Refugees and Displaced Persons

Refugees are defined as people who have crossed international lines to find sanctuary, whereas displaced persons are individuals who remain in their home country but have either fled or been forced to leave their homes. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are currently over 25 million refugees and 40 million internally displaced worldwide. In 2018, just 102,800 of refugees had been resettled, according to the UNHCR.¹ Refugees and displaced persons leave their homes and countries of origin for war or armed conflict, human rights violations, natural disasters and persecution.³⁴ The largest percentages of the world’s refugees and displaced persons exist in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.⁶ Fifty-seven percent of all refugees come from South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan.⁷ 85 percent of refugees end up being hosted by developing nations.⁸ Many refugees flee without bringing necessary belonging such as clothing, food, money or a form of identification. Conditions in refugee camps are often poor, placing emotional, physical and psychological strain on families within them.⁹ Hygiene and sanitation are compromised due to the large numbers of people living in small spaces, and children in the camps are often not provided an education.¹⁰ In 2018, the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh hosted one million Rohingya refugees — the largest refugee camp in the world to date.¹¹