As of the end of 2023, nearly 120 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced, with over half internally displaced. Seventy-five percent of the world’s refugees and others in need of international protection are hosted by low- and middle-income countries, and 69 percent are hosted in neighboring countries. Children are disproportionately affected; while they are 30 percent of the world’s population, they make up 40 percent of all those forcibly displaced. Just five countries in the world—Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, and South Sudan—make up a majority (73 percent) of all refugees, driven by devastating conflict and insecurity in those countries.
The elements fueling the rise in refugees are as varied as the countries refugees come from. In Afghanistan, the return of the Taliban to power has forced many to flee, particularly women and girls whose rights have been stripped entirely. Syria, Ukraine, and South Sudan have been ravaged by war, the perennial driver of displacement. In Venezuela, another significant contributor to the refugee crisis, gang warfare and rampant violence, as well as a precarious economic situation, have driven many to flee to safety and stability in nearby countries, in what UNHCR calls “the largest forced displacement crisis ever in Latin America.”
The Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar stems from violence against the group, which is not recognized as an official ethnic group in Myanmar and whose members, on that basis, have been denied citizenship, rendering them stateless. Even in countries where Rohingya have found refuge, such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia, they have faced violence and persecution from the host countries’ citizens.
It is hard to assess the disastrous impact of Trump’s immigration policy on our economy and its horrific human rights violations. Every man and woman of conscience is duty-bound to raise their voices and peacefully and relentlessly protest to stop Trump from inflicting such widespread harm on tens of millions of people I understand the…
Content Warning: This story and its accompanying photos include detailed descriptions of war, violence, physical assault, and threats against children. ——— Twice in my life, the United States has been my salvation, offering refuge and a path to survival during moments of profound crisis and imminent death. The first time was in 1999, during the…
Even when religious life in the country of origin stops because of exile and displacement, the influence of religion persists not only through family life, culture, and transnational forms of communication, but it is also changed by the cultural and political contexts of resettlement. These religious transformations are not sufficiently studied across different religions and…
Since the pandemic, religious communities have gained visibility and credibility in the management of global crises and when it comes to forced migration, international organizations are undoubtedly paying greater attention. However, this awareness does not automatically translate into deliberate and efficient action that takes religion seriously. Besides the secular myopia that permeates most political actions…
To dramatically slow the flow of illegal immigration and even end it does not rest on building walls or sending troops to the border, or by heartlessly snatching children from their mothers’ arms, or by incarceration, deportation, or prosecution. A big part of the answer lies in economic development, mainly sustainable development projects, in the…