Abdul Razak Hariri: Syrian Refugee Analysis

Abdul Razak Hariri is a Syrian refugee who was resettled, with his wife and five children, in Charlotte, NC in October 2015. For the purpose of this paper, Hariri will be treated as if he has just stepped foot in the country. The information about Hariri can be found in the Charlotte Observer article entitled, “A Family in Charlotte, Free From Fear at Last” (Batten, T., 2015). Hariri is from Daraa, Syria, which is where the unrest in Syria began in 2011. There he was an auto mechanic. Hariri and his family faced several traumatic experiences. His brother was kidnapped and ultimately put in prison. They heard nothing for three months until Hariri was called to identify the body. He stated that the body had been so abused that he couldn’t identify …show more content…
Something as simple as buying groceries could be very difficult for him. The social worker would need to help teach Hariri these skills. Going to the grocery store would entail finding and understanding how to access public transportation. After this Hariri would need to know where the grocery store is and what type of food can be found there. If there is not an Arabic grocery store accessible to Hariri, he may need to be shown how to shop at an American grocery store for the type of food that he and his wife know how to cook. Furthermore, he may not know how to use his EBT card and will need to be shown the first time. In the beginning of his time here, there are many small skills things that an average American would take for granted that Hariri would need to learn from his social …show more content…
Hariri may chose to begin working, or to take some time to first learn English. This is something that the social worker would need to discuss with Hariri. By having this conversation, the social worker can help Hariri to again have a sense that he is in control of his life. The social worker could then link him to resources in local ESL classes and/or begin to help him to find employment. The social worker should help Hariri to understand the importance that he is already skilled in a particular vocational area. This is a great strength of Hariri. The social worker should be able to help him to find a job as a car mechanic. Many of these steps that the social worker is taking is all under the assumption that Hariri is emotionally in a good place. Hariri has been through several traumatic experiences. He may need to be linked to a counseling resource before he can begin with ESL or