Syria Earthquake Crisis Response: Policy Brief

On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple severe aftershocks hit Türkiye (Turkey) and northwest Syria, creating a complex humanitarian emergency. The death toll across the region resulting from the earthquake is nearing 50,000 and rising as recovery efforts progress. In Syria, the death toll is over 5,800 people and there are more than 10,000 recorded injuries. The majority of casualties are in the northwest of Syria, where there were at least 4,400 deaths and over 8,000 injuries. Across Syria and Türkiye, nearly 23 million are displaced or in need of humanitarian assistance.

While Türkiye is receiving direct aid from donor countries, humanitarian access in Syria is severely limited, raising concerns particularly for the 5.3 million people in northwest Syria in need of emergency assistance and humanitarian relief, most of whom are women and children. The current crisis resulting from the earthquake exacerbates already existing humanitarian need in the region from nearly 12 years of civil war. Other factors such as economic sanctions complicate the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance to portions of territory in the north controlled by the Syrian government, while the remaining territory is the under the control of de facto authorities whose jurisdiction is not internationally recognized.

Across the worst-affected areas in Syria, women and girls face displacement, food insecurity, lack of adequate health services, and loss of education and economic opportunities. They also encounter increased exposure to sexual and gender-based violence and face heightened health risks due to a lack of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services. As the crisis continues and the earthquake recovery process begins, harmful gender norms and practices such as child, early, and forced marriage will persist.