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In this short documentary, provided by Deutsche Welle, the life of a Syrian family who were refugees is told. The Suleiman's had fled their home country of Syria to start a new and better life in Germany. After five years of living in Germany, the family had crossed a couple of bumps in the road. Mustafa Suleiman has had a bit of a difficult time learning German and finding a job while dealing with the tragedies of what had gone on back home in Syria. However, the family is completely grateful to be able to make it safely to Germany.

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Syrian refugees after 5 years in Germany | DW Documentary

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In this documentary provided by the UNHCR, Naleen and her family leaving Kobane, Syria. The family was in fear for their life and knew that if they had not fled from Syria. Everything that they had had been destroyed with nothing left to go back to so Naleen knew she had to think about her family. To continue their journey, the family had to wait for their ID's and passports in order to leave the Greek island to then having to travel and cross borders to get to where they need to be to secure their safety. The travel isn't easy and many do lose their lives unfortunately.

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The Long Journey - A Syrian Family's Europe Passage

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In this documentary provided by VICE News, host David Enders finds himself in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Millions of Syrians had fled due to the years of civil war. The war had cause many many Syrians troubles and griefs; people lost family members, their homes, and ultimately everything. Being said, many had fled to neighboring countries like Lebanon. In this video, the focus is on the families living in the Bekaa Valley. This area of Lebanon gets hit with a load of snow during the winter months. This causes lots of trouble for refugee families due to their tented "homes" collapsing as the snow falls and food is already scarce.

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Freezing and Fighting for Aid: Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

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In this article by the United Nation, another refugee camp is talked about. This camp is located in the northeastern part of Syria, mostly consisted of women and children. There are about 30,000 children under the age of 12 with a couple hundred separated from their families. Similar to the other refugee camps, the conditions are not up to par. With present times, the Al Hol camp is suffering with COVID testing since it is limited. Unfortunately, many refugees are the ones suffering under these conditions.

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Located in northeastern Syria, near the border with Iraq, 94 per cent of the camp for the displaced, is made up of women and children who formerly lived in from territory held by the terrorist group ISIL.

In September last year, UN-appointed human rights investigators reported that conditions in the camp were "appalling" and "inhumane", and called on the international community to take action to protect thousands of children from being left stateless, on the grounds that Member States were seemingly unwilling to repatriate them, fearing extremist links.

"There are around 34,000 children under the age of 12 in Al Hol - more than 120 of them are unaccompanied or separated from their families and living in an interim care centre in the camp", said Stéphane Dujarric at Friday's regular briefing.

Conditions in Al Hol are "difficult by any measure", he acknowledged, adding that over the past month, "humanitarians have expressed alarm at the deteriorating security situation in the camp following a rise in violent incidents".

'A significant risk'

Moreover, four COVID-19 cases have been confirmed so far.

Any [camp] departures must be voluntary, safe, fully informed and dignified -- UN spokesperson

"Testing is relatively limited, and a wider outbreak remains a significant risk", Mr. Dujarric said, noting that while the UN and its humanitarian partners are providing "comprehensive assistance" to the camp, "this cannot be a substitute for durable solutions for all the residents".

According to the UN Children's Fund ( UNICEF), the coronavirus has prompted some health and education services in Al Hol to paus,e and also led to a reduction in the number of workers in the camp.

"COVID-19, with the resulting movement restrictions and quarantine measures, is making a critical situation even worse", the Executive Director of UNICEF Henretta Fore, had said.

Camp departures

Over the course of the last two months, the UN spokesperson said that more than 1,000 people have reportedly left the camp.

"There have also been reports of plans by local authorities to expedite and increase departures of displaced Syrian families in the coming months", he said.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged Turkey to launch an immediate independent investigation into violations and abuses committed in parts of north, northwest and northeast Syria, which are under the control of its forces and affiliated armed groups.

"Any departures must be voluntary, safe, fully informed and dignified, and in the best interests of the children", underscored Mr. Dujarric.

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Syria: Humanitarians 'very concerned' for thousands still living in Al Hol camp

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Located in northeastern Syria, near the border with Iraq, 94 per cent of the camp for the displaced, is made up of women and children who formerly lived in from territory held by the terrorist group ISIL.

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In this article by the United Nations, we learn of another incident of refugees losing their lives on the journey to safety. During mid October, about 10 African migrants had been found dead off the coast of Djibouti trying to make their way back to Yemen. Due to the restrictions of the COVID pandemic, many are left stranded in Yemen, forced to rely on smugglers to survive since there hasn't been access to food, water, or healthcare.

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The bodies of those who perished washed up on the coast near Obock (a small port town on the Gulf of Aden) are being recovered and buried by IOM staff, the UN agency said in a news release on Friday.

The victims were part of a group of about 50 Ethiopians, including women, on a boat returning from Yemen, when the violence began. Some 34 migrants, who survived, are being treated for minor injuries and shock, and are being cared for by the UN agency at its migrant response centre in Obock.

The tragedy - which comes just 12 days after eight migrants were killed and several injured by smugglers in the same area - is a reminder about the humanitarian imperative of saving lives, said Mohammed Abdiker, Regional Director for East and Horn of Africa at IOM.

"To say more needs to be done to respond to the migrants trying to reach the country, taking these perilous journeys, and being exploited by smugglers, who clearly have no regard for human life, is an understatement," he added.

Fear of more fatalities

Movement restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have left at least 14,500 African migrants stranded across Yemen, with virtually no access to food, water or health care while living through a deadly conflict and disease outbreak.

More and more African migrants are forced to rely on smugglers to survive and, with no options left, some are turning to them for the perilous sea journey back to Djibouti and the Horn of Africa, said IOM.

Although IOM is supporting stranded migrants both in Yemen and in Djibouti, it is imperative that a safe and reliable humanitarian return pathway is established to urgently stop further deaths at sea, underscored the UN agency.

"[We] fear that despite this tragedy, migrants may still be waiting for a chance to re-cross the Gulf of Aden, heightening the prospect of more fatalities in the coming weeks and days," it added.

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Twelve migrants dead, others missing off the coast of Djibouti: IOM

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The bodies of those who perished washed up on the coast near Obock (a small port town on the Gulf of Aden) are being recovered and buried by IOM staff, the UN agency said in a news release on Friday.

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In this article written by the United Nations, we learn of an issue that constantly occurs to refugees while fleeing their home countries. The article focuses on the death on the Mediterranean which typically consists of boats capsizing. In early November, it was reported that a boat carrying over 120 people capsized and about 47 of them had survived. This is a real struggle for refugees, they risk everything to try to have a better future for their families and to feel safe and secure.

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The boat was reported to be carrying more than 120 people, among them women and children. A total of 47 survivors were brought to shore by the coast guard and local fishermen. More than 30 bodies have been retrieved, but the search continues.

Rescuers overwhelmed

In the past two days at least 19 people, including two children drowned after two boats capsized in the same area of the Mediterranean, while the vessel 'Open Arms', which is the only NGO ship currently operating on the route, rescued more than 200 in three separate operations.

"The mounting loss of life in the Mediterranean is a manifestation of the inability of States to take decisive action, to redeploy much needed, dedication search-and-rescue capacity, in the deadliest sea-crossing in the world", said Fredrico Soda, IOM 's Chief of Mission in Libya.

Clarion call for change

"We have long called for a change in the evidently unworkable approach to Libya and the Mediterranean, including ending returns to the country and establishing a clear disembarkation mechaism, followed by solidarity from other states. Thousands of vulnerable people continue to pay the price for inaction, both at sea, and on land."

So far this year, at least 900 people have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach European shores, some due to delays in rescue, said IOM.

More than 11,000 others have been returned to Libya, putting them at risk of facing human rights violation, detentions, abuse, trafficking and exploitation - all well-documented by the UN.

Upsurge in departures

IOM has recorded a recent upsurge in departures from the country with some 1,900 people intercepted and returned, with more than 780 arrivals in Italy recorded from Libya, since the beginning of October alone.

Worsening humanitarian conditions of migrants detained in overcrowded centres, widespread arbitrary arrests and imprisonment, and extortion and abuse are alarming, according to the migration agency.

Zone changes needed

In the absence of any safeguards for migrants returned to the country, IOM is calling for the Libyan Search and Rescue zone to be redefined, to allow international actors to conduct life-saving operations.

IOM continues to be clear that Libya is not a safe port for return and reiterates its call on the international community, and the European Union (EU), to take urgent and concrete action to end the cycle of return and exploitation.

Continuous restrictions on the work of NGOs conducting crucial rescue operations work must be lifted immediately", said the agency, "and their crucial interventions recognized in line with the humanitarian imperative of saving lives."

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More tragedy on the Mediterranean as 74 migrants reportedly drown off Libya coast

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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday reported yet another devastating shipwreck in the Central Mediterranean, which has claimed the lives of at least 74 migrants off the coast of Khums, Libya. It is the eighth such incident since the beginning of October.

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In this article, Martin Chulov talks about the debate about whether or not Syrian refugees should return back home to Syria. Many of the refugees feel uncomfortable return due to the fear of the violence of war continuing and the government persecuting those who left. The main issue is that the countries holding these refugees are being a bit forceful for them to return, they are making strong claims that Syria is war-free and safe to return to. The real reason for this is because refugees are "taking a told on the infrastructure, economy, education sector, and wellbeing."

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Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent

Each day for as long as he can remember, Abu Ahmed, a Syrian merchant, has hawked Qur'anic pamphlets in central Beirut, one eye out for a buyer and another for the police.

He has been in the Lebanese capital for the past six years, as war consumed his homeland, casting more than a million refugees like him into near permanent exile. Now, however, as the seven-year conflict approaches what many believe to be an endgame in Syria's north-west, Abu Ahmed fears his meagre, but so far safe existence is in jeopardy.

The blazing guns of insurgency have largely been silenced in central and southern Syria, and politicians in Damascus, Beirut and Amman are claiming with increasing vehemence that a ruined country from which at least 6 million people have fled is now a safe for them to return.

Few Syrians in Lebanon seem convinced. "I'll serve my country proudly and shed my blood for it with a smile on my face, but not like this," said Abu Ahmed, 41, who hails from the former opposition stronghold of Ghouta.

"But not for this chaos. We can't go back because of [the risk of] neighbours' petty revenge. They snitch on you and call you a traitor and the next thing you know you're languishing in prison, for nothing. My town is filled with regime forces and thugs. How do they expect me to return?"

International donors, aid workers and diplomats are also wary of the insistence that postwar Syria is safe, and of the motives behind the claims. Senior representatives of all three say the relative quiet in Syria should not be confused with enduring order, and that entreaties from the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, are unlikely to mean a warm homecoming.

Throughout the war, the loyalties of Lebanon's political class have been split on Syria, with roughly half of its parliament opposed to Assad, and the rest stridently behind him. With his government now backed into a winning position by Russia and Iran, some holdouts are trying to reposition themselves. Those who remained allied are meanwhile readily doing Assad's bidding. Establishing a view that security, and forgiveness, await returnees is a central message.

"We invite all friendly nations to handle the Syria issue realistically," said the Lebanese foreign minister, Gebran Bassil. "It is not in anyone's interest for Lebanon's economy to collapse under heavy migration. The circumstances in Syria have changed and many areas are safe. There is no reason for refugees to stay."

In Jordan, whose monarch, King Abdullah, opposed Assad in the early stages of the war, the mood has also shifted. Thewelcome given to refugees as the Syria unravelled in 2012 has been replaced by rising hostility and forced deportations. Abdullah told the UN refugee commissioner, Filippo Grandi, earlier this week: "The international community must face its responsibility towards the hosting countries and at the top of them is Jordan. The Syrian crisis has taken a toll on Jordanian infrastructure, economy, education sector and wellbeing."

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Children sit with their baggage during the evacuation, Aleppo, Syria in December 2016. Photograph: Ghith Sy/EPA

Many who have monitored the crisis, in which at least 600,000 people have been killed and more than half the prewar population displaced, say claims of a groundshift in Syria are false.

"Syrians should be able to decide whether they feel safe enough to return to Syria," said a former member of the UK government's Syria team. "We must remember why Syrians fled their homes in the first place: barrel bombs, besiegement, starvation, detention and torture.

"For the millions who risked everything to make it to Lebanon, they did it because they had no other choice. The fact is, many Syrians will not be safe in Syria while Assad remains in power. They face being arrested, disappeared, detained, tortured, executed. To force them to return may be signing their death warrants."

Syrian refugees

Central to Lebanon's claims are that the number of refugees has taken a toll on its moribund economy and taken jobs in a workforce where unemployment levels have also been growing. Human Rights Watch said the claims are not supported by evidence, and that refugees were being scapegoated for shortcomings in Lebanon's economy that predated the war.

"The war in Syria has certainly hurt Lebanon's economy because of the slowdown in trade, but that's not attributable to the refugee crisis," said HRW's Lebanon researcher, Bassam Khawaja. Refugees have put a strain on infrastructure in Lebanon, from the school system to waste management, but on the other hand, the international community has poured in $5bn (£3.9bn) in aid since 2011. And refugees spending money on everything from rent to groceries in Lebanon has strengthened the economy.

"Neighbouring governments can claim that Syria is safe all they want, that doesn't make it a fact. As long as refugees have well-founded fears of death or persecution inside Syria, then it's illegal for host countries to force or coerce them to return."

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Children are seen on the rubble of a building in the Jarabulus district of Aleppo,. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

On Beirut's Hamra Street, Umm Hani, 49, from rural Damascus, fears just that: "I have three sons, all above 18," she says. "If we stayed they would have been taken to the military and I cannot see that happen nor will I let it happen. What mother wants her sons to die? One of my sons is paralysed, the other two work as hard as they can, but we can barely make ends meet end of the month. Our village became notorious for arbitrary arrests and we couldn't remain. I am counting down the days for safety; I miss my home."

Syria refugee children

Like many refugees, Umm Hani - not her real name - chose her words carefully. Others who spoke to the Guardian say they have heard constant reports from inside Syria that those who had returned faced extreme vetting from security agencies and a high risk of detention, especially if they come from opposition-held areas.

Maj Gen Jamal al-Hassan, the head of Syria's air force intelligence and one of country's most senior security chiefs, told senior colleagues from other agencies in July: "A Syria with 10 million trustworthy people obedient to the leadership is better than a Syria with 30 million vandals." The comments were first reported by the Syrian Observer, and later confirmed. "After eight years, Syria will not accept the presence of cancerous cells and they will be removed completely."

Vengeance has been a regular theme of the rhetoric of Syrian officials, who have discussed the postwar phase - and the looming offensive on Idlib province with allies in Beirut. "Anyone who stood against them will be punished along with their family and clan," said a senior Lebanese military officer in regular contact with Syrian counterparts. "They are ruthless and they have won. They have long memories, and this is their chance to make the country they want."

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Syrian refugees at the Qab Elias informalsSettlement in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Impunity also appears to be creeping into the Lebanese political discourse. "Politicians in Lebanon have attacked [UN refugee agency] UNHCR for speaking the plain truth," said HRW's Khawaja. "That truth is there are no security guarantees in Syria and that it cannot encourage or facilitate returns at this point."

Amid the rising rhetoric, the realities for Syrians in Lebanon is stark. UN figures show 74% of refugees do not have legal residency, 76% live below the poverty line and more than 300,000 children are not in school. Feeling squeezed and hopeless, a steady stream are returning regardless of the danger.

Not Abu Ahmed though. For him, the risks are too high. "Once we see the cops though we all duck and run. We have no residency permits. Will I go back soon? I doubt it. Will I stay here? I also doubt it. We've become gypsies."

Topics

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'We ​can't go back': Syria's refugees fear for their future after war

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Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent Each day for as long as he can remember, Abu Ahmed, a Syrian merchant, has hawked Qur'anic pamphlets in central Beirut, one eye out for a buyer and another for the police.

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This poster made by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR showing a depiction of how many refugees feel, alone and scared. Refugees flee their home countries for multiple reasons, one being for safety due to wars or threats occurring within their country. They ultimately lose everything and have to leave everything and their old life behind. The UNHCR is an organization that has made it its business to help refugees out and feel more comfortable with the new changes.

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Similar to Syria, Yemen has faced a couple of years of continuous war with millions losing their lives to hunger and malnutrition. Yemen is already one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and many of its people have been forced to flee. Those who have fled are at risk the most, so organizations, like the World Food Programme, have provided different ways for people to help donate to the Yemeni people who are starving.

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For almost a decade now, a civil war has been occurring in the country of Syria. Between an uproar with government officials and terrorist groups, like ISIS, battling for power, many innocent Syrians feel quite helpless being stuck in the middle. Millions of Syrian refugees have had no other choice but to flee, desperate for their and their family’s lives. Many have faced terrible conditions having to be without food, water, and a proper shelter, even after fleeing elsewhere. The travel to a safer place itself is often also dangerous, many adults and children have died on their way.

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In this documentary filmed by the BBC, it shows a small glimpse of what Middle Eastern refugees go through on a daily basis. In this video, we focus on refugees who fled their home countries and are now held off the coast of Greece in its island of Lesbos. The location was originally meant to hold refugees for only a couple of days maximum, but many have been there for a lot longer. There isn't enough food, many are falling ill, and Greek officials aren't doing much to help at all.

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'The worst refugee camp on earth' - BBC News

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In this 20 minutes documentary, provided by The Atlantic, Syrian refugees tell their stories. Many of these stories told are from back in Syria, after the Regime and ISIS had taken over the country. A lot was sacrificed by these families to find a safe haven. Syria used to be a safe haven for everyone until things changed. Too much of the war became quite evident in everyone's every day lives: death and violence was constantly lurking as they turned the corner

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The Harrowing Personal Stories of Syrian Refugees, in Their Own Words