Refugee crisis: How did we get here?
Graphic images of drowned children. Thousands of refugees stranded in train stations. The world watches, but few countries help.
How did we get here?
The problem of refugees setting off on dangerous journeys to unknown lands – only to be left in limbo – isn’t new. But it’s been growing ever more desperate as Syrians flee in the thousands and the country devolves into a worsening civil war. Along with the ongoing war in Libya, and drought and famine in Africa, we’re seeing the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
Millions have fled Syria since the war began in 2011. The first flow landed in Middle East countries, where many are still residing in camps. But last winter, things worsened for many in those camps as the United Nations World Food Programme suspended a critical food assistance program due to lack of funding, impacting 1.7 million refugees.
By July 2015, more than 4 million Syrians had fled the country, with Turkey and Lebanon seeing the largest influx. The refugees overwhelmed international organizations. The UNHCR estimated $5.5 billion in aid would be needed in 2015:
As things worsened in overcrowded camps, many Syrians and others impacted by the crisis in the Middle East pushed further north to Europe. They joined a surge of other refugees — from Libya and and drought-torn regions of Africa. Many of them, after surviving harrowing trips over land, often pay huge fees to smugglers, crossing the Mediterranean by boats.
They often travel in flimsy rafts lacking navigation systems:
The journey across is not safe. By April of this year, 1,600 refugees had died at sea, a ten-fold increase from the year before. Part of the problem was major cuts to rescue operations. Some European political leaders thought that would deter people from attempting the treacherous crossing. It didn’t.
Reaction in Europe to the flood of refugees has been mixed. Already this year 230,000 refugees have landed on Greek shores. Riot police clashed with many of them last week in Lesbos, Greece, after refugees remained stranded on the island, seeking ways to reach the mainland.
Hungary, a favorite entryway via land into Austria and Germany, has responded by trying to put up a 110-mile razor wire fence. Police there have used pepper sprayed on refugees and the government shut down train stations to people trying to reach more accepting European countries.
Some European leaders criticized the fence, saying it countered EU values.
In the beginning of September, an image emerged of a 3-year-old Syrian/Kurdish boy dead on a beach after drowning during his family’s Mediterranean crossing. The image went viral and a hashtag emerged: #HumanityWashedAshore. It catalyzed a greater effort to help.
Germany has more asylum seekers than any other EU country, and while many there protest the acceptance of refugees, the government has sent the army to build temporary camps. In early September, many turned out to greet the refugees.
With the world’s attention now on the ongoing refugee crisis, many are looking for ways to help. We’ve compiled a list of places accepting donations, food, blankets, or volunteers.
See more of AJ+’s coverage of the crisis here.
