June 20 is the United Nations’ World Refugee Day, an effort to commemorate and recognize the millions of human beings across the globe that have been pushed out of their homes as a result of various conflicts and wars. This year’s World Refugee Day serves as a grim reminder of the numerous ongoing political and social struggles that have caused, at present, the greatest number of refugees in modern history. In fact, The Economist reports that the world’s refugees now outnumber the entire population of Spain, with the enduring Syrian conflict pushing the total number to well over 50 million at the end of 2013.
This figure represents a 13 percent increase from 2012, the largest annual increase in refugees ever. Primarily, this is a result of the ever-increasing turmoil afflicting Syria. One quick look at the chilling statistics from the conflict confirms the rampant chaos it has produced. Nearly 2.5 million Syrians have fled their home country to neighboring Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, earning them official “refugee” status from the UN and international organizations. Over 1.1 million of them are children, according to official numbers from the UNHCR. But there are an additional 6.5 million homeless and internally displaced persons (IDPs) within the country itself who are facing equally dire circumstances. These numbers make the Syrian conflict the greatest refugee-producing conflict of the past twenty years, outnumbering even the Rwandan genocide, the Kosovo war, and the Iraq war—all of which produced hundreds of thousands (or, in the case of Rwanda, two million) refugees of their own.
And while these numbers are staggering, Syria’s woes have slowly faded into the background of media and public discourse as the apparent hopelessness and stagnant nature of the struggle, the troublesome risks of external intervention and aid, and the sheer complexity and nuance of the situation render the civil war extremely difficult to cover in the media. And while these are all reasonable explanations for the under-coverage of the conflict, this relative lack of attention has real and substantive consequences. Donations to established NGOs and aid organizations in the region have tapered significantly since the beginning of the conflict three years ago. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has established a fundraising goal for the conflict of around $4 million and, to date, has only received about 27 percent of this goal. Other organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders, the International Rescue Committee, and the Institute of Family Health, have all cited a severe shortage of resources and volunteers for their efforts in the region.
Syria is only the tip of the iceberg. A number of pervasive and incredibly deadly armed conflicts have also produced their own substantial body of refugees over the past few years, many of these refugees still displaced and in need of aid. Most recently, conflict in the Central African Republic has produced more than 250,000 refugees and almost one million IDPs; the war in Somalia, now in its fourth year, faces 1.1 million refugees and 1.1 million IDPs; 150,000 refugees and 250,000 IDPs still require assistance in and around Mali; Myanmar’s internal strife and genocidal conflict has produced nearly 500,000 refugees and 375,000 IDPs still in need of assistance; 400,000 refugees and just under one million IDPs from the Iraq war still require assistance, not taking into account the most recent spike in numbers after the ISIS attacks over the past month; and Afghan refugees number over 2.5 million, with over 600,000 IDPs.
Additionally, many older conflicts and wars generated massive numbers of refugees, many of them still living in camps or seeking homes. The Darfur genocide and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are perhaps the preeminent situations in this category, but almost one million refugees still exist in the aftermath of Europe’s various genocides and wars (e.g., the Balkans, Bosnia, Georgia, Ukraine). Colombia’s pervasive drug wars of the past decade and the violence of their Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) have created almost half a million refugees and over five million IDPs. The numbers go on and on to amount to the total figure of 50 million cited at the start of this article.
Beyond these dire statistics are the disheartening economic and political consequences that ongoing refugee crises have on both their surrounding region and, in some cases, the world at large. In Syria, for example, the national currency has seen a more than 50 percent decrease in its value since the start of the war. Severe inflation has made basic necessities almost impossible to purchase for a large segment of the population. The entrenched instability of the nation has also made it fertile ground for extremist organizations to gain traction, most recently ISIS. The large number of refugee children also creates fears of a “lost generation” in Syria: almost half a million children under 18 live without any access to education or means of escape. The political effects of the ongoing refugee situations in Iraq and Afghanistan are self-evident given the heavy US involvement in those nations’ wars. In Colombia, the vehement conflict between the nation’s armed forces and rebel groups such as FARC has contributed to the forced recruitment of child soldiers, sexual- and gender-based violence, and human trafficking, in addition to the refugee situation itself.
While reading and digesting all of this information can be demoralizing, the overall purpose of World Refugee Day is to transcend the natural discomfort and sadness engendered by this information. Instead, the focus of the United Nations, has been, first, to inform the public about the existence of these ongoing issues; second, to explain the geopolitical and economic effects that unaddressed refugee crises have on their immediate regions and the world at large; and, finally, to highlight the very real and tangible ways in which every person can get involved by donating either time or money.
Furthermore, it is very important to revise one’s possible preconceived notions regarding refugees. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated, for example, “Most of the world’s refugees—86 percent—live in the developing world, compared to 70 percent 10 years ago.” This is an extremely optimistic aspect of the world refugee crisis: a large majority of refugees have been successful in finding sanctuary far away from their home countries, and a huge number of developed nations have been generous and welcoming to refugees from around the world.
While the need for a World Refugee Day is perhaps unsettling and upsetting in its own right, the crux of the issue remains. Millions of human beings have faced unimaginable struggles and forced departure from their homes. Many have persevered, relocated, attempted, and in many cases succeeded, in assimilating themselves into new and foreign communities. But millions more still face homelessness, squalor, and imminent threats. Recognizing their struggle, staying informed, and, perhaps, getting involved in the crisis: these are the goals of World Refugee Day, a grim reminder of the struggles that so often escape our notice.
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Action Against Hunger
UNHCR
Refugees International
Doctors Without Borders
CARE
Islamic Relief USA
International Rescue Committee
International Medical Corps
Image sources: www.unhcr.org.uk, www.unrefugees.org.au
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