U.N. Marks World Refugee Day and Urges World’s Nations to Share Burden

Because we don’t live in a perfect, utopic world, people are often forced to leave their countries, adding to the ever-growing population of refugees who need a new home. Unfortunately, efforts of ending discrimination against them and raising awareness about the needs of these people are often ignored.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, will be visiting a refugee camp on Turkey’s territory, on Saturday, when the United Nations marks the World Refugee Day.

Guterres has given a statement warning against the global violence that spreads within the foundations of the international system. He also called the world’s nations to lend a helping hand and not turn their back in this hour of need.

These past few years were very harsh on refugees; records show a new peak, with more than 60 million people around the world having been displaced from their homes and countries because of persecution and social, economic or military conflict.

Almost 20 million of these people are refugees, with half of them children. Each continent is dealing with this social issue, as more unfortunate people join their numbers, and the only solution is a combined international effort that will ensure their survival.

Instead, the current global situation shows that those countries which could help the most are doing the exact opposite by refusing to process refugees and offering them political asylum; closing their borders and increasing the hostile surveillance. Legitimate escape opportunities become less of a possibility for people who need them the most.

According to reports of UNHCR, a humanitarian organization, 2014 has seen 42,500 people being displaced every day, with the Syria conflict being the largest driver of displacement. Unfortunately, it’s not the only one.

The Middle East is the one region that most refugees come from; more than 7.5 million Syrians are on the road inside the country, while 3.8 million have taken the chance of leaving it and becoming refugees.

Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a lot of people feeling conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and many others. Myanmar, in Asia, has reported growing numbers of fleeing people. The Americas have not been spared by the phenomenon, as more and more people are trying to escape gang violence in Central America.

Guterres issued a call to action, asking the world’s richer nations to lend a hand and share the burden of processing and offering asylum to the victims of war. Otherwise, the real risk is overwhelming the poorer nations, which handle 86 percent of the world’s refugees.
Image Source: UNHCR