Scaggs 1

Will Scaggs
Mr. Walt
Honors English 10
09 March 2016
Hosting the Homeless
Imagine a war going on in your country and it risks the lives of your family. That is
what's going on in Syria. Currently there is a massive amount of problems including a civil war
in the country, Syria, which is causing the residents to leave and forcing them to find refuge in
other countries. One of the primary countries that the Syrian refugees fled to was Lebanon.
Lebanon has a different situation than other host countries. The refugees are in need of many
resources including homes, jobs, and medical care. There's a critical response need and all
organizations within Syria need to be able to work together with the government so that any
resources can be used effectively.
There are other countries that are receiving an influx of Syrian refugees, but this crisis is
very unique in Lebanon. This situation in Lebanon will continue to get worse unless there are
changes made within the country and that more organizations can begin to provide more aid.
Lebanon is a special host country to the refugees. It is not a country of asylum; it didnt take part
in the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol. Lebanon is not obligated to provide
asylum for refugees, which means they can be treated as migrants and could be subject to arrest
and deportation (Yan 2015). But refugees are not living in fear of being forced to leave.
Realizing the scope of the problems Syrians face in their own country, Lebanon's government
has allowed its borders to remain open and refugees are allowed to try and find work and settle
where they can, without setting up camps.

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The ongoing war and terrorism in Syria has caused its citizens to flee the horrifying
conditions and try to find safety in Lebanon. In a report by Amnesty International (2014), the
crisis in Syria entered its fourth year in May 2014. War and fighting has been continuing for the
longest time in Syria and it is estimated that over 100,000 people have died, approximately 6.5
million people have been displaced and over one million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon
(Yan 2015). Whole families have been divided up while trying to flee for their safety. The Syrian
borders are guarded by their army to prevent people from leaving. Thousands of Syrians are
entering Lebanon each as the violence increases dramatically. They are leaving their homes and
everything behind without the promise of having any shelter, food, or protection. Though the
refugees are given the right to housing in other countries that have signed the 1951 Refugee
Convention. Lebanon is now hosting more than one million Syrian refugees, which is more than
any other country in the Middle East; in some communities, the Syrians have started to
outnumber the Lebanese (Yan 2015).
Lebanon has done its best to cope with the large amount of refugees that have come into
the country. They have opened up over 100,000 spots in schools for children and have switched
to a double shift system which allows kids to learn Lebanons schoolwork and their own
countrys schoolwork. Lebanon lately has been not allowing refugees to come into the country
and from their perspective it makes sense. Trash has remained uncollected in the streets and rents
on houses have skyrocketed which has caused borders to start closing. It has also had a dramatic
response to the economy as tourism has dropped more than 23% and exports 7.5% since the war
(Marsi 2015).

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I feel like that Lebanon should continue to let refugees in just until they cant handle it
anymore. They are doing the right thing, because they arent necessarily forced to let the
refugees in. Ethically they are correct and should continue what they are doing.
The Syrian refugees entering Lebanon arrive with many problems. Many do not have
adequate shelter, employment, food, and water. Many refugees are in need of emergency medical
care and treatment for other medical conditions. According to the Amnesty International Report
(2014), many refugees are living in tent-like shelters, rented rooms, apartments and garages. The
living conditions are inadequate and unsanitary. The war going on in Syria needs to end so that
the refugees can go back to their country and make it thrive again. It will allow all of the stress
caused by this problem to be relieved and tensions between countries will subside. If the changes
will be made by Syria, more organizations can help begin to bring aid.

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Works Cited
Federica Marsi, Special for USA TODAY. "Syrian Refugees Overwhelm Lebanon to the
Breaking Point."USA Today. Gannett, 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
"Why Some Countries Are Obligated to Take in Refugees." CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 07
Mar. 2016.