Protecting the Basic Rights of Syrian Refugees: Searching for a New Paradigm

Abstract

The civil war in Syria has created a serious humanitarian crisis as the mass influxes of refugees have overwhelmed the neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey. The traditional way of relying on purely humanitarian remedies has proven counterproductive. There is a need for a paradigm shift that envisions relief and humanitarian aid reinforced by the granting of work permits to the refugees. Helping refugees should begin with an effort to pair “technical education” and “vocational training,” with a strategy focused on creating jobs in development zones, from which both host societies and displaced Syrians can benefit. There is also a need to construct a new refugee regime—one that guarantees the rights of asylum seekers and refugees, imposes sanctions on states that cause displacement, and reduces the need for long-distance asylum seeking—and new system of cash transfer directly to the refugees. Drawing on these ideas, this paper attempts to achieve two primary objectives: (1) to identify critical gaps in the existing regime of the refugee convention and (2) to contribute to the refugees’ financial autonomy by giving them control over their own lives.