Publication date: October 2019
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This research conveys the voices of thousands of displaced persons in northern Syria and highlights their suffering, starting from the reasons that led to their displacement, to the way they were displaced and the difficulties they faced (and still face) when they reached their new homes in northern Syria. This survey, which involved some 10,000 displaced persons in northern Syria, give a more comprehensive picture of the context governing mass displacement and the challenges posed by the reality of internal displacement in Syria today.
This research focuses on the stories of forced displacement that took place between 2016 and 2018, the period during which millions of people were displaced from their homes in many Syrian governorates. More than 200,000 people were deported by buses from different regions in Syria to Idlib in northern Syria after the conclusion of reconciliation agreements. The main objective of this research is to provide a database of thousands of IDPs and to document their stories, what they have been exposed to, the difficulties they face in the north and their future aspirations. This will allow local and international actors to better understand the context of internal and mass forced displacement in Syria. This research can also be used in the preparation of litigation files or the establishment of mechanisms for compensation and reparations. To present a full picture of the suffering and experience of the displaced, the research addresses the crime of forced displacement and provides a simple and concise legal analysis of the findings, which show it is highly likely that the majority of people included in the research sample are victims of this crime.
