May 30, 2019 —  As attacks escalate and thousands more are forced to flee in Syria’s northwest, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted a rapid assessment of 433 households - representing almost 3,500 people - in Harim, Idlib and Jisr-Ash-Shugur to understand the needs of the newly displaced population.

Misty Buswell, International Rescue Committee’s Middle East Advocacy Director, said: “I spoke to IRC’s partners working in Idlib who told me that the current situation is not humanly bearable. The surge in aerial attacks is the worst violence seen in the area over the past 18 months. Most egregious are the unacceptable 25 attacks on hospitals and health facilities, including two supported by the IRC. Doctors tell us that most affected are women and children who are sheltering at home, and are left with shrapnel and blast injuries when their houses are hit. With numerous health facilities attacked and out of action, many have nowhere to go for treatment, adding to the horror of their situation.

“Already this latest wave of attacks has displaced almost 270,000 people since the start of May. Being displaced means not only leaving your home and often most of your possessions, but for children it also means losing their school, their stability and the places they feel safe.

“IRC teams spoke to families that had been forced to flee. On average they reported being displaced five times since the start of the conflict - with some families reporting that they had fled more than 10 times. A fifth of households reported being separated from a family member since this recent displacement - some because, after being displaced many times, people did not want to leave their homes again.

“Being uprooted is traumatic for anyone but for a child it can have long lasting repercussions. Parents that IRC teams spoke to reported a range of alarming behaviour changes since they were most recently displaced, including nightmares, children isolating themselves and behaving more aggressively. These are signs of severe distress that, without support, children may carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

One woman told the IRC during the assessment: "My son is three-and-a-half years old. After the bombardments, he started having nightmares and began wetting his bed. He tells me that he is seeing dead bodies.”

The escalation of conflict could displace over 700,000 people to areas along the Turkish border, an area which is already crammed full of over-crowded makeshift camps. Already people are struggling to access adequate food, water and other basic necessities. Aid organisations, including the IRC, are being stretched to breaking point and will struggle to deal with such large numbers of people.

Misty Buswell adds: “The large numbers arriving in northern Idlib have pushed up rents and the cost of tents. In some areas up to a third of the new arrivals have no choice but to sleep out in the open or in unfinished buildings where they don’t have access to even the most basic services. Life is tough even for those able to afford rented accommodation, with many living cheek by jowl. IRC teams know of 52 people crammed into just two rooms in one building.

“The IRC and its partners are doing all they can to help the most desperately in need in Idlib, but this is also a terrifying time for our staff who worry for the safety of their own families. The international community needs to act now to do everything in its power to pressure all sides to recommit to an immediate ceasefire and protect civilians, and to bring parties to the conflict back to the Geneva peace process.”

The IRC has distributed cash ($120) to over 1,500 newly displaced families in northern Idlib and is providing psychological first aid to some of the most vulnerable arrivals. The IRC supports nine hospitals and health clinics and three mobile health teams in Idlib.

Notes to editors:

Interviewees were asked whether the boys and/or girls, ages 18 or under, in their households displayed these particular behavioural changes following this displacement.

Percentage of households reporting changed behaviour: