Blog

<blockquote>This article was written by <strong>Sohrab Saljooki</strong>, Hello Neighbor Network’s 2022 summer intern. Sohrab is a rising senior studying History and Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.</blockquote><p>A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee their country because<br>of war, persecution, or violence. Even in the age of international cooperation and diplomacy, war can still rage on: destroying homes, schools, and lives.</p><p>On behalf of the <a href="https://www.neighbornetwork.io/">Hello Neighbor Network</a>, I wanted to share some of the most important policy developments, data analyses, and stories about the global refugee crisis that you may have missed this summer including:</p><ul><li><em>100 million people are forcibly displaced</em></li><li><em>World report on the health of refugees and migrants</em></li><li><em>Wider acceptance of refugees globally</em></li><li><em>Refugee offshoring policies</em></li><li><em>2023 projections: resettlement needs</em></li></ul><h4><a href="https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/insights/explainers/100-million-forcibly-displaced.html">UNHCR: More than 100 million people are forcibly displaced</a></h4><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/771/0*wK44C_WQHW_jE6Bu.png" /><figcaption>*2022 figures are estimated using data available as of 9 June 2022. Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder</figcaption></figure><p>Forced displacement, both internal and external, has only increased in scale as conflict worldwide escalates. According to the UNHCR, 1 in every 78 people in the world are currently forced from their homes as a result of violence.</p><blockquote>“…the war in Ukraine has displaced millions within the country as well as to other countries, primarily in Europe. In addition, new internal displacement surged in early 2022, notably in Myanmar and Burkina Faso as the situation in both countries continued to deteriorate.” — UNHCR</blockquote><h4><a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240054462">World Health Organization: World report on the health of refugees and migrants</a></h4><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/479/0*FcHU5ACPRJ43g8RB.png" /><figcaption>Front page cover for the July 20, 2022 refugee and migrant health report</figcaption></figure><p>This summer, the World Health Organization published an extensive report on the health and wellbeing of refugees and migrants around the world. To better understand the report, here is some key analysis from the health and medical experts who authored it:</p><ul><li>Section 3.8: “The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictive migration policies strongly affected global mobility and international migration.”</li><li>Section 2.2.3: “…structural stigma towards sexual minorities and immigrants has been associated with a lack of knowledge about HIV prevention and service coverage.”</li><li>Section 2.5.1: “Evidence from the United States indicates that health care providers may perceive refugee and migrant parents as having low levels of health literacy, which can have an impact on the establishment of trust between the two parties.”</li><li>Section 2.11.1: “In addition to the risk of communicable disease transmission, refugees and migrants may be exposed to various environmental and social risk factors in their living environment.”</li></ul><h4><a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-dk/world-refugee-day-2022-part-1#_ga=2.266978567.824063884.1657199446-39363106.1653570602">Ipsos: 78% globally agree that people should be able to take refuge in other countries</a></h4><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/960/0*qA0WZqo6DPDUZQ2q" /><figcaption>Per: Ipsos Denmark</figcaption></figure><p>As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an international campaign of support for refugees has taken off. According to a survey from Ipsos, broader acceptance of refugees has increased to 78% worldwide:</p><blockquote>“The survey, released today by Ipsos for World Refugee Day on the 20th of June, reveals a global country average of 78% of people, in the 28 countries surveyed, agreed in principle that people should be able to take refuge in other countries, including their own, to escape war or persecution.”</blockquote><p>In a world where borders, immigration, and differing cultures are points of political friction, it is hopeful to see acceptance of those fearing for their lives, no matter where they come from, has only been going up in 2022.</p><h4><a href="https://sway.office.com/D8hHGH0cV5bWYKJj?ref=Link">USCRI: The U.K.-Rwanda Deal and Refugee Offshoring</a></h4><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*UnvpNbeN5p4dMhia.jpg" /><figcaption>A soldier carries a child from a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, England, by Border Force, following a small boat incident in the Channel, Tuesday June 14, 2022. Andrew Matthews/AP</figcaption></figure><p>Boris Johnson’s administration in the United Kingdom enforced a new policy which offshores refugees in the U.K. to Rwanda. According to USCRI:</p><blockquote>“Under the new Memorandum of Understanding, the U.K. will relocate individuals who arrive to the U.K. to Rwanda to pursue their asylum claims there as opposed to in the U.K.”</blockquote><p>The legality of the deal was <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/62a317d34">put into question</a> by UNHCR, which said that the policy did not meet the standards for the 1951 Refugee Convention, to which the <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/1951-refugee-convention.html">U.K. is a signatory.</a></p><p>This policy highlights the thin legal protections migrants often face in their host countries, but also the low level of moral responsibility rich countries like the U.K. feel they have. When faced with asylum seekers at their borders, they send them away instead of providing resources, aid, and respecting their rights as dictated by international law.</p><h4><a href="https://www.unhcr.org/62b18e714">UNHCR: 2023 Projected Global Resettlement Needs</a></h4><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/745/0*5ATNtC8b_IFe4iIt.jpg" /><figcaption>Ecuador, February 2022. Venezuelan family dream of a better future in a new home. © UNHCR/Jaime Giménez</figcaption></figure><p>As I round off the summer recap, it is necessary to further highlight what we can expect in the coming months and years. In this report, UNHCR projects a serious expansion in the refugee crisis and resettlement needs:</p><blockquote>“In 2023, UNHCR estimates that global resettlement needs will significantly increase to 2,003,982 persons, as compared to 2022 when 1,473,156 were estimated to be in need of resettlement.”</blockquote><p>Data like this is disheartening for many reasons but, for the same reasons, knowing there are so many people in need of assistance should inspire you to jump to action. Donate, volunteer, and urge your lawmakers to make change.</p><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/202/0*YDulmqU--Tte6RUt.png" /></figure><p>Learn more about the <a href="https://www.neighbornetwork.io/">Hello Neighbor Network</a>. The Hello Neighbor Network accepts applications for Fellows every fall. <a href="http://eepurl.com/hnAmkT">Sign up for our newsletter</a> to be the first to know when applications open.</p><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=7712a3051cca" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr><p><a href="https://medium.com/hello-neighbor-network/refugees-5-important-summer-stories-7712a3051cca">Refugees: 5 Important Summer Stories</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/hello-neighbor-network">Hello Neighbor Network</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>