On the 10th Anniversary of Syria’s Civil War, Forced Migrants Deserve a Place to Call Home

In March 2011, ten years ago this week, a series of uprisings and brutal government crackdowns set in motion the start of the Syrian civil war – one of the longest and most devastating humanitarian crises of this century.

Today, a full decade after the start of the conflict, more than 10 million Syrians are still living as either refugees of internally displaced persons—denied the fundamental human right to have a place to call home.

In a new op-ed in the Globe and Mail by Kim Samuel argues that Canada has a responsibility to not only offer asylum to forced migrants from Syria and elsewhere, but also to help migrants to do deeper work of cultivating belonging and a place to call home.  In the article, she explores practical examples of what it means to create conditions where forced migrants feel respected and represented as part of the social fabric and civic life of the community and broader nation.