ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  RSS  |  ARCHIVE  |  2024-10-03  |  UPDATED: 1403/06/01 - 19:53:2 FA | AR | PS | EN
Talibans new law bans womens voices and faces             Iranian police shut down two illegal centers affiliated with German government             All of President Pezeshkians ministerial picks win parliaments vote of confidence             Wheres Bangladesh Heading after Popular Uprising?            Western Kabul residents say Taliban has failed to ensure security after bombing             Algerian Boxer Khelif files complaint over online harassment after gender row             Federalism in Afghanistan: Opportunities and Challenges             Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan             Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians             UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care             Three US troops killed, dozens injured in drone attack in Syria             Trump says NATO will not come to rescue if US attacked             Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia            US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Swedens NATO membership             UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza            


DATE PUBLISHED: 1399/02/21 - 15:38:3
VISIT: 851
SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Coronavirus lockdown aggravates Syrian refugees conditions


Palestinian factions, in coordination with Lebanese security forces, impose a lockdown on the Wavel camp (also known as the Jalil Camp) for Palestinian refugees in Lebanons eastern Bekaa Valley, on April 22, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Ahmad al-Mostafa cant afford milk for his baby daughter. A Syrian refugee, he has barely been able to feed his family since Lebanon sank into economic crisis last year. But now, a coronavirus lockdown has made things even worse.

"Nobody will hire us anymore," said the 28-year-old, who lost his restaurant job a few months ago. He racked up hundreds of dollars in debt at the local mini market getting food before the owner said he could borrow no more.

"Were afraid of tomorrow," he said. "We dont know what will happen to us."

His plight echoes that facing many of the 5.6 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, who had scraped by on meager daily wages but now find even that is denied them as the coronavirus pandemic forces their host countries into shutdown.

Many Lebanese have themselves been hit by a financial crisis that has evaporated jobs and sent prices soaring, and have become less tolerant of the Syrians who have boosted the population by around 1.5 million to some 6 million.

They dont hire Syrians

"Every time I go looking for work, they tell me they dont hire Syrians," said Mostafa, who fled into north Lebanon in 2014. "Im sitting indoors - and everything is expensive."

He can no longer afford diapers, which have doubled in price, and he relies on a charitable neighbor who gets milk for his one-year-old daughter.

More refugees say they are worried about starving than about the virus, said Mireille Girard, representative of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR in Lebanon.

In a survey last month, UNHCR found 70% were going hungry, while many could not buy soap. Since Syrias war erupted nine years ago, many have languished in crowded camps where aid workers fear any COVID-19 outbreak would be rapid and lethal.

Not a single penny

In Jordan, the Zaatari camp, home to 80,000 Syrian refugees, has been closed off by the authorities during a two-month lockdown, meaning those who used to go out to work on farms every day can no longer do so.

Jordan hosts some 900,000 refugees in all, most of whom live outside the camps.

Abdullah Aba Zaid, who used to get work picking tomatoes, has had no income for two months.

"For the last 10 days, I havent had a single penny in the house even to pay for bread. I am borrowing from here and there," he said. "Everyone is waiting for Gods mercy ... hoping things will improve."

But even as businesses return to work after the government eased curbs this week, job losses are on the rise, making more Syrians dependent on already strained aid efforts.

UNHCR is getting more calls for help from refugee families who had been largely self-reliant, said Dominik Bartsch, its Jordan representative.

Some Syrians said their accumulating debts had forced them to sell U.N. food coupons to pay for rent and basic goods.

Everyone is hungry

Since Turkeys economy tipped into a brief recession two years ago, the public mood towards Syrians has soured, with some saying they have driven down wages and taken jobs from locals.

Many of the three and a half million Syrian refugees work as day laborers in construction and manufacturing, especially textile factories - sectors that have been hard hit by the pandemic curbs.

Unlike millions of Turkish workers who lost their wages, Syrians do not benefit from government aid packages but can apply for food aid from local municipalities. Still, many have no basic protection against the virus.

One in five does not have access to clean water, said Omar Kadkoy of the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV). "This brings the issue to an alarming level and the government should be acting to contain (it)."

In a camp in Lebanons Bekaa valley, which authorities have sealed off during the lockdown, Younes Hamdou cannot find bread. Clean water is also scarce, illness rife and social distancing nearly impossible.

"We are prisoners ... We have no immunity because of the lack of food," he said. "Lebanese people have gone hungry, Syrians have gone hungry. Everyone is hungry."


(Source: Reuters)

 

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/17234


TAGS:






*
*

*



SEE ALSO

UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care


US: 3 dead in shooting at Texas apartment complex


UN agency says over half a million Palestinians face catastrophic hunger in Gaza


Survivors of Russian charter flight crash transferred to Kabul


Pro-Israel lobby ousted ABC journalist, prompting staff to call for industrial action


UNICEF: Afghan earthquakes leave 100,000 children in urgent need of aid this winter


Thousands rage in Toronto against Israeli genocide as Gaza war marks 100 days


Thousands rally in front of White House to demand ceasefire in Gaza


Increased Taliban arrests lead to Kabul families restricting womens movement


Taliban arrests dozens of women in Kabul for improper hijab, says womens group





VIEWED
MOST DISCUSSED




POLL

Modi, Merkel Discuss Afghanistan, Radicalisation And Terrorism

SEE RESULT


LAST NEWS

Sudan: The Forgotten War

Talibans new law bans womens voices and faces

Iranian police shut down two illegal centers affiliated with German government

All of President Pezeshkians ministerial picks win parliaments vote of confidence

Wheres Bangladesh Heading after Popular Uprising?

Western Kabul residents say Taliban has failed to ensure security after bombing

Algerian Boxer Khelif files complaint over online harassment after gender row

Federalism in Afghanistan: Opportunities and Challenges

Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan

Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians

UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care

Three US troops killed, dozens injured in drone attack in Syria

Trump says NATO will not come to rescue if US attacked

Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia

US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Swedens NATO membership

UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza

Taliban: Afghanistan Does Not Have Formal Border With Pakistan

Gazas major health facility collapses amid Israeli attacks: MSF

Americans to redeploy nuclear weapons in UK amid fears of WW3

Biden makes history: 1st sitting US president sued for complicity in genocide

Trump walks out of courtroom during closing arguments of Carrolls attorney

US: 3 dead in shooting at Texas apartment complex

US-UK aggression against Yemen risks expansion of war: Iran

Yemen directly hits US warship with ballistic missile

Hamas has self-reliantly opposed the three giant intelligence agencies of the world!

President Raeisi calls for UN reform, says body unable to end Gaza genocide

Pedram: The Abduction of Hazara and Tajik Women Recalls the Crimes of Abdur Rahman

Special envoys from G7 countries discuss Afghanistan in London meeting

Turkish lawmakers open debate over Swedens NATO membership

UN agency says over half a million Palestinians face catastrophic hunger in Gaza

Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Al-Maghazi operation proved defeat of Israeli regime in Gaza war

European support for Israel damaging energy security on the continent, report says

Pakistan Army Kills Seven Terrorists Near Afghan Border

Israel kills at least 190 people in Khan Younis in 24 hours

UNAMA report: 49 Hazara community members killed in Afghanistan in three months

Indias Modi inaugurates Hindu temple on site of razed mosque ahead of elections

US 2024 election: DeSantis drops out of Republican presidential race, backs Trump

Survivors of Russian charter flight crash transferred to Kabul

Irans anti-terror strikes clear message to certain recipients: Foreign Ministry

Ethnic mass killings in one Sudan city last year left up to 15,000 dead: UN report


MEDICAL NEWS


ANSAR PRESS  |  ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  MOBILE VERSION  |  LINKS  |  DESIGN: Negah Network Co.
All right reserved. Use this website by mentioning the source (link) is allowed. Ԑ یی