FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Awais Khaleel
Tel: (202) 234-7302
E-Mail: akhaleel@karamah.org
KARAMAH Submits Testimony on the Need for More Services
Washington D.C., January 8, 2014 – The Syrian Refugee Crisis was the topic of a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights on January 7 at 2:30 pm. KARAMAH submitted written testimony that will be included in the official record of the hearing.
While Senators may disagree on many foreign policy issues, there was bipartisan support for the need to effectively, adequately, and appropriately address one of the most horrific humanitarian crises in many years: that of Syrian refugees.
“In an era of so much political polarity, it was heartening to see Senators from across the aisle agree on the urgency of the Syrian refugee humanitarian crisis. There is a critical need to develop on-the-ground, self-help based solutions that consider vulnerable populations’ social, financial, security, and educational needs,” said Associate Director of Civil Rights Law and Programs Awais Khaleel who attended the hearing and submitted KARAMAH’s written testimony.
For more than 20 years KARAMAH has advocated on behalf of vulnerable populations. Each day Syrian woman and children are faced with growing concerns about all forms of violence, including sexual violence, health issues, and their prospects for a brighter future. Though the exact numbers remain murky, at least 12,000 civilian women and children have been killed since the conflict began nearly three years ago. This number may be extremely low, as one United Kingdom-based think tank reported 11,420 killings of children alone.
Of Syria’s 22.5 million residents, 2.3 million are now refugees’ spread across Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and other neighboring states. Another 6.5 million are internally displaced, resulting in over 39% of Syria’s total population with displaced or refugee status. On average, 6,000 Syrian residents are fleeing the country each day. Of these refugees, a significant 80% are women or children.
These combined circumstances led United Nations officials to characterize the Syrian refugee crisis as the worst since the 1993 Rwandan genocide, where 800,000 people were killed in three months.
KARAMAH recommends taking immediate, constructive, and long-sighted action to make an impact.
“This can be achieved by funding well-vetted, modest microcredit programs within the camps, supporting added physical protection for women and children, helping develop health, food, and other life-preserving services, and funding efforts to continue the basic educational curriculum of Syrian children while displaced in camps or urban communities. Our submitted testimony speaks to these concerns and we hope it is of help to the committee and its members,” said Mr. Khaleel.
Read KARAMAH’s written testimony and recommendations to the Senate.
Contact: Awais Khaleel, akhaleel@karamah.org or (202) 234-7302.
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