Richard
Burton

Jordan hosts 639,704 Syrian refugees registered with the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. In addition to those registered, the authorities believe that many hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria are living in Jordan unregistered. Over 117,000 Syrian refugees live in three camps where they have access to education, health care, water, food and cash for work programmes, however over 80% live in towns and cities in Jordan.

The vast majority of Syrian refugees in urban areas live below the Jordanian poverty line and are facing increased barriers to accessing public services, including health care. The challenges faced by Syrians living in urban areas are compounded by the reduction in humanitarian support being provided to refugees in the country. In 2015, due to funding shortfalls, the World Food Programme had to significantly cut the amount of food assistance it provided to refugees.

Syrian refugees living outside of designated camps are also faced with procedural barriers to obtaining regular status and accessing public services. In order to access public services, including health care, it is required to have a UNHCR Asylum Seekers Certificate and a Ministry of Interior (MoI) service card. Refugees who have left camps, without going through an official ‘bail out’ process, and those who have re-entered Jordan after having previously returned to Syria are not eligible to receive these documents and cannot access public services.

Individuals and families who are unable to meet these requirements have to rely on humanitarian organizations and private donors for support, and without valid documentation are at risk of being involuntarily moved to refugee camps or, in some cases, deported back to Syria.