by Brigid Rowlings, LHI Communications Director
What is a refugee?
A refugee is a person, just like you and me. A person becomes a refugee when he or she flees war, violence, or religious, political, or racial persecution. Or, a person may become a refugee because of a natural disaster, like an earthquake or hurricane, or because climate change is creating flooding, drought or crop shortage in their community.
Where do refugees go?
This is a tough question to answer. Imagine you had only moments to leave your home because your life was in immediate danger. Where would you go? If you are like me, you’d think of hopping in your car and driving. But where? Which way is safe? What if it’s not just you but your whole community that is in danger? Everyone else would be hopping into their cars, and you’d end up in a huge traffic jam. And, what if you only had half a tank of gas? You could go on foot. But what if you have two small children or an elderly parent with you? What if your spouse or partner is at work and your kids are at school? What do you do?
These are the “in the moment” decisions many refugees have to make. Their destination may be simply “safety.” Other refugees may have more time to prepare to leave and a clear destination, but face the challenge of getting there and figuring out how to request asylum.
Image credit: USA for UNHRC
According to the 2021 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Global Trends Report, there were 27.1 million refugees worldwide at the end of the year. About 22% of these people live in refugee camps. Of these, about 4.5 million people live in camps planned and managed by organizations like the United Nations. Another 2 million live in camps they’ve created on their own. Other refugees live in urban areas. However, because the majority of the world’s refugees are living in low and middle income countries, those who live in cities are often forced to live in substandard housing.
What choices do refugees have once they’ve reached safety?
The choices available to refugees really depend on where the refugees end up. Many refugees end up in countries where they are restricted to a particular area like a refugee camp. These people often cannot move freely about their host country. Refugees are also often not allowed to work and have limited access to bank accounts. For those allowed to work, their options may be more limited than at home. Host countries may not recognize the credentials of professionals like doctors, nurses, lawyers and teachers. Many refugees have to learn to speak another language and navigate a new culture and economic system, and this limits their earning potential.
LHI’s Gather for Goats program provides Syrian refugees living in Jordan with a pair of milk goats. The milk goats increase the self-sufficiency and food security of the families who receive them.
Refugees can choose to return to their home countries, but are protected by international law from being forcibly returned if they face serious threats to their lives or freedom. A small percentage of refugees (about 2.4%) may be resettled in a third country (i.e. a country other than their home and host country). This means the country grants the refugees permission to live and work there on a long-term or permanent basis.
Unfortunately, according to the UNHCR's Global Report, at the end of 2021, 74% of the world’s refugees, or approximately 15.9 million people, were displaced in “protracted situations.” In other words, these people had been refugees for at least 5 consecutive years. No one chooses to be a refugee, and so this statistic shows us that the choices of most refugees are limited.
What is an internally displaced person?
The women and children at the LHI Shelter in Lviv, Ukraine are internally displaced people. They have fled the fighting in the east, but remain in Ukraine.
An internally displaced person is a person who has fled home in search of safety, but still lives in their home country. At the end of 2021, there were 51.3 million internally displaced people worldwide.
Internally displaced people might be ethnic or religious minorities forced out of their homes and into regions that lack adequate access to water, food, and shelter. Or, they might be people fleeing conflict in their home towns only to arrive in other parts of the country that are not prepared for a large influx of new residents. Unlike refugees, who have crossed into another country, internally displaced persons are not protected by international law. It is often difficult to get aid to internally displaced people because of their location and because their government may not allow aid or aid workers into the country.
IDPs stay within their own country and remain under the protection of its government, even if that government is the reason for their displacement. They often move to areas where it is difficult for us to deliver humanitarian assistance and as a result, these people are among the most vulnerable in the world.