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Most Syrians, Afghans reaching Europe are escaping conflict: UNHCR

Xinhua, February 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

A total of 94 percent of Syrians and 71 percent of Afghans arriving in Greece last month after undertaking perilous sea journeys were fleeing both conflict and violence in their respective countries, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) disclosed on Tuesday.

In January, the UNHCR surveyed over 400 Syrian and Afghan refugees on the islands of Chios, Leros, Lesvos and Samos. Of this number, 85 percent of Syrians were internally displaced before their journey to Greece, while 87 percent were travelling with family members.

Results showed that 65 percent of Afghans and 47 percent who stayed in another country for more than six months reported having no legal documentation.

UNHCR reported that 79 percent of polled Syrians and 44 percent of Afghans had secondary, high school or university degrees.

Over half (51 percent) of Syrians and 40 percent of the Afghans who participated in the survey were women and children.

The agency indicated that such an exercise would be repeated over the next six months to provide a comprehensive dataset on the refugee situation in Europe. Endit