According to a devastating new U.N. report, nearly half of all Syrians have been displaced by the violence of the country’s ongoing civil war. As many as 6.5 million who have fled their homes are displaced within the country, and at least 3 million Syrians have left the country altogether. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement, “The Syrian crisis has become the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era, yet the world is failing to meet the needs of refugees and the countries hosting them.”
The report, which is attempting to bring greater international awareness and intervention to the crisis, also outlined the dangers facing even those who are fleeing the war. “There are worrying signs too that the journey out of Syria is becoming tougher, with many people forced to pay bribes at armed checkpoints proliferating along the borders. Refugees crossing the desert into eastern Jordan are being forced to pay smugglers hefty sums (ranging from $100 per person or more) to take them to safety” …
