A refugee crisis is a situation that affects displaced people who need international protection, such as refugees or internally displaced people (IDPs). They have been forced to flee their homes because of persecution or severe threats of violence for reasons such as their beliefs, race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity. They have no choice but to seek safety abroad, leaving behind their belongings, their homes and often their families.
As a result, the world is currently facing a major refugee crisis. There are 42.7 million refugees worldwide, including 31 million people supported by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. This is the highest figure since World War II. The numbers have risen sharply since 2008, partly due to the global economic crisis and rising conflict in Syria, but also because of ongoing conflict elsewhere, such as in Yemen or South Sudan, and natural disasters, such as droughts in Ethiopia and Myanmar.
The world’s system for protecting refugees is broken. Most rich countries treat refugee crises as ‘somebody else’s problem’, and rely on poorer, mainly Middle Eastern, African and South Asian countries to host the vast majority of the world’s refugees. These countries are already stretched by their own fragilities and resource limitations, and many face resentment from local communities that feel overwhelmed by the presence of refugees.
Regional governments often manipulate refugee populations, using them as bargaining chips in negotiations with Western states desperate to stop the flow of asylum seekers. Humanitarian organizations and refugees condemn this manipulation and commodification of displaced people.
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