The world’s system for protecting refugees is broken.
From the vast tent cities of Syria to Europe’s barbed wire fences, the world has forgotten how to help people forced to flee. The result is a global refugee crisis that will not end until the conflicts and persecution that caused it to begin are eliminated.
But this will take time, money and leadership. It will require all countries, rich and poor, to join together to provide protection for all, as agreed in the 1951 Refugee Convention and UN agencies like UNHCR. And it will require the commitment to invest in the skills and opportunities of all people, including refugees and migrants, so they can contribute to their own communities and economies.
In the meantime, governments must also put people’s safety above all else by investigating and prosecuting gangs who profit from the misery of migrants and refugees – especially women and children – who are often harmed or killed on dingy boats crossing the Mediterranean. They must also work to prevent xenophobia and racial discrimination and ensure that all people, including refugees and migrants, have access to the same services that they would in their country of asylum.
Local integration – when refugees are invited to permanently settle in their host countries – is another alternative to displacement and offers them new opportunities for self-reliance. In many cases, this can be done without resorting to resettlement or relocation, and should be a higher priority.
About the Author
