Syrian refugees and Palestine refugees from Syria have fled their homes in search of safety, but the majority of Oxfam research participants report that they have not found complete safety and protection in Lebanon. Refugees’ conceptions of what constitutes ‘safety’ are individualized and subjective. The international community and host governments should not make decisions for refugees about what or where is ‘safe’, but instead should support refugees to find safety in the present, and determine their futures for themselves.
SUMMARY
Syrian refugees and Palestine refugees from Syria (PRS) fled their homes and country in search of safety, but only 21 percent of Syrian refugees and 24 percent of PRS who participated in Oxfam’s 2017 protection research confirmed having found safety in Lebanon. The vast majority of the research participants have no intention of remaining in Lebanon after the conflict in Syria ends, but they do not feel that conditions in Syria currently allow for safe return.
Syrian refugee respondents in Lebanon, both male and female, described daily fears and continuous worry. The majority of PRS respondents indicated that they do not feel protected in Lebanon, either from their environment or from the authorities. As a result of the widespread lack of valid residence permits, both Syrian refugees and PRS face risk of arrest, restrictions on movement, and difficulties accessing decent work. It is thus not surprising that enabling access to valid residence – by cancelling the residency fees and (for Syrians) the sponsorship system – was the key factor relating to attaining a sense of safety in Lebanon, across both respondent groups. The respondents’ definitions of safety went beyond immediate threats to encompass aspects of economic, political, and social well-being, such as the ability to access jobs and education. The right to work emerged as a priority factor, particularly for men. Women were more likely than men to highlight improved access to assistance as a key factor enabling a safe and dignified life in Lebanon.
In describing their views on ways to obtain a safe and dignified future, half of Syrian refugee respondents and more than half of PRS respondents see a permanent or temporary move to a third country as a way out of their current dire situation. 28 percent of Syrian refugees and 23 percent of PRS respondents indicated wanting to move temporarily or until the conflict ends, with 22 percent and 35 percent, respectively, indicating a desire to move to a third country for the long term. Respondents expressed beliefs that a move to a third country (notably in Europe) would ensure protection and uphold their rights.
Maintaining family unity was highlighted as a key determining factor for both groups in considering a third-country move. Syrian refugees indicated that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) should enable those who want to resettle to a third country to apply for resettlement. Palestinians are excluded from most refugee resettlement schemes, which means that dangerous unofficial routes are more often than not their only option for a third-country move. PRS respondents therefore identified the need for UN agencies to facilitate resettlement, or other opportunities for them to travel safely and legally.
Only 7 percent of PRS and 4 percent of Syrian refugee respondents reported wanting to stay in Lebanon after the end of the conflict in Syria. The majority of both groups indicated return to Syria as their preferred future solution, but 76 percent of PRS and 86 percent of Syrian refugee respondents said that they cannot go back to Syria now. As non-Syrian nationals, PRS face an additional uncertainty about what their status will be in post-conflict Syria. Throughout the course of the research, respondents’ discourse reflected their fear of forced return.While there are some clear points of convergence on what factors undermine or enable a sense of safety, refugees’ conceptions of what constitutes ‘safety’ are individualized and subjective. Refugees need to be supported to find safety in the present, and provided with the information and pathways to make their own decisions about their futures. The international community and host governments should not be making decisions for refugees about what or where is ‘safe’.
Policy makers must take refugee perceptions and expectations fully into account, and view refugees as autonomous decision makers. As the conditions for return to Syria do not yet exist, efforts need to be made to enable refugees to live safe and dignified lives in Lebanon, and to increase their access to third countries through safe and legal routes. Attempts to forcibly return refugees to Syria – or to host countries where they do not feel safe – before the conflict has ended and the country is stable, will not only violate the principle of non-refoulement, but will also likely lead to the continued and further displacement of Syrians and Palestinians.