20 May 2014

A conference on the situation of refugees fleeing Syria organised by Caritas International, in collaboration with ECRE and in the framework of the #HelpSyriasRefugees campaign, will take place in Brussels on 20 June, World Refugee Day.

Speakers from Caritas Syria, Caritas Jordan, International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) Europe and the Belgian Refugee Council (CBAR) will focus on the state of play of the Syrian crisis, the humanitarian response by Caritas International and the difficulties faced by refugees fleeing Syria to reach safety in Europe.

Over 2.8 million refugees have fled the conflict in Syria. The vast majority of these people are languishing in Syria’s neighbouring countries, struggling to find shelter and basic services with most children unable to go to school. Meanwhile, across the EU, Norway and Switzerland, only 3% of the people fleeing the conflict have sought asylum, resettlement pledges stand at around 15,000 places and allegations of life-threatening pushbacks at EU’s borders persist.

Thousands of people are calling on Europe to Act Now to #HelpSyriasRefugees by providing refugees a safe way into Europe, reuniting families torn apart by the crisis and protecting refugees arriving at the borders. You can stand up for Syria’s refugees by signing the #HelpSyriasRefugees petition and getting your family, friends and networks to join the call.


This article originally appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 30 May 2014.
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