Refugee: This world belongs to everyone
Safeed S
Imagine a war is taking place in your native place. What will be your primary aim at that time? Obviously to escape from that particular place and move to a safer zone. The situation demands it. Millions of people are there throughout this globe who faces this situation and this blog is all about such people, who have been the victims in such cases.
A refugee is a person who is forced to leave his/her country due to issues like war, terrorism, natural disasters, religious violence, economic crisis etc. There are about 26 million refugees globally. Most probably, refugees will not return to their own country due to fear of repeating such issues again. The agonizing factor is that the process of migration is increasing day by day. The latest has been the incident that occurred in Sri Lanka. The fall in the value of the Srilankan money has led to the downfall of the entire nation. As a result of this, many Srilankan people have migrated to India and other neighbouring nations. Protests are still going on in the island nation. 68% of those displaced across borders come from five countries- Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar.
Challenges faced by refugees
Migrating to another country, settling there down, and acquiring a peaceful life is not an easy task. The poor refugees have to face a lot of problems and challenges to move on. Let’s see some of the important challenges faced by the refugees.
- Language issues- Most of the refugees flee to countries that do not speak their mother tongue. For example, if a Kenyan person migrates to England where English is the main language, he/she will struggle a lot to cope with the situation and language. Because the national language of Kenya is Swahili and they do not often speak English. Even though, if they adapt to the conditions and learn the language, it can take a long time to do so. Communication is way too important and as you know without proper communication skills it is even difficult to go through basic needs.
- Getting a job- A job is an imperative factor for any human being. As you know, without a job it is difficult to survive. In this generation, it is difficult for any citizen to attain a good and standard job in his/her own country. If that is the case, just imagine the situation of a refugee. Moving to a strange nation, coping with the situation, and getting a job is not at all an easy ask. You have to struggle a lot, work harder and harder, and need to be patient enough to get a job for a proper living.
- Raising children- This is another huge challenge faced by refugee parents. To even raise a child in normal conditions is going to be a herculean task. Then, as a refugee, it is going to be a gigantic task. First of all, for a child to cope with the situations in a new nation is not that easy. The child should adjust to the climate of the new nation, the child should adjust to the language of the new nation, and the child should adjust to the culture of the new nation. In a nutshell, the child should be an adopted son/daughter of the new nation. Moreover, the financial aspects to look after a child is another sort of a challenge.
- Adjusting with the culture- As you all know different countries have different cultures. To cope up with the culture is not at all going to be easy. Even if people of a particular nation are considering some of their cultures in a positive manner, that will not be the case for the refugees. Some of these cultures considered as positive by the native people may be considered as negative by the refugees. Also, the mannerisms, culture, and dressing styles of the refugees have led them to become a laughing stock among the native people.
- Secure housing- If you need to acquire a house even for rent, you have to pay a big amount. Isn’t it? Then just imagine the case of the refugees. Most of the refugees may be having low income and with that low income to acquire a home is very difficult and even if they acquire one, they have to pay the rent at correct time and to continue living in the same house is going to be a difficult ask. Another huge challenge is that, the house owners takes advantage of this situation. They will sometimes increase the rent and if the refugees does not agree to this condition, they will threaten them to kick out of the house. Poor refugees who does not know English well and does not know the laws of the host nation have to either agree to the condition or just have to leave the house. There is nothing more they can do.
- Transportation- As a refugee, to attain driving licence is going to be a herculean task as the driver should know English language and should be literate. Due to this reason, most of the refugees fail to get a driving licence and they use the vehicles of some rare refugees who have licence. This leads to an uncomfortable journey. Just imagine a car with too many people in it. What will be the situation? It will be difficult even to breathe, Isn’t it? On the other hand, the situation with public transportation is also not that different. Due to lack of knowledge in English language or the respective country’s native language, it may be difficult for the refugees to identify the required routes and places leading to confusion and going to wrong places.
What is a refugee camp?
A refugee camp is a temporary facility constructed as an immediate protection for refugees who comes from different countries. All the basic needs and facilities will be provided in the camp. The refugees will be accommodated in the refugee camp until the refugees get a permanent facility to live in. 6 million refugees lives in the refugee camp, i.e., 22 percent of the world’s refugee population. Some of the world’s largest refugee camps are Kutupalong-Balukhali expansion site(Bangladesh), Bidi Bidi refugee camp(Uganda), Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps(Kenya), Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps(Jordan), Nyarugusu, Nduta, and Mtendeli refugee camps(Tanzania), and Kebribeyah Aw-barre and Sheder refugee camps
(Ethiopia).
World Refugee Day
World refugee day is celebrated on June 20 every year to honour the refugees throughout the world. Refugee day was first celebrated on June 20, 2001, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees. The 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees was a set of laws released in 1951 to protect and secure refugees all over the world. These laws are listed below:
The right not to be expelled, except under certain, strictly defined conditions;
The right not to be punished for illegal entry into the territory of a contracting State;
The right to work;
The right to housing;
The right to education;
The right to public relief and assistance;
The right to freedom of religion;
The right to access the courts;
The right to freedom of movement within the territory;
The right to be issued identity and travel documents.
The theme of this year’s world refugee day is ‘Whoever, Whatever, Whenever. Everyone has a right to seek safety.
Conclusion
After reading this blog, you would have understood the difficulties and challenges faced by the poor refugees. This world belongs to everyone. So, let them leave happily and peacefully in their own world of heaven. Remember, life is only once, so live a life completely filled with happiness and joy. Learn to respect and admire others. Give respect and take respect.
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