Shattered Lives: Protecting Civilians in War-Torn Syria — A Shared Responsibility

The Syrian crisis has become the defining humanitarian challenge of our time. As the conflict has enveloped almost all major urban areas of the country over the last six years, more than half of Syria’s population have been forced to flee their homes. The scale of the exodus out of the country has been breath-taking, with almost five million people driven beyond Syrian borders to claim refugee status abroad, predominantly in surrounding nations such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. In an ominous sign of the combined effect of a damaged power system and a population driven into exile, the country is now 83% darker at night than it was in 2011.

This report reflects the experience of ordinary Syrians and demonstrates how violence now permeates every aspect of life in Syria. From the continual threat of bombing and other conflict related violence, to the exposure of displaced people to violence in unprotected settings, to increased levels of domestic violence in a strained and traumatised environment, the exposure to protection threats is widespread across all sections of society. Protection programmes, though vastly underfunded, are an essential component in the struggle to minimise the incidence of violence and the exposure to risk across the community.