World Refugee Day 2022 – A Stark Reminder of Bias and Unequal Treatment

Everyone has the right to seek safety – But is this actually the case?

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, more than 14 million people have been displaced. Almost seven million Ukrainians left for neighbouring countries. Another 8 million people are displaced inside Ukraine.

The international community responded quickly to this crisis. Neighbouring countries opened their borders and the EU has given Ukrainians the right to stay and work in all of its 27 member states for the next three years.

But this is not the whole story.

The lives of some refugees seem to be more valuable than those of others.

Not all refugees are created equal

Soon after the start of Russia’s invasion, reports started to emerge that Black and Brown people were prevented from crossing borders and seeking safety in neighbouring countries.

In that sense, the current crisis also highlights gaps in refugee protection – the lives of some refugees seem to be more valuable than those of others.

World Refugee Day 2022 – The right to seek safety

Today on World Refugee Day we must remind ourselves of this unequal treatment and the remaining gaps in refugee protection. Launched by the United Nations to pay tribute to refugees around the globe, this day is an occasion to educate ourselves on the plight of refugees and to take action. The focus of this year’s World Refugee Day is on the right to seek safety.

Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety. [2]

Some of the pictures we have seen from Ukraine seem to contradict that statement. Brown and Black people do not seem to have that right in equal measure. However, the problem is much more far-reaching than Ukraine and ultimately deeply entrenched in the current global refugee protection system.

Neglected displacement crises

Each year, the Norwegian Refugee Council publishes a list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises. [3] In other words, crises for which there is no political will to solve them, hardly any media attention and consequently hardly any funding.

For this year’s list all of the ten most neglected crises are on the African continent. This is hardly surprising. Media coverage is low to non-existent. Donors are hesitant to provide more funding – progress is limited and crises protracted. And ultimately, they are not a political priority – geopolitically not relevant enough.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) tops this year’s list. After Ethiopia, the DRC recorded the second highest number of internal displacement in Africa in 2021 – 2.7million. [4] The total is an estimated 5.5 million people this year.

Marie*(all names have been changed to protect identity) and Priscilla have both been internally displaced. Like so many other women Marie has been abandoned by her husband after he found out about her having been raped by armed groups. She now cares for her children on her own. But here in the countrside livelihood opportunities are limited. Most of the displaced have no other option than to cultivate the fields of others – often making less than $1 a day.

Food insecurity has reached new record levels - 27 million people, a third of the country’s population, go hungry. The relief aid provided to DRC last year was less than $1 a week per person in need of assistance. [5]

Even those who have been displaced to an urban setting struggle to make ends meet. One woman confided in me that as long she holds her current job – carrying objects to seasonal markets like the one pictured above – she will not feel like a normal resident of Goma. Her job makes her aware of her status as a displaced person every single day. Her husband is severely disabled and cannot provide for the family.

The UN’s focus on the right to seek safety for this World Refugee Day should be more than a rhetorical exercise

Even for displacement crises that do not feature on NRC’s list the outlook can be equally grim. 11 years after the beginning of the Syrian civil war, most Syrians – roughly 5.6 million – are hosted in neighbouring countries. The overwhelming majority struggles to make ends meet and lives in poverty. This is especially true of Lebanon. Despite the ongoing multiple crises the country is currently facing, an estimated 1.5 million Syrians remain here. As a result of the economic crisis and hyperinflation, over 90 percent of Syrians in Lebanon now live in extreme poverty. Negative coping mechanisms abound. Many children drop out of school and work. Sex work is also common.

Three boys from Syria aged 11 - 13 stand facing away from the camera

Due to the current economic crisis and hyperinflation Reem can no longer afford milk for her daughter. Her two older sons work when they get home from school to help provide for the little family.

On this World Refugee Day we should look at the crisis in Ukraine as an example of what is achievable when the international community makes displacement a priority.

The media has been covering the war in Ukraine thoroughly. Funding has been generous – whether from donor countries, private companies or individuals. And the international community makes a concerted effort to manage and solve the crisis. The same must be done for other displacement crises.

Timing could not be more crucial. Many host countries in the Global South still feel the economic effects of the pandemic and recurrent lockdowns. Escalating fuel and wheat prices further compound the situation of millions of displaced people. If the international community does not act in a timely manner, this will have disastrous consequences – for both the forcibly displaced, host communities and possibly entire regions.

The UN’s focus on the right to seek safety for this World Refugee Day should be more than a rhetorical exercise. It should be a lived reality for those who had to flee armed conflict and persecution.

Omar (13) and Mohammed (12), originally from Syria, work in a recycling company not too far away from the camp in which they live. Neither of them attends schools. For a full day of work they receive 20,000 Lebanese pounds, which at the current black market exchange rate is less than a dollar. Working conditions are tough, and the chemicals they are exposed to on a daily basis make it hard for them to breathe. For this reason, they recently had to quit working in the factory. Omar would like to be a surgeon, while Mohammed dreams of being an engineer one day. Hardly any of the children in this camp in the Beqaa valley has ever attended school.

Here is how you can support World Refugee Day today!

You visit the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) website to learn more about World Refugee Day and other organisations and charities working to help refugees arounf the world.

If you want to support and amplify the message of the UNCHR, you have different options.

You can go to the UNHCR website and join their campaign from there by adding a photo of yourself with a blue solidarity ribbon (click any of the photos to add yours).
You can read and share the message of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees - read it here.
Another is way is to use: #withrefugees and #WorldRefugeeDay on your social media.
If you'd like to make a donation, you can donate directly here if you are on the UK or via the UNHCR website.

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