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MYTH: Refugee claimants pose threats

to Canadas security.
FACT: Refugee claimants are not threats
to security they are seeking
security and protection from threats
to their own lives. They go through
a front-end security screening.

Refugee claimants are individuals

seeking refugee status, but whose claim
for refugee status have not yet been
assessed or obtained.

MYTH: Refugees are a drain on our

economy.
FACT: Only a handful of the world's
refugees (about .007% in 2008)
receive assistance from the
Canadian government usually for a
very limited amount of time (one
year). All refugees who resettle to
Canada are expected to pay back
the travel costs associated with their
resettlement. Refugees can
contribute positively to the
Canadian economy.

Get to Know
Syrian
Refugees

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Information for the General Public
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Myths and
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Refugees are people who have been

forced to flee their country because of
persecution, war or violence, and have
successfully obtained refugee status.
They are entitled to international
protection and assistance.

This document was prepared by

Masters students in Counselling Psychology at
Adler University, as part of a class that
addresses issues of Social Justice
(Class 671B; Fall 2015 cohort).

(Image source: Doomko I Dreamstime.com - Immigration People

With Syrian Flag Photo)

Asylum-seekers are people who have

made their own way out of the country
they are fleeing, and seek protection as
refugees, regardless of their desire,
eligibility, or attainment of a particular
status within the refugee system. Those
who do not meet eligibility can be sent
back to their country of origin.

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Radekprocyk I Dreamstime.com - Refugees in Babska (Serbian-Croatian Border

Sources: UNHCR, OCASI, ISSofBC

MYTH: All refugees want to leave their

home countries behind.
FACT: Refugees left behind family
members, livelihoods, homes,
memories, and traditions. They
did not want to become refugees;
extreme circumstances turned them
into refugees. Being able to find a
place to seek protection and safety
may be comforting, but many still
long to return home someday.

Source: ISSofBC

Important information about

Syrian refugees

Education
Pre-war: Literacy rate was 78% for men and
51% for women.
Post-war:
Children have
been out of
school, but
homeschooled by
their mothers; Fpolat69 I Dreamstime.com - Syrian Refugees
in Turuc, Turkey
however,
many women
in rural or lower-income communities are
illiterate or only attended primary school.

Religion
87% Muslim (74% Sunni Muslim and 13%
Alawite, Shia, and Ismaili)
10% Christians, Uniate, and Nestorian
3% Druze

Language
Many Syrian refugees speak colloquial
Arabic (official language).
Other languages include Kurdish,
Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian (widely
understood), French, English (somewhat
understood), German, Russian, or another
foreign language, depending on their
education level.

Ethnics
Arabs, make up nearly 90% of Syrias
population.
Kurds, the second largest ethnic group,
make up about 10% of the population.

Important information about

Syrian refugees (continued)

Attire
Syrians, regardless of background, tend to
dress modestly in public.
Some men may wear long gowns
(kaftans).
Some women may wear long robes that
leave their hands and feet exposed.
Some people may wear head wraps.
Others, particularly the young, prefer to
wear modern Western attire.

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Dudau I Dreamstime.com - Refugees Comforting Their

Children at Keleti Train Station Photo

Challenges
Many refugees feel powerless because they
are unable to fulfill their traditional roles.
Many refugee women and girls can no
longer fulfill their traditional gender roles
because they do not have access to the
resources and services they used to have in
Syria prior to war.
A lack of fluency in English and lack of
Canadian experience often leads to
acceptance of positions of lower stature.
IMPORTANT: Exposure to pre-migration
trauma (civil war, genocide, famine,
imprisonment, torture etc.) negatively
impacts the adaptation process.

Sources: ISSofBC, World Culture Encyclopedia

How Can We Help?

Make a donation, volunteer,

offer housing, or provide
information on employment
opportunities through:

Arman1978 I
Dreamstime.com - Syrian
Refugees, The Hands of
People Who Are Asking
For Help Photo

Foundation of Hope
www.foundationofhope.net
Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC)
www.issbc.org
MOSAIC
www.mosaicbc.com
Mount Pleasant Family Centre
www.mpfamilycentre.ca
No One Is Illegal
www.noii-van.resist.ca
Options Community Services Society
www.options.bc.ca
Syrian Canadian Council of BC
www.syriancanadiancouncil.ca
Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS)
www.pirs.bc.ca
Settlement Orientation Services (SOS)
www.sosbc.ca

Reach out to experienced refugee sponsorship agreement holders for advice or to

offer your support.

Mennonite Central Committee

www.mccbc.ca
United Church of Canada
www.united-church.ca
World Renew (formerly CRWRC)
www.worldrenew.net

*This list is not exhaustive. For more

information, please visit

refugeeresources.weebly.com.