Winter settles for Syrian refugees

Life in Syrian refugee camps London - Arabstoday Reports of a burgeoning health crisis in Syrian refugee camps has sparked international concern. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have fled Syria since the uprising began. They absconded in to neighbouring Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, where the UN has estimated 465,000 are living in refugee camps. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that he expects that number to reach 700,000 by January. Earlier this month, 20,000 people crossed the border in a single 24-hour period. Concerned aid organizations are warning that the humanitarian crisis will deepen as temperatures take a dive during the winter months. As winter settles in, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that only about 35 percent of the $70 billion budgeted for "winterisation" has been received, which is only enough to help one-third of current refugees. Al-Zaatari camp in Jordan is notorious for its overcrowding, malnourishment, and rampant illness. 41,000 refugees protested there over the poor conditions, whilst posters at the entrance to the camp plead: "History won't forget that Syrian children were dying from cold in Al-Zaatari camp while underneath them run the Arab gas pipes to Israel." UN plans to replace flooded tents in Iraq with prefab shelters will not, based on the current schedule, be completed until the worst of the cold has been and gone, a major worry for families with nowhere but the floor to sleep. Therefore many are facing winter in damp, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, with little or no access to heating. Most of the displaced are women and children as men return to Syria to participate in the fighting or attempt to find an income. With limited opportunity to work, limited property rights and limited access to basic services such as healthcare, these refugee households are vulnerable not only to physical health issues but exploitation and abuse.