Egypt: It’s hard to live here - REPORT

nOVEMBER 16, 2022
Refugee rights assessment in Egypt - 2022

Given the pressure on service-providers, restrictions on activists, researchers and independent NGOs (both national and international), the waning resources to support refugees, and the levels of desperation of refugees in Egypt; the goal of this report and assessment is to increase the understanding of the refugee rights context in Egypt, and specifically assess the needs of Syrian refugees in Egypt. Syrians, as the most recent arrivals, the largest in number, Arabic speaking, and with at least formal access to public health and education have a particular set of circumstances that set them apart from other long standing refugee populations in Egypt, who are predominantly African, as well as Iraqi. While this assessment is focused mainly on Syrians, analysis is also included on other populations drawing upon the our findings from Stages 1 and 2 of the research. Stage 3 has entirely focused on the Syrian population, with a thematic focus on education. The overall aim of the assessment is to identify practical and relevant rights based programming recommendations, which are appropriate to the needs and rights of the refugee community.

Egypt has a long history as a refugee hosting country within the region, due to its geographic positioning, its comparatively cheap cost of living, and its largely ambivalent treatment of refugee communities. Egypt is host to refugee and asylum-seeker populations from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, and Palestinians fleeing Syria. While Egypt has been experiencing ongoing political upheaval and unrest in recent years, it has continued to attract refugees from neighboring countries. Since 2011, an influx of refugees from Syria have been arriving in Egypt, prompting a significant scaling up of the humanitarian response to refugees in Egypt. Refugees in Egypt live within the urban environment, rather than in camps, and face many of the same issues as Egypt's poor, as well as additional refugee specific challenges. As the Syrian conflict becomes increasingly protracted, the prospects of an early return are dwindling. Growing numbers of refugees – Syrians but also Palestinians, Eritreans and other nationalities - are risking the boat journey from the North African coastline in a dangerous attempt to reach Europe.

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Egypt: It’s hard to live here - REPORT
Refugee rights assessment in Egypt - 2022

This 50-page report examines the situation of refugees living in Egypt. Based on a study conducted involving interviews, surveys and focus group discussions, a picture was formed of the needs of refugee communities – primarily Syrian – in Alexandria, Damietta and Cairo. The study outlines the major factors affecting the rights and quality of life of refugees in Egypt (in particularly Syrian), and recommends what may be done to help their situation. This report aims to present the findings of the study, outlining the key findings to both raise awareness and advocate on behalf of refugee communities living in Egypt.

View and download Report in English