Desperate plight facing millions of Iraqi refugees

The precarious situation confronting Iraqi refugees is conveyed by an Ipsos survey published in November and entitled “Iraqi Refugees in Syria”. According to the survey, 37 percent of the 754 individuals interviewed listed savings as their primary source of income, while 24 percent relied on remittances, 12 percent on pensions and only 24 percent on a salary. Some 33 percent expected their money to run out in less than three months and another 53 percent did not know how long their money would last.

Financial insecurity has forced many refugees to take desperate measures to survive, including prolonged professional fasting or turning to prostitution. Children are also affected, with an estimated 10 percent of Iraqi children in Syria forced to work for an average daily income of $1 or less.