syria's refugees: the episcopal church's response
TRANSCRIPT
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
SYRIA’S REFUGEES:The Episcopal Church’s Response
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
H o u s e k e e p i n g
• Webinar being recorded• Mute • Live tweeting
• #ShareTheJourney• #Episcopal• #Syria• #refugee, #refugees
• Use question function to submit questions; introduce yourself. Submit throughout webinar; we will answer at the end. If needed, follow-up post-webinar.
• Technical issues? Use chat function to contact Wendy Johnson, or email Wendy at [email protected]
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
I n t r o d u c t i o n s
Allison DuvallManager for Church
Relations & [email protected]
Lacy Broemel Manager for Grassroots &
Online Communications and Operations
Katie ConwayImmigration & Refugee
Policy AnalystOffice of Government [email protected]
Wendy JohnsonManager for Communications
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
I n t r o d u c t i o n s
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
S e t t i n g t h e S t a g e
• Background• The Conflict• Who are Syria’s refugees?• Our Church in the region
• Response• Syrian resettlement• Episcopal Migration Ministries
• How You Can Help• Learn• Give• Advocate
• Stay in touch, join us in ongoing work• Q&A
“The situation in Syria continues to evolve. The death and violence that have been wrought on the Syrian people are a humanitarian tragedy of the first order. I do not believe further violence is likely to end the tragedy, but rather seems likely to increase or prolong the disaster…
The Episcopal Church and its people continue to pray for the people of Syria, of all religious traditions and none, and we call on the world to help find responses that will result in more abundant life for every citizen of that nation.”
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts SchoriPresiding Bishop and PrimateThe Episcopal ChurchSeptember 2013
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : T h e C h u r c h S p e a k s
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : T h e C o n f l i c t
Photo: Agence France-Presse
• Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia and Arab Sunnis
• Pre-conflict lower middle income country with high levels of literacy, education and employment
• President Hafez al-Assad served from 1970 to 2000
• Authoritarian rule with dissent harshly suppressed• Elevated his Alawite sect of Islam over others
• Succeeded by his son in 2000President Bashar al-Assad
• Continued one party, sectarian rule• Some reforms to restrictions on freedom of the press and trade
• Uprising in March 2011 began as peaceful protects in response to the government arresting school children who had written anti-government graffiti on a wall
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : T h e C o n f l i c t
• Protestors called for democratic reforms & the government responded with widespread arrests, beatings by plainclothes policemen, brutal interrogation and torture, violence against street protestors
• June 2011- 1,400 people had died
• Summer 2011 Free Syrian Army is formed• Started by defectors from the Syrian army but by 2013 had become a very loose organization of over 1,000 groups • Infiltration of groups by foreign fighters and the rise of ISIS/ISIL has created a conflict within a conflict and spilled into Iraq
• Involvement of outside, international parties has further complicated the conflict • Syrian regime has received support from Iran, Russia, Hizbollah and some Lebanese
groups• Moderate opposition to the Assad regime has received some support from the United
States and Europe• Some opposition fighters have received help from Arab governments
Photo: Nour Kelze, Reuters
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : T h e C o n f l i c t
Graphic: BBC
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : W h o a r e S y r i a ’ s r e f u g e e s ?
As of October 2014, 9.5 million Syrians have been displaced;3.2 million are refugees with temporary asylum in neighboring countries
Prolonged nature of the conflict and continuing arrivals stretching asylum countries to the breaking point • Lebanon
• 1.14 million refugees• Every 5th person in Lebanon is a
Syrian refugee• Jordan
• 618 thousand• 5 official refugee camps
• Iraq• Former refugees have returned and Syrian refugees have fled
• Turkey• 1.097 million refugees
• 85% of regions refugees live outsideof camps in urban settings
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : W h o a r e S y r i a ’ s r e f u g e e s ?
• Especially devastating for Syrian children
• Estimated 1.5 million children among Syrian refugees, few are in school
• Since 2011 more than 50,000 Syrian children have been born in exile
• Unregistered Syrian children are especially at risk of becoming stateless
• Under Syrian law nationality passes through the father, but in a war context where fathers have been killed or missing, children face a dramatically increased risk of statelessness
• Without birth certificates children cannot prove nationality, which can lead to denied access to health care and education, and face an increased risk of exploitation, such as trafficking for commercial sex work, illegal adoption, or child labor
Photo: BBC America
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : W h o a r e S y r i a ’ s r e f u g e e s ?
• Women and girls face additional security threats and challenges
• Constant threat of sexual violence from forces within Syria and in countries of asylum
• In Syrian culture, discussing sexual violence is unacceptable, further isolating victims
Photo: Al-Arabiya
• Fear of sexual violence forces many women and girls to stay indoors in asylum countries, restricting their access to education, healthcare and other services
• Fearing for the safety of their girls and facing dire poverty, some Syrian families arrange early marriages
• 2013 25% of all Syrian refugee marriages in Jordan involved a girl between 15-17 years old
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : W h o a r e S y r i a ’ s r e f u g e e s ?
• Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem• Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan,
Syria and Lebanon• “Due to the continued violence and
civil unrest in Damascus and Aleppo, our Churches there have been closed down for the unforeseeable future. Your prayers for the congregations and the people of Syria are sincerely requested and greatly appreciated. Please pray for peace throughout the Middle East.”
Photo: Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem website
• Ministries of healing, pastoral care and education
• 18 schools and educational institutions
• 7 hospitals, clinics, and healthcare institutions
• 4 pilgrim guesthouses• Throughout diocese, multi-national
families impacted by Syrian conflict
Photo: Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem websiteBishop Suheil Dawani; worship in St. George’s Cathedral, East Jerusalem
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
B a c k g r o u n d : W h o a r e S y r i a ’ s r e f u g e e s ?
• Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC)
• Fellowship of seventeen Protestant churches of the Lutheran, Anglican and Reformed traditions
• Member churches throughout the Middle East• Close partnerships with Catholic, Syrian
Orthodox and Greek Orthodox churches in the region
• On the ground• FMEEC member churches, committees,
volunteers provide help for displaced families• Distribution of relief supplies• Ministry of prayer and presence • Assistance regardless of religion, gender, age or
any other consideration
Photo: FMEECDestroyed Presbyterian Church in Homs, Syria, 2013
• Episcopal Relief & Development• In 2013-2014, provided grants in excess of $35,000 to FMEEC
• Helped families stay in homes with rental subsidies, food and medicine which are provided through the local network of churches in Syria.
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
S y r i a n R e s e t t l e m e n t
• This is where we did FAQs about UACs. Don’t know if this is appropropiate here.
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
E p i s c o p a l M i g r a t i o n M i n i s t r i e s
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
S y r i a n R e s e t t l e m e n t
Photo: Exodus Refugee, Episcopal Migration Ministries
How do we welcome Syrian families?
• Welcome begins before refugees arrive• Arranging decent safe and sanitary housing• Furniture (need not be new, but in good
condition), cleaning supplies, toiletries• Seasonal clothing and clothing for work
• Welcome at arrival• Greeting refugees at the airport• Ready to eat and culturally appropriate meal
upon arrival
• Welcome and orientation to their new community
• Case management: Assistance applying for social security card, enrollment in English language programs, employment services
• Ensure every refugee has health assessment within 30 days of arrival• Transportation assistance• Assistance with filing with family overseas
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
E p i s c o p a l M i g r a t i o n M i n i s t r i e s
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
H o w Yo u C a n H e l p
• Learn more• UNHCR Syria Regional Response• Woman Alone, UNHCR Graphic Report• Do you see what I see?, UNHCR Photographic Project with children and youth• No Escape for Syrian Civilians, Report, International Rescue Committee• Refugees From Syria, Center for Applied Linguistics Cultural Orientation
Backgrounder • August 2014 release, Episcopal Relief & Development
• Formation• Episcopal Migration Ministries: Epiphany Formation Series
• Give• UNHCR’s Syria appeal • UNHCR’s campaign to end statelessness #Ibelong• World Food Program for Syria
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
H o w Yo u C a n H e l p
• Advocate: Our voices are needed!
• Violence escalating, multiple displacements• ISIS continues to displace • Targeted violence against religious minorities• Conflict continues between the Assad regime and
rebels
• World Food Program has been forced to cut food aid just before the winter
• A $64m shortfall has forced the WFP to suspend food vouchers 1.7 million Syrian refugees
• U.S. could designate a special and expedited resettlement path for Syrian refugees
• Programs exist for some Iraqi refugees who served with U.S. troops
• Historical precedent for creating expedited programs for particularly vulnerable groups
Photo credit The Minnesota Post
• Adequate funding must be ensured for Syrian refuges to receive the welcome and services they need to thrive in the United States
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
S y r i a n R e s e t t l e m e n t
• U.S. is currently considering 4,000 applications for Syrian resettlement
• 22 other countries have already resettled or have agreed to resettle Syrian refugees in 2015 & 2016
• UNHCR is seeking 30,000 slots for Syrians in 2014 & 100,000 additional slots for 2015 and 2016
• The United States should continue its tradition of accepting at least half of all UNHCR referrals for any given population and resettle at least 65,000 Syrian refugees over the next three years
• As of October 2014, the United States has resettled 112 Syrian refugees
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H o w Yo u C a n H e l p
Stay up to date by following us on Twitter:
@TheEPPN
@EMMRefugees
#refugees
#ShareTheJourney
• http://advocacy.episcopalchurch.org/action
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H o w Yo u C a n H e l p
Q & A
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
H o w Yo u C a n H e l p
• EMM Website: www.episcopalchurch.org/emm • Facebook: www.facebook.com/episcopalmigrationministries• Twitter: www.twitter.com/EMMRefugees
• Episcopal Public Policy Network Website: www.advocacy.episcopalchurch.org
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEPPN• Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheEPPN
S Y R I A’ S R E F U G E E S : T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h ’s R e s p o n s e
C o n t a c t
Katie ConwayImmigration and Refugee Policy [email protected], 202-599-8601
Lacy BroemelManager for Grassroots and Online Communications and [email protected], 202-547-7300
Allison DuvallManager for Church Relations and [email protected], (212) 716-6027
Wendy JohnsonManager for [email protected], (212) 716-6143
The Rev. Canon Bob EdmundsMiddle East Partnership [email protected], 508‑627‑0842