World Refugee Crises

WORLD REFUGEE CRISES: AN UNPRECEDENTED FIGURE IN AN UNPRECEDENTED PERIOD

- By Omar Mohamed

Conflict, convid-19, and climate change remain the main topics of discussion for non-governmental organizations and countries across the globe this year. The global refugee remains a multifactor phenomenon, economic challenges, civil wars and political unrest, and weather all contribute to the current world gross human mobility. However, as covid-19 hit the world early 2020, refugees and other displaced people become the most vulnerable people globally. To them, the simple and basic health and lockdown messages from governments and health officials of ‘Don’t travel.” “Stay at home.” “Keep your distance.” “Get tested.” “Washing your hands frequently’’ etc was impossible.

This was due their lack of basic needs and abilities to protect themselves from the virus and follow those health and safe grounding instructions. In addition to that, national borders that would enable them to reach a safe country were closed, this resulted in the exclusion of the refugees and internally displaced people from major covid-19 interventions. And because of the following work restrictions in most of the hosting countries, resettlement programs have become the slowest in about two decades.

Statistics show that those seeking refuge has dramatically increased across regions from horn of Africa to Iraq to Myanmar and from Ukraine to Venezuela. UNHCR estimates show that by the end of this year there will be over 100 million refugees, this will be over ten million refugees more than the figures in the previous 2021. Thanks to the ongoing civil wars in Ethiopia Tigray region and Syria, and the war in Ukraine. The UN report adds that two third of the people crossing the border in a bid to seek refuge are from just five countries, Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar. Alarmingly, data from some 40 countries that host refugees explains that at all educational levels, refugees’ enrolment is significantly lower than that of non-refugees. While pre-pandemic young refugees were about 30 percent less likely to successfully finish their primary school and as half likely to complete their lower to secondary schooling. This reads with the fact that the majority of those fleeing from their homes are in the early and middle ages. UN sources tell that about 83 percent of world refugees live in low- and middle-income countries, Germany being the only western European country among the five major hosting nations, and it hosts the least numbers, the rest being Turkey, Colombia, Uganda, and Pakistan.

Facts:

Major hosting countries

Turkey – 3.8Mi Colombia – 1.8m Uganda – 1.5m Pakistan – 1.5m Germany – 1.3m

Major source countries

Syria – 6.8m Venezuela – 4.6m Afghanistan – 2.7m South Sudan – 2.4m Myanmar – 1.2m