I’m Rebecca Ceglie, a volunteer at Hope for Children CRC Policy Center (HFC) in Cyprus and participating in the European Solidarity Corps program. Graduated in International Relations and European Studies, I’m deeply passionate about human rights and child protection with a special focus on the migration phenomenon. In this line, my work at HFC allows me to actively contribute to safeguard the rights of the most vulnerable people and promote positive social change.
Background
The crisis in Syria began as part of the wider Arab Spring uprisings that spread across many countries in the Middle East and North Africa. What started in 2011 as a peaceful struggle for the freedom and the rights of the Syrian people soon escalated into a full-scale armed conflict due to the brutal and violent response of Bashar al-Assad’s government. The terror that engulfed the country forced people to endure extreme hardships including lack of food, water, employment and security, which severely affected Syrian children, who were exposed to violence and indiscriminate attacks. Since then, these circumstances have forced over 14 million people to leave their homes and migrate both within the region and beyond.
Over the past two decades, the war in Syria has led to a significant forced migration towards Middle Eastern states such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, with Turkey registering the largest number of Syrian refugees. However, it soon became evident that the number of Syrian refugees was not only increasing in neighbouring countries but was gradually rising in Europe as well. In 2015, during the peak of the EU’s refugee crisis, Syrians made up the largest group granted protection status in the EU, with 166,100 individuals, constituting 50% of all persons granted such status in EU member states, and in particular in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, France, Greece and Cyprus. In 2023, up to 55,700 Syrian children continued to arrive in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Cyprus and Malta (23% girls and 77% boys), of which 64% (35,500) were unaccompanied or separated (UASC).
Due to its strategic position, the Republic of Cyprus has faced a strong migratory pressure and an increasing strain on its asylum system. Since 2023, it has received a growing number of Syrian refugees arriving by sea. This includes 1,638 children, 828 of whom are unaccompanied minors, aged between 15 and 17 years old, with 75% of whom are male.
Although the number of applications decreased in 2023 and 2024 compared to previous years, Cyprus still has the highest number of asylum applications per capita in Europe, with 12,987 International Protection Beneficiaries since the beginning of the refugee crisis until the end of 2023, of which 2,085 were granted asylum in 2023 alone. In 2023, 957 of these applications came from unaccompanied and separated minors (UASC), and in 2024, 647 asylum applications from UASC.
The Return of Syrian Refugees from Cyprus
On 8 December 2024, the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell in Syria, marking the end of more than 13 years of conflict and more than five decades of authoritarian government. The rapid offensive launched by rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham on 27 November led to the collapse of the government in just 12 days forcing Assad to seek refuge in Russia. Following the fall of Assad’s government, several European countries announced a temporary suspension of decisions on pending asylum applications by Syrian nationals under EU law, and Syrian refugees have already begun to return voluntary from Europe as well as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
At the beginning of February 2025, the Deputy Minister of Migration Nicholas A. Ioannides reported that “more than 1,300 Syrian nationals in Cyprus have requested voluntary repatriation, with 755 individuals having already left the country”. The government has provided logistical and financial support to assist their return, which has contributed to a significant increase in the number of returns under Cyprus’ Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) program in 2024, with 8,213 people compared to 4,636 in 2022. Nonetheless, concerns remain regarding political stability, community reconciliation, and access to basic services in Syria, which lacks adequate infrastructure, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities.
In this context, as European countries reconsider their policies towards Syrian asylum seekers, the European Commission has underscored that “any decisions regarding the return of refugees must be approached with caution, ensuring that conditions in Syria are safe, stable, and durable”, as “the current situation in the country remains full of uncertainties”. This appeal underscores the delicate balance between the hope for a new chapter in Syria and the challenges of ensuring the safe and dignified return of those displaced by war. Indeed, the temporary suspension of asylum – under Article 31(4) of the EU Asylum Procedures Directive – and the potential return of people to Syria could pose a risk if conditions there are not deemed to be truly safe.
Accompanied and Unaccompanied Children’s Human Rights
It is precisely the lack of certainty, security and safety on Syrian territory that casts strong doubts on the return home of Syrians previously received and sheltered in Cyprus. Particular attention is given to accompanied and unaccompanied minors residing in Cyprus, as their human rights can only be respected if conditions in Syria allow it.
Even though international organizations like IOM and EUAA work every day to support migrants at every stage of the migration process and to provide Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) for children, it must be remembered that this must always be done when conditions are favorable in order to respect the best interest of the child, the 1951 Geneva Convention and 1967 Protocol, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as well as other articles of numerous European directives.
In this context, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) clearly states that any decision concerning a child must take into account the best interest of minors, ensuring the child’s right to protection, respect for their dignity and the fulfilment of basic needs, such as safety, education and health. Indeed, the best interest of the child is recognized in Article 3 of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which for the first time established that all children have rights – to survival, development, protection, and participation. Meanwhile, Article 3 of the ECHR prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment, underscoring the risk of repatriating a child to a country where he or she is at risk of treatment that violates this article, while fully respecting the principle of non-refoulement.
This perspective raises concerns about whether the current situation in Syria can truly ensure the best interest of the child, which encompasses more than security and education. Rather, it implies a balance between all dimensions of their development taking into account their age, emotions, rights, and physical and psychological needs.
While voluntary return may be an option for some children who wish to return to their homeland, war, instability and destroyed infrastructure may not allow for adequate protection of children, who continue to be exposed to violations of their rights.
According to UNICEF, Syria remains, indeed, one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world: over 7.5 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance, 7.4 million people are internally displaced, more than half of whom are children. Additionally, nearly 2.5 million children are out of school, and more than 1 million are at risk of dropping out. Finally, 5,000 children are malnourished, and 2 million children lack access to adequate nutrition.
Conclusion
Given the ongoing instability and risks in Syria, it is essential to emphasize that the return of migrants, in this particular case, should only occur if safety is assured and not when conditions of instability prevail. Therefore, any decision regarding the return of children must be taken with the utmost caution and in accordance with international and European law, prioritizing the best interest of the child as a form of protection from violence, exploitation, forced recruitment into armed conflict and the lack of access to essential services such as education, healthcare, and overall social stability.