World Refugee Day 2021: A look at Syrian and other major refugee crises around the world

World Refugee Day is observed on 20 June globally. It is a day to create awareness about the refugees who are scattered in different parts of the world because they have been trying to escape conflicts, water crisis, climate change and internal issues. The United Nations (UN) designated day, aims to respect and honour the courage and determination of refugees in the world. Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the condition and vulnerability of refugees have been the biggest talking point and concern. During strict lockdown, many countries globally closed their borders to combat the spread of the virus. Following which, lakh of refugees were left without proper health care and support, leading to a huge crisis. Through this special day, the UN hopes to build up public awareness and support for human rights of refugees.

A look at three major refugee crises witnessed across the world:

Syrian refugee crisis: This is the world’s largest refugee and displacement crisis of all time. Ever since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, families have been destroyed and lakhs of people have been suffering brutal conflict. Due to these wars, millions of people have been torn apart. The quality of life of several Syrians has depleted due to this crisis. According to the UN Refugee agency, there are a total of 5,611,491 or 5.6 million Syrians living as refugees. Afghanistan refugee crisis: Due to years of unemployment and lack of security, more than 2.5 million people are expected to be living in a massive migration crisis in Afghanistan. Currently, there are 2,215,445 registered refugees from Afghanistan living in Iran and Pakistan. Only a little number of refugees (1,072) have returned to the country in 2021, according to the United Nations (UN) data. The Rohingya Crisis: The forced migration of Rohingyas from Myanmar has been a matter of concern since 2015. Currently, Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is known to be the world’s largest refugee camp, where over half of the refugees are children. There are 742,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The world together with UN agencies have supported the Government of Bangladesh to increase the capacity of land and camp so that people abide by rules and stay safe. Especially in the wake of COVID-19, safety and security remain serious concerns for these people.