Desperately displaced

World Refugee Day was marked     on Tuesday    with the world facing what experts believe is the worst refugee crisis in history. The UN estimates that more than 65 million people are forcibly displaced, with children – who make up more than half of the total number – being disproportionately affected. More than half of the refugees come from three countries alone – Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia – all of whom are embroiled in civil wars. Those who have taken in the most refugees are struggling with problems of their own, with Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon and Uganda being the largest recipients of refugee populations. It is ironic then that refugees have become a contentious political point in the West, which takes in a comparatively small number of refugees. During his successful run for presidency, Donald Trump vowed to ban all refugees from Syria and Iraq, something he has tried to do while in power only to be blocked by the courts in his country. Part of the reason Britain opted for Brexit was the fear that an open border with the rest of Europe would lead to a flood of refugees. In Australia, those seeking asylum are shunted into camps in a nearby island. At a time when the refugee crisis is at its peak, the richest countries in the world have turned their backs on those most in need. What makes this doubly cruel is that most of the refugees are fleeing wars that were sparked by the intervention of the West.

The international community needs to not only more equitably share the burden of taking care of refugees, it also has to work towards ensuring the flood of refugees is reduced. This can only be done by ending the conflicts that force so many to flee their homes. In Syria and Iraq, Western powers continue to wage a massive bombing campaign while in Yemen a proxy war is being fought between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The civil war in Afghanistan has been raging in one form or the other since 1979 with its neighbours and outside powers only making it worse with their interference. Countries like Pakistan and Turkey have found that their own internal problems have been worsened by the refugee crisis, leading to anti-refugee sentiment. There is a danger they will seal their borders and leave those who are already in dire straits no option at all. In the 17 years since the first World Refugee Day was established by the UN, never has the situation looked quite so desperate.