Page 31 - EN-Youth Report

Political rights

When the targeted audience was asked
about the main cause of the problems and
unrest in Syria on a long-term basis, more than half
of the respondents (56%) replied that the Syrian

regime is the main cause of the problems in Syria, which is
not surprising, given the continuous oppression by the
regime against any possible ambitions of Syrian youth in
participating actively in the political life of their country.

The usage of Military action, tactics of besiegement, arrests and forced
disappearances have led to serious human rights violations. The absence of
international mechanisms to achieve justice and the practices of the Syrian
regime against civilians in addition to its continued presence in power are considered the primary drivers
for young people to join violent extremist groups. This should be taken into consideration in any effort
aimed at achieving a sustainable political transition that aims to treat the main causes of instability in Syria.

This is an important indicator of the illegitimacy of the Syrian regime in this region, in face of calls for the

resettlement of Syrian refugees in areas that have been re-controlled by the regime's forces. It signifies
to which extent the Syrian people refuse to accept the retake of control of the current regime, while
continuing to obstruct any political reform.

Ranked second by the respondents , External intervention (by the Russians, Iranians, and of Hezbollah)
had 29% of the overall votes, which is also an indicator of the extend of which local communities in
Northwestern Syria (including those who were forcibly displaced ) suffered from the military role that the
Russians and Iranians were playing . Causing major of harm to the population through armed means, and
to the mediation efforts they played in forcing the population to leave their areas, young people of the
areas surveyed consider them a major factor of instability and a primary attributer to their suffering.

Only 4% mentioned that violent extremist groups are the main cause for problems in Syria on the long-
term level, or that other groups, such as the Free Syrian Army (8%) or the Self administration (2%) are
responsible for the problems facing the community. This reinforces the Syrian civil society's narrative that
violent extremism in Syria is rather a result of what is happening in Syria, and not a cause in itself. We tried
to go deeper into this query by asking another level of questions, but this time with focus on the main
cause of the problems at the local level, and not Syria as a whole. Although the percentage of jihadist
groups rose from 4% to 14%, half of the participants retained their choice of Syrian regime as a major

cause of problems at the local level (43% vs. 56%). The rate of external intervention decreased significantly
to 13%. These findings should be taken into consideration while planning for the future of Northwest Syria
in particular.

31 | MAPPING YOUTH SITUATION IN NORTHWESTERN SYRIA