In relation to Canada, while there may be no evidence of any “soft” measure leading to any specific decline in acceptance of immigrants from Syria, a 22 year review (1989-2011) reveals that refugee acceptance rates overall, consistent at 40-45% for most of this period, dropped to 38% for 2011-12, the lowest in Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board history.(1) Furthermore, my recent editorial in the Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health (GJMEDPH) spotlights reduced health care provisions for refugees in Canada, and the negative precedent this could set for other recipient nations.(2)

All these shifts have taken place under a Conservative government.

The editorial full text is posted on my ResearchGate page, and for those interested in exploring this new online open access journal, other articles in the GJMEDPH latest issue may be perused at: http://www.gjmedph.org/Current.aspx

References:

1. University of Ottawa, Human Rights and Education Centre, website http://www.cdp-hrc.uottawa.ca/projects/refugee-forum/projects/Statistics.php Accessed February 9, 2014

2. White F. Canada reduces refugee health provisions – a negative precedent. Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health (GJMEDPH) 2014; 3, 1, 1-3.

This may or may not be "soft" depending on your theory, but on 5 Feb 2014 the US announced that the rules barring Syrian refugees who had given "material support" to armed groups (even those groups the US is funding!) would be given exemptions on a case-by-case basis. See: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-syria-crisis-usa-refugees-idUSBREA141ZQ20140205

Thank you for your helpful links! This is exactly what i am looking for, slight changes that are being made.

It is also interesting to see the little number of refugees (31) which were in fact admitted to the us. In germany the intake of refugees (via the federal programme) works very slowly aswell, only very few of the admitted 5000 syrian refugees have arrived, yet.

Susanne, Turkey has just implemented a new law (took effect April 11) that creates for the first time a comprehensive regularlization of refugee policy. It creates a brand new agency that is taking over some of the processing of migrants, including Syrians. Since no one really knows exactly how the implementation of this new law will go, people are anticipating lots of policy directives like the kind about which you are inquiring. And prior to the new law, there was a change in border policy that restricted migration from Syria.

I am a Syrian, to help in stopping the Syrian migrants is to have a low stopping your European governor's keep their out of Syria, so the Syrian people will not leave their country

Mohamed Reda Sbeinati,

I agree with you but the machine is on and Syrians are fleeing and need asylum policy. Although I live in the UK ( came here as a refugee myself), I feel very ashamed that my home country Algeria has not opened doors to Syrians. War and conflicts happened everywhere and we never know which country is next. Refugees and forced migration arte the firs consequence of it, but people tend to ignore it until it happens. My heart is with all those Syrians women , children in refugees camps. I wish I can do more than writing articles:

http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/latefa-guemar/seeking-safety-in-algeria-syrian-refugee-women%E2%80%99s-resilience

Editorial: Canada can, and should, take more Syrian refugees

For those interested in Canadian developments pertaining to this discussion, further to my initial post, I have cut and pasted the following editorial view of the Global and Mail, one of Canada’s leading daily newspapers.

QUOTE As the war in Syria grinds into its fourth year, its ultimate outcome is anyone’s guess. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s fighters and rebel forces are locked in a stalemate. Ditto for negotiations around a political solution, with the so-called “Geneva II” talks stalled. The break-up of Syria into regime- and militia-controlled areas or the total collapse of the state is possible, though neither scenario appears imminent.

But there is one thing we know with certainty: The conflict in Syria is the largest humanitarian crisis of our generation. Out of a population of 21.4 million people, 9.3 million are in need of assistance, according to UN figures. The crisis has generated 2.6 million refugees, who are flooding neighbouring Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. By Christmas, that number will likely increase to 4.1 million, more than were caused by the Rwandan genocide.

Given the scale and scope of the crisis, Canada should be doing significantly more to accept and resettle Syrian refugees. Last year, Ottawa committed to take in a meagre 1,300 – a number that includes up to 1,100 private sponsorships and the government resettlement of 200 extremely vulnerable cases. Only a small number have arrived so far.

Why the holdup? Part of the problem, says Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, is that it has taken time for the UN to identify and refer the most urgent cases to Ottawa. Private-sponsorship arrangements have also proved onerous to negotiate. But the most important question is whether 1,300 is the best Canada can do. In the past, Canada has been much more generous. In 1999, Canada resettled more than 5,000 Kosovo refugees. In 1992, Canada resettled 5,000 Bosnian refugees. In 1979, Ottawa sponsored 4,000 Vietnamese boat people. The response to Syria seems paltry by comparison.

It is also out of step with Canada’s broader answer to the crisis. On other counts, Ottawa’s stance on Syria has been the gold standard. It has consistently condemned violations of international law, called for those committing crimes against civilians to be held accountable and pushed for the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons. Canada has also spent hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian and development assistance for Syria.

This week in Ottawa, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres is expected to ask Mr. Alexander to do more for Syrian refugees. Canada has the capacity, and Mr. Alexander and the government should say “Yes.” CLOSE QUOTE

Source: EDITORIAL - Canada can, and should, take more Syrian refugees. The Globe and Mail Published Tuesday, May. 27 2014, 6:45 PM EDT Last updated Tuesday, May. 27 2014, 7:26 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/canada-can-take-more-syrian-refugees/article18875104/

Thank you for your interesting update on canada's situation, franklin. Infact, in germany some political artists called zentrum für politische schönheit (political beauty) have raised a campaign to pressure the german government into taking in all 80.000 applications they have received instead of the planned 10.000. (you can find the link below, if you're interested in checking out their campaign which they passed of as a governmental campaign, it was a very clever move and raised people's attention. As a consequence, the german government is now talking about taking in 30.000 refugees)

to mohamed: of course it is necessary to fight the problems from the roots, but that is not where my question is leading. We know that sadly no government will hardly pass a general law for the take-in of refugees, the eu is still far from a common immigration and asylum policy. Therefore, i am asking for your help to get to know more about soft laws, directives or programmes in several nations or, on the other hand, how you and other syrians experience rejection (e.g. At the german embassy, where they stopped issuing tourist and business visa, tolerating the selling of appointments at the german embassy in beirut, obstacles when actually applying for a programme).

Latefa, thank you so much for your article and for giving syrian women and children your voice, your article gives so much insight. Me too i feel ashamed that most people care so little.

http://www.1aus100.de/en/

Dear colleague,

I cannot answer your question directly, but you might contact the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at Vienna at [email protected]

I'm confident they will be able to answer your question competently.

Kind regards

Walter

Dear Susanne,

Dear All,

Is integration of people of various cultures illusion?

Are illusions these news items?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-05/germany-shock-after-monstrous-attacks-rape-1000-men-arab-or-north-african-origin

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/world/europe/coordinated-attacks-on-women-in-cologne-were-unprecedented-germany-says.html?_r=0

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-germany-assaults-20160106-story.html

http://newobserveronline.com/mass-invader-sex-attacks-in-stuttgart-hamburg/

Some details:

„Then the victims were cornered, robbed, and sexually assaulted, the Bild continued. “The women were sexually assaulted on the breasts and in the groin area.”

According to the article, mobile phones and wallets were stolen. Police confirmed that all the victims were girls aged between 18 and 24 years old. Others avoided the mass attacks by “fleeing in panic to the bouncers outside party clubs and pubs.”

A 17-year-old named Denise told the Bild that “the girls were chased like cattle. I am stunned that such a thing is even possible in Hamburg. I am now afraid to even go into the neighborhood.”

What are the newest national laws protecting German citizens?

Dear Susanne,

Dear All,

Is integration of people of various cultures illusion?

Are illusions these news items?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-05/germany-shock-after-monstrous-attacks-rape-1000-men-arab-or-north-african-origin

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/world/europe/coordinated-attacks-on-women-in-cologne-were-unprecedented-germany-says.html?_r=0

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-germany-assaults-20160106-story.html

http://newobserveronline.com/mass-invader-sex-attacks-in-stuttgart-hamburg/

Some details:

„Then the victims were cornered, robbed, and sexually assaulted, the Bild continued. “The women were sexually assaulted on the breasts and in the groin area.”

According to the article, mobile phones and wallets were stolen. Police confirmed that all the victims were girls aged between 18 and 24 years old. Others avoided the mass attacks by “fleeing in panic to the bouncers outside party clubs and pubs.”

A 17-year-old named Denise told the Bild that “the girls were chased like cattle. I am stunned that such a thing is even possible in Hamburg. I am now afraid to even go into the neighborhood.”

What are the newest national laws protecting German citizens?

Dear All,

Is ostrich behaviour a good adaptation to real events?

Dear Susanne,

Are German people – women – frightened?

I have heard interviews with the German minister of justice, the major and the police chef of Cologne. What they indicated and said seemed not to be encouraging. Unfortunately, the police of Cologne – or the police of Germany – are continuing politically influenced helplessness and waffling.   

Dear RG Discussants:

In this politically charged environment, and in the best traditions of research, it is important to take an evidence-based approach. Thus, it is relevant to consider the German population as a whole, not only refugees. For example,  an official report reveals that the influx of refugees in Germany has not led to increased crime rates.

The German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) has announced that crimes committed by refugees are at the same level as those committed by native Germans. These findings result from an initial evaluation conducted by the BKA in cooperation with all federal states and commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior. 

The data gathered for the study was based on crime statistics dating from January until the end of September 2015. It evaluated overall crime rates, while singling out trends among migrants. In particular, the report noted a marked spike in crime at arrival centers for refugees - a trend it attributed to overcrowding of these facilities.

The study concluded that the majority of crimes committed by refugees (67%) consisted of theft, robbery and fraud. Sex crimes made for less than 1 percent of all crimes committed by refugees, while homicide registered the smallest fraction at 0.1 percent. Refugees from Iraq, Syria and the Balkans were more likely to commit crimes than from other countries of origin.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said that based on the numbers presently available, he would forecast refugees to be as prone to committing crimes as native Germans. "Each criminal act is one too many regardless of who commits it," he said. "The tendencies shown in this evaluation demonstrate that there is no disproportional increase in crime because of the presence of asylum seekers and refugees."

 The study did not examine or juxtapose crimes committed against refugees, which have been on the rise since the onset of the refugee influx in the summer of 2015.

Source: ss/kms (AFP, Reuters), citing a Deutsche Welle (DW) report of Nov 13, 2015. http://www.dw.com/en/report-refugees-have-not-increased-crime-rate-in-germany/a-18848890

Dear Franklin M M White,

Please try to read German news and concrete experience of people. By the way according to many German journalists, the official statistical data have been manipulated by the politics –as everywhere. Present situation is politically very delicate thus it is worth influencing voters. Here you are some German, English, Austrian, Swedish etc. resources dealing with the very situation:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3388490/Angela-Merkel-invited-baying-asylum-seeker-sex-mob-taunted-Cologne-police-robbing-raping-women.html

http://derstandard.at/2000028620344/Mehrere-Uebergriffe-auf-Frauen-in-der-Stadt-Salzburg

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/261362/muslim-war-women-comes-germany-daniel-greenfield

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/muhammad/myths-mu-rape.htm

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260275/muslim-rape-misunderstandings-come-europe-daniel-greenfield

https://www.facebook.com/notes/ali-a-rizvi/what-the-quran-says-about-rape/10152475110770700/

http://submission.org/Rape.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/das-menetekel-von-koeln-ein-kommentar-14004278.html

http://www.merkur.de/bayern/sexuelle-uebergriffe-frauen-auch-nuernberg-6017070.html

http://www.focus.de/regional/muenchen/vorfaelle-auch-in-bielefeld-und-frankfurt-ueberblick-hier-gab-es-in-der-silvesternacht-sexuelle-uebergriffe_id_5193421.html

http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/sexuelle-belaestigung-in-berlin-die-furcht-vor-alltaeglichen-uebergriffen/12799748.html

http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/silvesternacht-in-finnland-auch-in-finnland-und-schweden-gab-es-uebergriffe-auf-frauen/12807022.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3390168/Migrant-rape-fears-spread-Europe-Women-told-not-night-assaults-carried-Sweden-Finland-Germany-Austria-Switzerland-amid-warnings-gangs-ordinating-attacks.html

The same “behavioural patterns” were observed and suffered in the following European cities Cologne, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Nürnberg, München, Bielefeld, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Zürich, Wien, Salzburg Finland, Sweden…     

German people and journalists have used the word “vertuscht”  meaning real data were either faked or not considered in cases of migrant criminality. You can find the same phenomena in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway:  

http://www.epochtimes.de/politik/deutschland/verschlusssache-polizei-vertuscht-straftaten-von-asylanten-geheimhaltung-a1279527.html

http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article147987206/Verheimlicht-die-Polizei-brisante-Straftaten.html

Would you allow your wife and daughters to visit and stay for some weeks in one of these cities?

What would have done American policemen in similar situations?

You should look for the expression “Übergriffe auf Frauen” and will find enormous quantity of not officially confirmed data.

Dear Andras Bozsik and others:

I agree that the incidents in Cologne and elsewhere are serious and must be followed by investigation and appropriate action against perpetrators.  However, these steps must be based on evidence and the rule of law, and not only on media reports and public reaction as reported in the URLs you posted (and that also illustrate vividly my prior comment that the environment is “politically charged”).

A number of these reports play into the politics of hate and fear. Thus, in the context of refugee settlement, the role of the far right also needs scrutiny. For example, a US diplomatic report on crime in Germany states: “Right-wing extremism remains a center-stage issue and is on the rise. Far-right extremists committed more than 17,000 crimes in 2011, including more than 800 violent crimes.”[1]

So what, as scientists should we do to address such issues?  Join the chorus of uninformed and often manipulated public opinion, or promote an evidence-based approach? The best example of this so far is the initial evaluation conducted by the BKA in cooperation with all federal states and commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior, which revealed that “crimes committed by refugees are at the same level as those committed by native Germans”.  Of course, one swallow does not a summer make: more rigorous monitoring and evaluation studies should follow.

Given the struggle for the hearts and minds that is going on, especially in countries now receiving large numbers of refugees, I offer for the interest of RG discussants the following review of the work of American science writer, Stephen Jay Gould.

“Gould’s book The Mismeasure of Man” examines more than a century of work by people who believed they were doing scientific research and who were accepted as scientists but whose work was profoundly unscientific.  These researchers were not really trying to understand things that puzzled them.  Instead, they argued like lawyers, marshaling evidence that supported positions they already held. In this case they wanted to collect scientific evidence showing that northern European white men were superior to women and other peoples. As long as one form of data could be used to argue that point, they gathered it eagerly. The crisis came when the data and the conclusion no longer matched, for then they had to choose between acting like scientists trying to understand why their expectations were wrong or like loyal ideologues sticking to their assumptions no matter what the evidence says.”[2]

References

1.       United States Department of State. Germany 2015 Crime and Safety. https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=17094

2.       Stephen Jay Gould.  A essay included in: Edmund Blair Bolles (ed), Galileo’s Commandment. WH Freeman. New York. 1997

The Australian government has not passed a law  I think but has allowed 12 000 Syrians to enter in addition to the usual quota- they are beginning to arrive very soon.

The news from Australia is relevant to the RG question posed by Susanne Kleine.

Here in Canada, in October 2015 a newly elected Liberal government immediately acted on an election promise to boost the (until then very modest) intake of Syrian refugees: an additional 10,000 entered by the end of December.  Canada’s Minister of Immigration and Citizenship states that the resettlement program could reach 50,000 by the end of 2016.