The global refugee problem
I want to start my text of
explaining what exactly a refugee is.
''A refugee is a person
who is outside their home country because they have suffered (or
feared) persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, or
political opinion; because they are a member of a persecuted social
category of persons; or because they are fleeing a war. Such a person
may be called an "asylum seeker" until recognized by the
state where they make a claim.''
Extract from wikipedia
(source at the bottom)
But where do these
refugees come from? Every year about 43 million people are leaving
their homses because of war, natural disasters etc. In 2014, Syria,
Palestine, and Afghanistan were the largest source country of
refugees. The country hosting the largest number of refugees at the
moment is Syria, with 2.47 million refugees. Pakistan is second,
hosting 1.6 million refugees. The current amount of refugees is
largest since the 1990's. These refugees face a lot of problems. They
have to leave their home, leave their past behind and start from
scratch. For someone this may be a good thing, but leaving everything
behind is never easy. If they have to move from their home land
forever, they will also have to adapt to a new society and adapt to
its norms and values.
Refugees will often end up
in refugee camps. Approximately 700 refugee camps locations around
the world. A refugee camp is a place built by governments or NGOs
such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. The refugees in
these camps may stay for food and medical help until its safe to
return to their homes. Some times, the refugees never get to return
to their homes for safety reasons. As a result they are resettled in
"third countries", away from the border they crossed.
However, more often than not, refugees are not resettled. In the
meantime, child soldier recruitment, they are at risk for disease,
terrorist recruitment, and physical and sexual violence.
When war or civil unrest
ravages a community, masses or people are forcibly displaced. At the
extreme, they are left with only two options: death by privation,
assault or genocide, or life in exile. By 2010, UNHCR had identified
6.6 million stateless persons in 60 countries. Yet it estimated that
the overall number was the double of this. Unfortunately, natural
disasters and conflict continue to take their toll on people like
this. But it is much, much better than it might have been, thanks to
the commitment of the UN to help them return to their homes.
I will leave
you with an extract from the New York times showing problems with
illegal immigration by boat in Australia.
''Last fall, Prime
Minister Tony Abbott launched Operation Sovereign Borders, a campaign
involving the military to divert boats full of asylum seekers to
Indonesia before they can reach Australian shores. Immigration
Minister Scott Morrison now says that no boat has arrived in
Australia in the last six months, and vows to
My sources:
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