displaced children conducted in 2014, the first since the crisis began, rated the level of global acute malnutrition in Aleppo, Hama and Deir ez-Zor governorates as "serious" and the overall nutrition situation as "poor". Soaring food prices have forced families to reduce the number of daily meals and to eat lower quality and less nutritious foods. In March 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) also highlighted that, across the Syrian Arab Republic, some 57% of public hospitals are only partially functioning or are completely out of service. Local production of medicines has been reduced by 70% and many life-saving treatments are not available. The number of available health professionals has fallen to approximately 45% of 2011 levels and there are severe shortages of surgeons, anaesthesiologists, laboratory professionals and female health professionals. "Health centres and health workers have reportedly been targeted by shelling and air strikes. Since conflict broke out in March 2011 until December 2015, 697 medical personnel have been killed following 336 attacks on at least 240 medical facilities, according to the non-governmental organization Physicians for Human Rights." Since 2011, said the report, immunization rates across the country have fallen from 99% to just 52% due to lack of access and severe damage to health infrastructures. The WHO noted that the combined effects of economic sanctions, currency fluctuations, the scarcity of hard currency, a disrupted supply chain and fuel shortages have had an indirect impact on the availability of medicines and medical supplies. The Special Rapporteur stressed that the disruption to the education system has been massive and an estimated 2 million children are out of school. UNICEF warned in September 2015 that a further 400,000 children were at risk of dropping out of school as a direct result of conflict, violence and displacement. Some 5,000 school buildings across the country cannot be used as they have been damaged or destroyed by the conflict, used as displacement centres or are occupied by armed forces (some are located in ISIL-controlled areas, where only a limited number of schools are open). Others are in locations that are too dangerous to access. He said the challenge of providing even basic education access to many internally displaced children, particularly those in hard-to-reach locations, is immense and many thousands of children are likely to remain out of education for the foreseeable future. "In many locations, the security situation is highly dangerous. The civilian casualty toll is very high and the extreme nature of the violence by all sides has been characterized by the targeting of civilian and residential areas and infrastructure." The Special Rapporteur was also concerned by allegations that the Government is actively preventing internally displaced persons and those from some ethnic or religious groups, notably Sunnis, from moving to government-controlled areas and turning them back at checkpoints. Mr Beyani was particularly concerned about the protection issues and assistance challenges associated with specific, highly vulnerable groups of internally displaced persons, including children, women and girls, older persons, persons with disabilities, those from targeted ethnic or religious groups, and Palestinian refugees. "Under the prevailing conditions of conflict and mass displacement, women and children are extremely vulnerable to violations of their rights and violence, including sexual violence." Indeed, information indicates an increase in sexual and gender-based violence due to forced displacement, family separation, overcrowded conditions and the breakdown of normal societal safeguards. The phenomenon of "survival sex" was reportedly rising among internally displaced women. According to the report, credible reports indicate that women and girls trapped in conflict areas under the control of ISIL face sexual slavery, trafficking and rape. "In the context of the brutal conflict, the targeting of civilians and the widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure, prospects for durable solutions in the form of secure, voluntary return of internally displaced persons, their local integration or resettlement elsewhere in the country are seriously limited," it said. The Special Rapporteur underlined that the primary responsibility for ensuring protection of the human rights of internally displaced persons rests with the Government, yet it undeniably faces an immense task that it cannot cope with alone. "It is clear that an urgent and coordinated response from the Government and national and international humanitarian organizations working in stronger partnership with each other is required." Funding for humanitarian response inside the Syrian Arab Republic has not kept pace with the increasing needs, said the report. The Special Rapporteur was concerned to learn from UN agencies that funding for essential humanitarian assistance amounted to only one third of the requirements needed for the 2015 Strategic Response Plan and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan to be implemented in full. The combined plans call for $7.42 billion, of which only $2.38 billion had been received by September 2015. "The international community must urgently bolster support to humanitarian and development agencies working tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of the millions of internally displaced persons and other people affected by the displacement crisis," he said. Equally, the Government must allow United Nations and other humanitarian actors, including international non-governmental organizations, to function freely and with unhindered access to all locations and internally displaced populations. "Bureaucratic and other restrictions on full and rapid access to internally displaced persons and at-risk communities are a major impediment to their work and effectiveness and should be lifted," the Special Rapporteur concluded. – Third World Network Features.
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