Meet Syrians caught in the largest displacement of the war

IRC monthly update FEBRUARY 2020

Behind this month's headlines Meet Syrians caught in one of the biggest upheavals in nine years of war. Cindy McCain on asylum seekers at the U.S. border: “Turning our backs on them is un-American.” How U.S. policies have made a dangerous situation in Mexican border towns even more perilous.

Meet Syrians caught in one of the biggest upheavals in nine years of war Fighting in northwest Syria has sparked the largest displacement of civilians since the war started nine years ago. Intense fighting in the northwest of the country has forced more than 950,000 people to flee since December alone. Half a million of those displaced are children. The weather is making a catastrophic situation even worse, as many have no choice but to camp out in the open where temperatures drop close to zero when night falls. The IRC spoke with Syrian men and women who found temporary safety in Idlib—but worry they will be uprooted once more. Nasser, a single father raising his three daughters in Idlib, has had to flee ten times. His two sons were killed during airstrikes in Idlib and Raqqa. One of them was just about to get married. “There was shelling everywhere,” recalls Nasser. “There was no psychological nor physical comfort in any place I moved to. I used to cry at night from losing my two sons in the shelling. They were all the support I had.” Nasser dreams of safety for his daughters and an end to the conflict. “I hope things will become better,” he told the IRC. “People have suffered a lot.” You can read his story, and those of other Syrians caught in the recent crisis, on Rescue.org. Understanding the crisis in Syria Much of the current fighting is concentrated in Idlib, a province in northwest Syria that is the last major area controlled by the opposition. It is also home to three million civilians, one million of them children. Read more to understand the breadth and urgency of this crisis. Due to the urgent need for support on the ground in Syria, the IRC has joined with six other humanitarian organizations to launch a Global Emergency Response Coalition (GERC) emergency appeal for funding. GERC is a life-saving humanitarian alliance dedicated to increasing awareness and funds for emergency relief.

Rescue in action   Cindy McCain on asylum seekers at the U.S. border: “Turning our backs on them is un-American.” Cindy McCain is a lifelong Arizonan. She recently visited the IRC’s welcome center in Phoenix alongside actor and IRC ambassador Mandy Patinkin to see the work IRC and its local partners are doing to help Central American and other asylum seeking families. “Turning our backs on them is un-American, in my opinion,” she said of families fleeing violence in Central America. “I think we need to do way more than what we are doing... I also think that human dignity is the basis of why we’re here.” Read more. How the Trump Administration is eliminating asylum in the United States People arriving at the U.S. border seeking safety have the right to request asylum. But a dizzying number of Trump administration policy changes threaten the asylum system as it has existed for decades. Learn more. Women at risk in northern Mexico These policy changes have left women and children vulnerable to violence in Mexican border towns. As they attempt to secure safety in the United States, they are facing much of the same types violence that forced them to flee their homes in the first place. Go inside the crisis—and see what the IRC is doing to help.

One thing you can do   Dive into the history of refugee resettlement For four decades, presidents of both parties have strengthened America’s tradition of welcoming refugees. Today, that bipartisan legacy is in jeopardy. Find out how past presidents responded to humanitarian crises and furthered U.S. interests.

The IRC in the news   A new Sesame Street for refugee children Refugee children in the Middle East have a new friend: a yellow Muppet named Jad. Jad loves to express himself through art. He also had to leave his home. The new Muppet stars in a show called Ahlan Simsim, one component of a partnership between the IRC and Sesame Workshop to help give refugee children the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive. Read more.

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