No one in Syria has escaped the impact of four years of conflict. The country has almost lost four decades of human development. Today, four out of five Syrians live in poverty, misery, and deprivation. People live in overcrowded conditions with poor protection mechanisms. More than half of the hospitals have closed down or lost services. The number of health professionals has dropped by more than half.
Unemployment has risen to over 50 percent. Life expectancy has declined by 20 years. Gender-based violence has become widespread and is sometime being perpetrated in a systematic and sophisticated manner. More than half of the Syrian population is estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. A total of 6.5 million people have been displaced within Syria, and 3 to 4 million are living as refugees in neighbouring states. About 4 million of the total affected population are women and girls of reproductive age. More than half a million pregnant women need urgent assistance within and outside the country.
Neighbouring countries are struggling to handle the exodus.
There are around 1.2 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, more than 600,000 in Jordan, 135,000 in Egypt, and some 1.8 million living in camps or surrounding communities in Turkey.
Iraq is now facing two crises at the same time: in addition to accommodating 250,000 Syrian refugees, it is also struggling to assist more than 2.5 million Iraqis who have been displaced since early 2014 as a result of acts by the so-called Islamic State within the country and in Syria.
The situation is fragile. Women and girls, who are a binding agent in a broken society, face a daily struggle to find enough money to pay the rent, buy food and basic items and to access services such as healthcare. They need protection, support, and a life of dignity.