The UN-run Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, north east of the Jordanian capital Amman. Khalil Mazraawi / AFP
The UN-run Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, north east of the Jordanian capital Amman. Khalil Mazraawi / AFP
The UN-run Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, north east of the Jordanian capital Amman. Khalil Mazraawi / AFP
The UN-run Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, north east of the Jordanian capital Amman. Khalil Mazraawi / AFP

Most young Syrians not planning to return home after peace, survey shows


Ramola Talwar Badam
  • English
  • Arabic

Most young Syrians do not plan to return to their home permanently even when the war ends, according to a survey of refugees in Jordan and Lebanon that attempts to gauge the emotion of a generation that has been displaced.

Face-to-face interviews in refugee camps and settlements formed the framework of ‘A Voice for Young Syrian Refugees,’ released on Thursday that vocalizes the sentiment of the youth after the conflict began in 2011.

More than half of Syrian refugees aged 18 to 24 in camps in both countries said they were unlikely to permanently return to Syria in the future, compared to 42 per cent who said they were likely to return.

Alvaro Sanmarti / The National
Alvaro Sanmarti / The National

The sample size was 400 refugees equally divided between the camps in Jordan and Lebanon with a 50:50 male to female ratio.

“That is a surprising and a worrying statistic for a number of people because when the war ends you know how they feel. That is our top finding,” said Sunil John, chief executive of Asda’a Burson-Marsteller, which commissioned the survey.

“We want to bring these numbers to policy makers and multilateral institutions like the United Nations and the UNHCR who are trying to find a solution and trying to resettle the refugees.”

The interviews were conducted by research group PSB between February and March this year.

We visited the Mrajeeb Al Fhood refugee camp last year and many of the young men and women said they do not plan to return to Syria. Naser Al Wasmi / The National
We visited the Mrajeeb Al Fhood refugee camp last year and many of the young men and women said they do not plan to return to Syria. Naser Al Wasmi / The National

Mr John said an overwhelming sense of distress and frustration emerged from the statistics, underlying young people’s feeling that the world has failed them.

“The tone of the answers shows a deep sense of disappointment almost as if the world has forsaken them. Unlike youth who by nature are optimistic in that age group, here they are living in cramped conditions in camps or settlements in severe poverty,” Mr John said.

“For an entire generation that has been adrift for the last six years all they want is for the war to end. There is need for a multi-national effort to find a tangible and lasting solution to restore some of the optimism that has been lost, to do something dramatically different to build confidence in these young people to go back.”

The end of the war was the most important requirement that 47 per cent chose over President Bashar Al Assad leaving (7 per cent) or the economic situation improving (8 per cent).

Alvaro Sanmarti / The National
Alvaro Sanmarti / The National

A majority of 43 per cent picked a combined political and military solution to resolve the Syrian conflict compared with a smaller 27 per cent who backed a military response.

The UAE figured third in the list of countries that they would like to live in, tied with Germany at 22 per cent. Canada topped the charts at 27 per cent and the US at 23 per cent, followed by France and the UK.

The Syria survey is part of the ninth edition of the Arab Youth Survey covering 3,500 Arab nationals in 16 countries that was released in May.

The survey delves into the aspirations and concerns of the young ranging from unemployment, extremist threats to the state of the education system.

Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

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Founder: Amir Barsoum

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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

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Rating: 3.5/5

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Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

RESULT

Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')

 

Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)

South Africa's T20 squad

Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.

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Most wanted allegations
  • Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
  • Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
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  • Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
  • Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
  • John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
  • Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
  • Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
  • Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain. 
  • Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
  • James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
  • Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack. 
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- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
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Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final:

First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2

Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)

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MATCH INFO:

Second Test

Pakistan v Australia, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am​​ daily​​​​​ at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Entrance is free