How Many?
There are more refugees than ever. According to the UN refugee agency there were 65.3 million refugees, asylum seekers or internally displace people at the end of 2015.
That's 65.3 million women, children (half of refugees are children, many alone), babies, men, old people, teenagers, trying to find somewhere to live because where they were living is a) a war zone; b) drought ridden, for several years; c) so desperately poor that moving somewhere else, however dangerous the journey, has got to be worth the risk; d) driven out by rich people wanting their land or the resources therein, eg: here; e) other . . .
Right, so before you maybe consider pulling up the drawbridge and putting pirhanas in the moat, Dear Reader (not that any of my Readers would even contemplate doing that, would you?) Think, it could be you. It could be me. Or maybe I'm one of the rich people in d?
So, is any of this refugee crisis my responsibility? Hmmm. Well, I could try getting in touch with politicians and relevant industrialists to try to prevent, or at least regulate, and enforce such regulations, in d).
Then there is the provision of Aid, preferably at a grass roots level, which is where it is most needed. That would help for now. Provision of development education would also help for the future - provided there is the political will for peace. That means real peace, not just a brief interval where all sides re-equip prior to fighting each other, with complete disregard for local people, or running rough-shod over locals in the process.
The trouble with living in a war zone for many years is that you begin to think that peace is impossible. Specially if you are determined to level up the 'score' - you know the kind of thing, 'They killed my family so I will kill their family, and burn their property.' And so it escalates.
It takes a special kind of person to say, 'Enough! Stop! Now! Completely! No more "settling of scores"!'
People have to begin to want peace, to think that peace might be achievable. Then those 'in charge' have to want peace too, and want it more than they want the lion's share of whatever they've been fighting over.
Once peace, or at least a truce that is the precursor of peace, has been achieved - then there's the matter of rebuilding infrastructure. It would be useless all the Syrian refugees returning to Syria as it currently is, that is if there was peace there. So much needs rebuilding - homes, schools, roads, hospitals and clinics, sewerage systems, electricity supplies, water supplies etc, etc.
Even in less developed areas, eg: South Sudan, homes need rebuilding, wells need redigging, schools need rebuilding, or building in the first place, plus clinics, roads to get things and people into the 'interior'. Then there needs to be the provision of seeds and tools so that people can start to grow their own food again. Plus the provision of food until such time as a harvest is reaped.
You see how it goes? It's always easier to break things, to knock them down than to mend them or build them. And making weapons and other accoutrements of war can be soooo profitable.
Meanwhile there are 65.3 million people, nearly 33 million of them children trying to scrape a living away from their homes. And the number is growing.
Time to stop thinking about ourselves and how all these migrants might lower our standard of living or dilute our culture and start doing something* for them?
Y'al count your blessings and have a good day now!
*I find Tear Fund a good place to start. They try to work effectively with the people on the ground. Those who know the situation and are willing to work with others to improve matters.
That's 65.3 million women, children (half of refugees are children, many alone), babies, men, old people, teenagers, trying to find somewhere to live because where they were living is a) a war zone; b) drought ridden, for several years; c) so desperately poor that moving somewhere else, however dangerous the journey, has got to be worth the risk; d) driven out by rich people wanting their land or the resources therein, eg: here; e) other . . .
Right, so before you maybe consider pulling up the drawbridge and putting pirhanas in the moat, Dear Reader (not that any of my Readers would even contemplate doing that, would you?) Think, it could be you. It could be me. Or maybe I'm one of the rich people in d?
So, is any of this refugee crisis my responsibility? Hmmm. Well, I could try getting in touch with politicians and relevant industrialists to try to prevent, or at least regulate, and enforce such regulations, in d).
Then there is the provision of Aid, preferably at a grass roots level, which is where it is most needed. That would help for now. Provision of development education would also help for the future - provided there is the political will for peace. That means real peace, not just a brief interval where all sides re-equip prior to fighting each other, with complete disregard for local people, or running rough-shod over locals in the process.
The trouble with living in a war zone for many years is that you begin to think that peace is impossible. Specially if you are determined to level up the 'score' - you know the kind of thing, 'They killed my family so I will kill their family, and burn their property.' And so it escalates.
It takes a special kind of person to say, 'Enough! Stop! Now! Completely! No more "settling of scores"!'
People have to begin to want peace, to think that peace might be achievable. Then those 'in charge' have to want peace too, and want it more than they want the lion's share of whatever they've been fighting over.
Once peace, or at least a truce that is the precursor of peace, has been achieved - then there's the matter of rebuilding infrastructure. It would be useless all the Syrian refugees returning to Syria as it currently is, that is if there was peace there. So much needs rebuilding - homes, schools, roads, hospitals and clinics, sewerage systems, electricity supplies, water supplies etc, etc.
Even in less developed areas, eg: South Sudan, homes need rebuilding, wells need redigging, schools need rebuilding, or building in the first place, plus clinics, roads to get things and people into the 'interior'. Then there needs to be the provision of seeds and tools so that people can start to grow their own food again. Plus the provision of food until such time as a harvest is reaped.
You see how it goes? It's always easier to break things, to knock them down than to mend them or build them. And making weapons and other accoutrements of war can be soooo profitable.
Meanwhile there are 65.3 million people, nearly 33 million of them children trying to scrape a living away from their homes. And the number is growing.
Time to stop thinking about ourselves and how all these migrants might lower our standard of living or dilute our culture and start doing something* for them?
Y'al count your blessings and have a good day now!
*I find Tear Fund a good place to start. They try to work effectively with the people on the ground. Those who know the situation and are willing to work with others to improve matters.