A refugee crisis is a situation in which large groups of people are forced to flee their home countries because of conflict, war or natural disasters. Many are escaping violence or persecution and have left behind everything they own. They often need international protection in the form of asylum and access to food, water, shelter and medical care. Displaced people also need help finding work and the right to return to their homes once conflicts have ended and conditions improve.
Conflict and war are the most common reasons for mass displacement, but there are many other human-made calamities that can drive refugees across borders: human rights violations, poverty, hunger, lack of education, gender discrimination, and economic hardship are just some of them. When these circumstances are combined with an intractable civil war, they can lead to massive refugee crises – and the people trapped inside them are most vulnerable.
The protracted nature of most conflicts means that refugee communities remain displaced for years, or even decades. The physical and legal insecurity of these communities increases their vulnerability to violence, exploitation, and trafficking of women, children, and men for sex work and labour. The manipulation of displaced populations for political and strategic purposes further reduces their safety.
The vast majority of the world’s refugees are hosted by low and middle income countries that can barely afford to provide them with the bare essentials. It is time for wealthy countries to step up and take their share of responsibility for addressing the refugee crisis, and to support their neighbours as they do so.