Push and pull factors in Syrian migration Assignment - 5

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration - Assignment Example Most people left the country when government forces intensified the bombardment of rebel-held areas (BBC). The civil war has displaced many people. Some of them have sought refuge in the neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. According to UNHCR, the number of registered Syrian refugees was 2,863,595 as at 9th July 9, 2014. There were a further 45,503 refugees awaiting registration. The UNHCR also estimates that 6.5 million refugees are internally displaced in the country (Unhcr.org). The largest exodus of Syrians has been from areas that have witnessed the worst conflict. In Deraa, the birthplace of the revolution, an estimated 355,485 (19%) people have fled their homes since the conflict started. In Homs, an estimated 344,198 (18%) people have left their homes. In Aleppo, it is estimated that 285,601 refugees have left for the neighboring countries. Most of the people migrating from Syria to other countries are women and children. According to UNHCR estimates, nearly half of those fleeing the conflict are children. Three-quarters of these Syrian children are under the age of 11. The Syrians displaced by the war remain as refugees in their new locations. About 130,000 of them are in Zaatari Refugee Camp in the Jordanian desert. Security remains a major challenge to the residents of the camp (Unhcr.org). One of the effects of the Syrian civil war is the creation of a humanitarian crisis. The fighting has displaced millions of people from their homes. As a result, access to basic commodities and health care has become a crisis. Civilians who are trapped in some areas of the country are unable to find food (Wsj.com). Some of them who are injured due to the fighting do not access medical care. In some cities such as Homs that have been under siege, civilians were forced to survive on anything, including eating grass.