SYRIA: STATEMENT ON REFUGEE NUMBERS

Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 2:55pm

Following an announcement by the UNHCR that the number of Syrian refugees who have fled to the region has now passed 5 million, please see below for statement from Save the Children’s Syria team.

Misty Buswell, Save the Children's Director of Advocacy of Syria, said:

"This is the biggest exodus of refugees in recent history and a stark reminder of the utter failure of the international community to end this crisis. More than a thousand children a day have fled their country every day for the past six years, and an entire generation is now growing up as refugees, forced from their homes and facing an uncertain future. These are the children who will have to rebuild Syria once the war ends, and they urgently need our support.

“Many families are living in limbo, without legal status and unable to work or access essential services such as healthcare and education. About three quarters of a million Syrian refugee children are now out of school, which will have devastating implications for Syria's long-term future. The unrelenting violence inside Syria means it's far too dangerous to go home, with children still killed and bombed on a daily basis. Yet countries around the world are increasingly shutting their borders to children seeking refuge. Today's announcement is a reminder that even after six years this crisis is still getting bigger every day, and these children need our help now more than ever before.”