Around the world, refugees are crying alone – in silence. By Ahmad Ibsais

So much of the global community has turned its back on the people suffering, displaced without access to education, healthcare, or basic infrastructure. For these people, every day is blessing. There are over 70 million refugees and displaced people: from the war zones of Syria and Yemen, the Occupied Palestine, and Economic collapse of Venezuela (https://www.rescue.org/topic/refugee-crisis). Refugees come from all walks of life and displaced for reasons far and few between. The commonality, each pushed into devastating loss away from the communities they once knew.

Many refugees try and seek safety in neighboring countries. For those in the Middle East, the will often try to escape to Europe, while those in South America will escape to the United States (https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/forced-to-flee-top-countries-refugees-coming-from). In countries like the United States, this exacerbates the problem. When hoards of refugees try and seek asylum from the horrors at home, some governments turn them away due to lack of infrastructure or domestic fear of competition. But how can we allow ourselves to turn our backs on human beings. At the core, the refugee crisis is a human rights issue – not a political or economic one.

As a Palestinian American, I have seen the affects of the Refugee Crisis on my own community. For Palestinians, the Nakba symbolize their longing for the homes were forced to leave (https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/05/nakba-start-1948-170522073908625.html). This longing translates around the world. Now, with the fears of Coronavirus, we cannot forget the Refugees are most at risk as they are placed in close quarters and often do not have the resources for a stable environment.

The refugee population is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. The armed conflicts they escape from fragment the public health system and infrastructure that enables them to get testing, preventative medicine, and access to healthcare. The constant geographical mobility, instability, overcrowded living conditions, and lack of sanitation facilities puts refugee communities at high risk not only for Coronavirus but other disasters.

But what is the answer to this crisis which has become accepted as part of our global backdrop? I am a firm believer that more countries need to be more accepting of refugees for permanent resettlement. Not only will allow safety, but help refugees reintegrate back into civilian life. Another way to aid in the Refugee Crisis is to fundraise vehemently. The United Nations Refugee administration estimates about 8.6 billion a year in order to address the crisis, but they only receive half of this (http://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/ga2020/pdf/Chapter_Financial.pdf).

At the forefront of solving the crisis needs to be the rapid stabilization of at-risk countries in order to prevent the growth of refugees and to keep communities safe. We need to call on our global leadership to give refugees a platform to speak their truth and bring their struggles to the immediate discussion.

We have only ourselves to blame for the worsening of the Refugee Crisis – as it grows so does mass xenophobia, damaging the human condition.

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Ahmad Ibsais
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