Refugee crisis refers to the difficulties and dangers of a host nation’s reception of large groups of displaced people. Whether they are forcibly displaced individuals, asylum seekers or other huge groups of migrants, refugees face a range of challenges when they settle in a new country including navigating a different language and culture, finding housing and jobs, addressing discrimination, disrupted education, health issues and long-term trauma.
The global system of protecting refugees is in serious trouble. Across the globe, more than 21 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of violence or persecution, making them eligible for international protection and assistance. But many rich countries treat them as “somebody else’s problem,” hiding behind closed borders and fears of being flooded by refugees. This has allowed poorer Middle Eastern, African and South Asian countries to shoulder the burden of hosting 86% of all refugees.
Many host states fear destabilizing impacts of sizeable refugee populations, and their leaders sometimes attempt to manipulate refugee communities for unrelated political gains. This is dangerous and must be stopped. Policies that reduce risks to refugees and their hosts, and help them integrate into society, reduce conflict and strengthen state security.
The world’s wealthiest countries must take their share of the responsibility for refugee flows. They must also increase their financial contribution to the United Nations family of agencies. This will allow them to provide the critical funding and peacekeeping forces needed to protect the lives of millions of people.