Abstract

Today, approximately 82.4 million people are in some stage of migrancy, including more than 26.4 million, or around 33%, who are officially classified as refugees who have been forced to flee their homes due to internal or external strife. Furthermore, an inordinate percentage of refugees around the world today are aged 18 years or younger, placing this already vulnerable population at greater risk for developing lifelong medical and/or mental health problems as a result. During a period in world history when a global pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the worlds economy, these already disturbing refugee statistics fail to capture the full breadth of human misery that being a refugee entails. To determine the facts, the purpose of this paper is to 1) provide an overview of the current global refugee crisis, 2) discuss why this issue deserves attention, changes in the refugee crisis and possible future directions; and 3) identify the main causes of refugee displacement at present. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning the foregoing issues are presented in the papers conclusion.

Migrants on the Run: The Modern Refugee Crisis

Today, more than 82.4 million people in the world are currently in a migrant status due to myriad problems in their homelands, including most especially armed conflict and social unrest. Moreover, nearly one-third (about 26.4 million) of these migrants are refugees and about half are juveniles younger than age 18 years (Total refugees in the world, 2022). In addition, there are millions of more people around the world who are currently stateless and, lacking a nationality, have limited access to basic living needs including health care, education, employment, freedom of movement as well as the other fundamental rights guaranteed by the United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These problems have been further exacerbated by the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, and these disenfranchised people are at far greater risk...

During a period in history when fully one in every 95 people in the world has been forced to leave their home, identifying opportunities to mitigate these challenges represents a timely and valuable enterprise. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current global refugee crisis and why this issue deserves attention and a discussion concerning changes in the refugee crisis and possible future directions. Finally, the paper provides a description of the main causes of refugee displacement followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning the foregoing issues in the conclusion.

Overview of the refugee crisis and why it deserves...

…is an inability to return to their homes due to continued threats. In this regard, the UN Refugee Agency emphasizes that, Most likely, [refugees] cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries (Who is a refugee?, 2022, para. 3). In sum, while the reasons for displacement are numerous, they all combine to harm innocent people in a wide range of ways.

Conclusion

The research was consistent in showing that the number of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants continues to escalate each year, and the impact of the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic will inevitably further exacerbate these trends. Beyond the economic toll that is exacted by the mass movement of such large numbers of people across national borders, there is a concomitant but incalculable human costs that is involved that demands action on the part of the international community. The research also showed that people are forced to flee their homes for a number of reasons, but most especially violent and the threat of persecution for their fundamental beliefs. In the final analysis, it is reasonable to conclude that the refugee crisis will continue to intensify in severity unless and until the world sits up and takes notice of the suffering that is being caused by forced…