Only one-thousandth of Syrian refugees returned to their country from Germany
It has been eight years since the Syrian civil war began. Around 780,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Germany. Only one-thousandth of these refugees have received financial assistance from the German government for their voluntary return to their country since 2017.
In response to a question from the German Green Party about the process of returning Syrian refugees to their country, the German government has stated that very few Syrian refugees have returned to their country and that the process of their voluntary return to their country is progressing slowly.
In response to the Green Party, the German government said that in 2018, only 466 Syrian refugees applied for financial assistance for their voluntary return and returned to Syria. This number was only 199 the year before, in 2017.
According to a German government report, in the first three months of this year, the number of Syrian refugees who requested financial assistance for voluntary return reached only 77.
Reasons for the return of Syrian refugees
The reasons and motivations for the return of Syrian refugees or Palestinians living in Syria who have sought refuge in Germany and then returned to their country have not been statistically recorded. However, the German news agency cited the German government's response as citing reasons such as "distance from home, problems with integration into society, and illness of family members."
The largest number of requests for voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country in 2018 came from the German states of Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Hesse.
Typically, the Foreigners' Office handles requests for voluntary return of asylum seekers, and in rare cases, associations and charitable organizations assist in the process of returning asylum seekers to their country.
Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, around 5.7 million Syrians have fled their country. Of these, around 780,000 have sought refuge in Germany.
UN refugee agencies do not consider the conditions suitable for the return of Syrian refugees to their country, and the German government also confirms this opinion.
Source: DW
