by Jody McBrien, AWG Paris and Human Rights Team Co-Chair
This year commemorates the 22nd World Refugee Day. Twenty-five years ago, in 1998, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) recognized 6.2 million “refugees and persons of concern.”1 World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on June 20, 2001. In 2023, the number of people who are displaced, stateless, seeking asylum or refugees is 117.2 million.2 If this number were a country, it would be the 13th most populous on earth,3 just below Japan.
The 1951 Convention Related to the Status of Refugees was developed after World War II to address the millions of refugees resulting from the war. Into the 1960s and the Vietnam War, nations recognized that protections needed to be extended beyond the dates and geographical regions described in the 1951 Convention, resulting in the 1967 Protocol.
The 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol describe human rights to which refugees are entitled. These include nondiscrimination, religion, access to courts, wage-earning employment, housing, public education, freedom of movement, and more.4 Additionally, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), celebrating its 75th anniversary in December 2023, grants the right to asylum in Article 14.5
However, as international incidents of violence, terrorism, and war increase, resulting in higher numbers of refugees by the year, signatory countries to the international refugee treaties have become more averse to providing safe havens for those who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in grave need of safety. In addition, the increasing severity and frequency of climate-related disasters is expected to have a dramatic impact on the number of displaced persons in coming years.6 Anti-refugee rhetoric – as well as lack of knowledge about refugees – is apparent in wealthy nations such as the United States, Australia and European countries.7
2023 World Refugee Day
World Refugee Day is celebrated each year on June 20. The UK recognizes Refugee Week from June 19 to June 25. Its theme for this year is compassion. What a perfect concept to confront the wave of distrust, anger and fear against refugees and asylum seekers.
Many reading this article will be women privileged to live in relatively safe homes and neighborhoods. If you have children, they are likely to go to schools and be preparing for careers as adults. You have adequate food, water and household income through your own job, that of a spouse, or both. You have access to medical care. You feel safe belonging to organizations of your choice, and you can get together with friends and relatives without fear.
Try to imagine: warring factions have entered your community, and people found to disagree with either are in danger of death. Meeting with others has become dangerous. Because of violence, provisions of food and water have decreased, and the prices of these essential items have become prohibitive. Schools for girls have been attacked, and girls attending have been assaulted. Medical care is greatly reduced due to bombings of hospitals. Because of daily violence in the streets, your place of business has closed, and you have no way to make an income. People are being imprisoned or taken away, not to be heard from again.
What would you do? How would you feel if you fled to another country, only to be considered someone who was trying “to take advantage of the country’s social welfare resources?” How would you feel if residents thought of you as lazy freeloaders, dangerous immigrants or unwelcome newcomers?
Although wealthy countries complain about increased numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, the majority of this population is hosted by developing countries, including Uganda, Pakistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, Iran and Ethiopia.8 Hosting over one million, Germany is the wealthiest host, at number six.
Practicing Compassion
What can we, as FAWCO members, do to change the tide of unfair judgment and cruelty towards refugees and asylum seekers?
1. Learn
There is so much we can do to go beyond the often-problematic disinformation spread on many media sites. The UN provides so much helpful background information relevant to current issues for refugees and asylum-seekers, as does Amnesty International, the International Rescue Committee, and the World Refugee and Migrant Council.
The UK has an excellent website for World Refugee Day 2023 that includes many resources, including films. Soumaya’s Story, a poignant narrative about a disabled Palestinian refugee, is especially excellent.
For the past four years, I have had students in my university International Human Rights and Global Migration courses conduct interviews online with refugees living all over the world through the non-profit organization, NaTakallam. Many of them say this is the most important assignment they have had at the university. If you have never had personal contact with a refugee, this will provide you with the opportunity to meet a refugee and understand the issues.
2. Volunteer
Google your hometown or nearby city with a keyword such as “refugee services,” and see what pops up. You may be surprised that there are agencies near you in need of volunteers.
3. Inform
After you have spent time becoming better informed, don’t let it stop with you. When you hear others making negative comments about refugees and asylum seekers, respectfully provide more accurate information.
4. Get involved
The 2023 UK World Refugee Week site has a robust number of suggestions for honoring World Refugee Day, including films, books, artwork, activism and more. These can provide excellent ideas for you, wherever you may reside.
FAWCO Can Make a Difference
Frankly, when I read the news or talk to others about international situations, the need for compassion strikes me as perhaps the most important world need. And sometimes, the anger and mean-spiritedness towards “the other” – refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants – overwhelms me.
At the FAWCO Conference in Bratislava, I was struck by the concern for those in need. The generosity and open-mindedness of FAWCO members is a start. Together, we can make a difference. I encourage you, on World Refugee Day, to seek opportunities to learn and to advocate for refugees and asylum seekers. We can make the world a kinder, more supportive place!
6 Climate change is already fueling global migration. The world isn’t ready to meet people’s changing needs, experts say | PBS NewsHour
7 Mainstreaming Hate: The Anti-Immigrant Movement in the U.S.; Public Attitudes towards Asylum Seekers and Refugees; Explaining the Main Drivers of Anti-Immigration Attitudes in Europe
8 Refugees by Country 2023
Photo credits: Canva