Hundreds of thousands of refugees risk being pushed to return to Syria, despite the country’s ongoing violence, according to a report by six major international charities.



Half the country’s population have been forced from their homes since the war began almost seven years ago, with 6 million fleeing the country. But anti-refugee sentiment, along with misleading rhetoric suggesting that Syria is now safe, has led many countries to harden their stance towards those escaping the conflict, said the report.



As the Syrian government has gained control over more territory, and violence has calmed in some areas, host countries have discussed returning refugees. But the report warns that conflict continues in populated regions, with civilians facing the daily threat of bombing and shelling.

Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the organisations that contributed to the report, said that many refugees wanted to return home, but that they must only do so when they are being given proper protection.

“Their return must be informed, voluntary, safe, assisted and protected. Now, return would neither be safe nor voluntary for the vast majority who fled the war and the violence,” he said. Even in certain “de-escalation areas”, fighting has continued, he added.

The number of Syrians returning – mostly from internal displacement inside Syria – rose from 560,000 to 721,000 between 2016 and 2017. But for every returnee there were three more newly displaced because of the violence.



Around 2.4 million people in Syria – more than 8,000 every day – fled their homes in the first nine months of 2017, according to the report. The UN predicts a further 1.5 million Syrians will be displaced in 2018.

“Right now, many parts of Syria are unsafe for children. Bombs are still falling and basic services like schools and hospitals lie in ruins,” said Helle Thorning-Schmidt, CEO of Save the Children. “Children have told us of the deep psychological wounds they carry after enduring years of war. Many children are still having nightmares. Once there is peace, the homes and schools of Syria must be rebuilt before children return.”

Abd and his family, forced to flee from Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria. They walked for more than three days to reach Mabrouka camp for displaced people. Photograph: Courtesy of NRC

The report praises the generosity of neighbouring countries, which have hosted the vast majority of refugees, but says that in 2017 many kept their borders closed or returned refugees, including on an involuntary basis.

Turkey turned away around 250,000 Syrians between January and October last year. The border remains closed to all but critical medical cases, while authorities are building a 911km wall along its border with Syria.

In Jordan, authorities denied entry to as many as 50,000 refugees on the Syrian side of the border. A recent report by Human Rights Watch found that in the first five months of 2017, the country also deported around 400 registered Syrian refugees each month. Last year, Lebanon also returned around 10,000 Syrian refugees and militants following a security operation. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, was not given adequate access to those departing and has not determined whether refugees were returning on a voluntary basis.

Deteriorating conditions are leading some refugees to attempt to return home, or take dangerous journeys to alternative countries, despite the dangers they will face.



At international conferences in London in 2016 and Brussels in 2017, countries pledged to improve access to jobs and education for refugees in host countries, but progress has been slow. The report – written by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Save the Children, Action Against Hunger, Care International, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) – criticises wealthier countries for failing to provide greater support to Syria’s neighbours.

Rich nations have resettled less than 3% of vulnerable Syrian refugees, it said. The US has recently blocked entry to those fleeing Syria, while there have been demands to return refugees in Germany and Denmark.

Research by the NRC found that half of Syrians who are internally displaced say their home has been either damaged beyond repair or destroyed. In the north-west, only one in five said their home was still intact.