Ship sinks with asylum seekers onboard – five children and young people die

A report has reached us from Yeliki Media that a ship has sunk carrying asylum seekers from Izmir, Turkey to Greece causing the death of dozens of people, including five children and young people from Deyrik town in the Hassaka region in Kurdistan of Syria.

The children are the sons of Mohsen Khalaf  Jarro:

• Ali Mohsen Khalaf  Jarro, nine years old
• Salah Mohsen Khalaf  Jarro, six years old.

The other three are young people from one family,  the sons of Abdul Rahman Rammo:

• Mohammed, Abdel-Rahman and Diyala aged between 18 and 22 years.

The final number of victims who were on board this ship when it sank is not currently available,  but the number of Kurds from Syria who died in this tragic incident is likely to rise.

These children died escaping from the persecution of Kurds in Syria.  Families are becoming desperate due to an        increased clampdown on all Kurds by the authorities:

• the decline in the construction industry in the Kurdish area as a result of Decree 49;
• the wasted agriculture in the Kurdish area due to a combination of drought from lack of rain and the withholding of water to the area by Turkey;
• the continued policy of denying 400,000 Kurds their rights to citizenship which leaves them stateless;
• stateless people cannot move around the country,  nor can they leave the country legally;
• stateless children are denied the right to education;
• people are being arbitrarily detained without trial.

Kurds are being forced from their ancient homelands.  Many go to the cities, but others try to leave illegally because they have no choice …  and children are dying.

International Support Kurds in Syria Association – SKS

26 October 2009

Syria Drought Response Plan 2009

Syria has been affected by drought since 2006.  While the 2007-2008 drought was very severe and had a wider geographical reach, the current drought has again affected a population that was already suffering from the impacts of previous drought spells.  According to the Government of Syria and UN assessment missions[1], some 1.3 million inhabitants of eastern Syria have been affected by this disaster, out of which 803,000 have lost almost all of their livelihoods and face extreme hardship.  According to the UN Needs Assessment Mission, up to 80% of those severely affected live on a diet consisting of bread and sugared tea, which only covers on average some 50% of both caloric and protein requirements.  These families are not able to sustain or restore their livelihood without emergency support including food aid, farming inputs, and animal feeds, supplemented by other types of assistance.

One of the most visible effects of the drought is a dramatic increase in the already substantial migration out of the affected areas during the last year, due to loss of livelihoods and lack of income to buy food.  Migration figures range from 40,000 – 60,000 families.  36,000 families have reportedly migrated from Hassakeh Governorate alone. This dramatic move often does not save the families from destitution: even in the areas where they have temporarily settled, migrants still face hardship and poverty.  Communities inhabiting the drought-affected areas suffer from an acute shortage of water as many wells and rivers have dried up.  Poor nutrition, heat, and dust storms have a detrimental effect on their health status.  Very high levels of school drop-outs have been registered in the area, as children have migrated with their families or are required to contribute to the family income by working. Read more