48 JADE SHEPPARD
The Migrant Crisis
The war in Syria is one of the most important political issues of recent years with
over four million people having fled the country to seek asylum elsewhere – over half
of these are children (Syria: the Story of the Conflict 2015). The 1951 Refugee
Convention defines a refugee as a person who asks for protection from a country
other than their own due to “a well-founded fear of being persecuted” in their
homeland (UN General Assembly 1951). This is distinct from a migrant who is
simply described as a person who moves from one country to another, although many
are also fleeing from other threats. Therefore, being granted refugee status can be
personally and socially significant as the term generally has more positive and
empathetic connotations, in turn this produces a better environment for a child’s
development. Negative post-migration experiences such as discrimination, language
barriers and lack of support have been linked to higher rates of depression in children
(Geltman et al in Bronstein and Montgomery 2010: 44-56). Situations such as these
are rife. Strikingly around 400,000 school-aged Syrian children living in Turkey are
currently not enrolled in school. This has not only set them back in terms of cognitive
advancement but also socially, as they therefore have less opportunities to make new
friends and integrate into their new society (Syrian Refugees not at School in Turkey
2015). Syria has been torn by civil and international war since the political uprising in
2011, and living under constant threat from militants, chemical weapons and foreign
bombing can have devastating effects. With the current civilian death toll estimated at
over 250,000, it is easy to see why so many people have decided to leave in search of
a more stable environment for themselves and thei r families (Syria: the Story of the
Conflict 2015).
Unfortunately, public opinion in the countries able to offer asylum is not always
positive and this can have a profound impact on how many people are able to escape
should they choose to do so. In a recent survey conducted by ComRes only twentyfour percent of British respondents supported accepting more refugees into the
country compared to a sample of forty percent in a November report (Asylum Seekers
and Refugees: what you need to know 2016). The previous figures reflected a spike in
media attention emphasising the humanitarian crisis but now, although many