A Study for the International Center for Transitional Justice:
Discussions about a future return of refugees and coexistence among
groups currently at war in Syria must begin now, even in the face of
ongoing violence and displacement. This report, based on interviews with
refugees, makes it clear that the restoration of dignity will be
important to creating the necessary conditions for return and peaceful
coexistence — and building a stable post-war Syria one day.
Download the full report in English
here.
Download the executive summary in Arabic
here.
June 12th, 2017
Armed conflict in Syria has displaced millions of people inside and
outside of the country. When a political settlement to the conflict is
eventually reached, the process of refugees returning to Syria and
rebuilding their lives, relationships, and communities will be long and
complex. However, discussions with displaced persons about return and
coexistence can begin now, even in the face of ongoing violence and
displacement.
This research report is based on interviews with refugees living in
Lebanon and representatives of local and international organizations in
both Lebanon and Turkey working on issues related to Syrian
displacement. The report provides an important window into the
experiences of refugees in Lebanon as well as their concerns,
expectations, and priorities regarding conditions of return and
coexistence.
The research findings highlight the harms experienced by Syrian
refugees at both the individual and collective levels, including the
loss of loved ones, houses, property, and businesses in Syria and
difficult economic situations and discrimination in Lebanon.
Displacement has had devastating impacts on families and led to broad
social fragmentation, including sectarian and political divisions and
rifts between those who left Syria and those who remained. The effects
of conflict and displacement will be generational, as refugee children
have been traumatized by their exposure to violence and largely deprived
of education.
The findings also capture common priorities among Syrian refugees in
Lebanon for return. Most do want to return, not just to Syria but to the
regions and communities where they previously lived. Common
preconditions for return include safety and security; shelter,
livelihoods, and the physical reconstruction of homes and
infrastructure; compensation or restitution for the loss of property and
housing; the provision of education for children and youth;
psychosocial support; and family reunification.
One positive development among refugees in Lebanon is that many youth
engaged with local and international civil society organizations have
acquired new skills and an openness to people with different religious
and political beliefs that one day may contribute to rebuilding
relationships in Syria.
Views about the potential for coexistence and justice vary widely.
Some refugees believe that Syrians will be ready to rebuild ties once
the conflict ends, while others are less optimistic. Some believe that
justice is necessary for return, while others think it unlikely to
occur. The research makes it clear that the restoration of dignity will
play an important role in establishing the necessary conditions for
refugee return and coexistence.
While return will ultimately depend on a political resolution to the
Syrian conflict, several steps can be taken now that are likely to have
implications for return and coexistence in the future. These include:
- Integrate the views of refugees into discussions and policies about
conditions of return, as participatory processes are more likely to lead
to context-specific interventions.
- Support community-level interventions, like the provision of
psychosocial support, that can be implemented now and may facilitate
return and coexistence in the future.
- Address sexual and gender-based violence, women’s exploitation, and
child marriage by empowering women, educating young girls, and raising
awareness of such abuses among families.
- Provide educational support to minimize the risk of the next
generation being characterized by missed schooling, trauma, and
violence.
- Integrate property and land restitution into discussions of
displacement settlement processes in the interest of future social
cohesion.
- Promote interaction between different groups and communities to reduce and prevent further sectarian and political divisions.
- Support further research on Syrian refugee experiences and views on
return and coexistence in countries such as Turkey and Jordan as well as
in Europe.
