UAE among preferred destinations
dubai — According to the survey “A Voice for Young Syrian Refugees,” majority of the young Syrian refugees said a factor that will help improve their plight is if European Union governments would permit more refugees to their countries. A total of 56 per cent — and particularly men (67 per cent) — said that EU governments could help most by permitting more refugees to enter the EU, while 42 per cent said providing financial help to their host countries of Jordan and Lebanon would help more, a response made by 52 per cent of women compared to 32 per cent of men.
The UAE is the only Arab destination Syrian refugees chose to live if they migrated.
The six top destinations preferred among the young Syrians who believed they will migrate were: Canada (27 per cent), followed by the US (23 per cent), the UAE (22 per cent) and Germany (22 per cent). France was the choice for 14 per cent and the UK was chosen by 13 per cent.
Sunil John, founder and CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller that conducted the study, said the UAE has been attractive to the youth due to its security and job opportunities.
“The government has been directing a lot of its efforts towards the youth out of belief that youth is the future. Many of the refugees have relatives and friends who work in the UAE, which is why it was among the top destinations,” said John.
He added that the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States did not impact the choice of the US as an option for migration. “The US remains an attractive destination to people because, after all, it is a developed country that carries a lot of potential to young people,” he noted.
Trump makes no difference
Majority of the 400 young Syrian refugees (66 per cent) surveyed said that the election of Donald Trump as the US President will change the course of the conflict, while one in four (23 per cent) expected it to be worse.
However, they were highly divided on whether Russia’s impact on the conflict with 49 per cent saying positive and 46 per cent saying negative and the same applies to Iran’s intervention where 49 per cent said the intervention is positive in contrast to 48 who believed it is negative.
In addition, 77 per cent of young Syrian refugees believed that the terrorist group Daesh had become weaker over the past year, a significantly higher percentage than their peers in the Middle East among which 61 per cent thought the same. Majority of Syrians believed that the best way to fight terrorism is through informing the public through media campaigns of Daesh’s ideology that has nothing to do with Islam, followed by military action and educational reform.
What is the best solution to resolve the Syrian crisis? Majority of 43 per cent believe that a military solution alone won’t solve the crisis, but a combination of political and military solution. Only 27 per cent said a political solution must be addressed.
John stressed on the importance of rebuilding “the human tragedy” that cannot be measured. “Youth is the future, they are the ones who will go back and rebuild the country. Giving them voice is crucial,” said John.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com