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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Forced from their homes by successive waves of violence, around a quarter of a million Syrians are now sheltered in the Kurdistan Region. While many have struggled to find work, an enterprising few have built successful businesses, creating jobs for young locals.
Mohammed has been making sweets for 22 years. He came to the Kurdistan Region after fleeing his home in Qamishli, northern Syria seven years ago. Today, his shops produce 200 different kinds of sweets.
Abdulsamad is also from Syria. He has been serving coffee for 25 years. After being displaced from Syria seven years ago, he opened a small coffee shop in Erbil. Now his business is booming, with five branches across the Kurdish capital.
There are around 240,000 Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region, many of them choosing to leave the camps established by aid agencies to seek work in the cities.
Aid agencies say Syrians have struggled to integrate economically as a result of government controls on work permits, citizenship, and their right to acquire property.
‘Far from home: Future prospects for Syrian refugees in Iraq’ – a report published by aid agencies in early 2019 – found that integration challenges “have shifted from socio-cultural barriers to economic barriers”.
“As there is currently no legal pathway offered to Syrian refugees to obtain Iraqi citizenship; legal restrictions remain a significant barrier to full integration,” the report states.
“Syrian refugees reported experiencing fewer rights compared to Iraqis, such as in freedom of movement from the KRI to the rest of Iraq, and facing restrictions in their ability to start businesses or own property,” it added.
Those like Mohammed and Abdulsamad, who have succeed in establishing businesses in exile, show Syrian refugees have much to offer their adopted homes, stimulating the local economy and job market.
Reporting by Mahdi Faraj
Mohammed has been making sweets for 22 years. He came to the Kurdistan Region after fleeing his home in Qamishli, northern Syria seven years ago. Today, his shops produce 200 different kinds of sweets.
Abdulsamad is also from Syria. He has been serving coffee for 25 years. After being displaced from Syria seven years ago, he opened a small coffee shop in Erbil. Now his business is booming, with five branches across the Kurdish capital.
There are around 240,000 Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region, many of them choosing to leave the camps established by aid agencies to seek work in the cities.
Aid agencies say Syrians have struggled to integrate economically as a result of government controls on work permits, citizenship, and their right to acquire property.
‘Far from home: Future prospects for Syrian refugees in Iraq’ – a report published by aid agencies in early 2019 – found that integration challenges “have shifted from socio-cultural barriers to economic barriers”.
“As there is currently no legal pathway offered to Syrian refugees to obtain Iraqi citizenship; legal restrictions remain a significant barrier to full integration,” the report states.
“Syrian refugees reported experiencing fewer rights compared to Iraqis, such as in freedom of movement from the KRI to the rest of Iraq, and facing restrictions in their ability to start businesses or own property,” it added.
Those like Mohammed and Abdulsamad, who have succeed in establishing businesses in exile, show Syrian refugees have much to offer their adopted homes, stimulating the local economy and job market.
Reporting by Mahdi Faraj
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