source: The Global Citizen

published: 24 August 2023

Image Credit: worradmu at www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Imagine being forced to flee your home and everything you know, making the perilous journey to safe shores only to be marched onto a “floating prison” where, days later, Legionella, a potentially deadly bacteria, is found in the water system. Or imagine escaping the threat of gang violence with your family only to be ripped away from them by border officials.

Or try imagining running for your life with only the possessions you can carry only to be assaulted and robbed by the very people who are meant to give you asylum. 

These are just a handful of some of the stories that have taken place so far this year around the world.

At the end of 2022, as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, and climate-change induced natural disasters, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimated that globally over 108 million people around the world were forcibly displaced, almost 20 million more than the previous year.

In 2022, Eritrea crossed the threshold of 501,000 refugees, meaning that almost 14% of the country’s population have been displaced due to violence and political instability. The humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic reached its tenth anniversary in 2022, a period marked by bouts of sectarian violence that have displaced nearly 2 million people.

Over 4 million South Sudanese have been forced from their homes. Over 12 million Syrians remain forcibly displaced in the region. The list, unfortunately, goes on.

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