Global Trends
Across the world an increasing number of people are being forced to flee their homes. They are driven out by persecution for their political beliefs, targeted for ill treatment because of their ethnic group, or compelled to leave as a result of war or natural disaster. Some cross an international border and become refugees; others remain in their own country as internally displaced persons (IDPs). International law sets standards and locates responsibility for the welfare and protection of these people.
Displaced peoples camps
A large proportion of the world’s refugees and IDPs remain displaced for a very long time. Despite wanting to return home, there is often no end in sight to the violence and persecution that forced them to flee. Many, like refugees in Kenya and in Pakistan, live in camps for decades. In fact the average length of time a refugee or internally displaced person spends in a “temporary” camp is 17 years. People living in camps are often deprived of basic human rights like the opportunity to earn a living or gain an education, or to move freely.
Most refugees and IDPs end up finding refuge in countries where governments cannot provide for the basic needs of its own citizens, never mind newly arrived refugees. This means the international community including Australia lends a hand.
Urban dwellings
Outside camps, refugees face their own set of challenges. In countries with an ‘encampment policy’ that requires refugees to settle in designated camps, urban refugees exist in an illegal grey zone, without access to assistance or protection.
Urban refugees around the world are exploited by employers and traffickers, and sometimes turn to prostitution or child labour in order to survive. Community-service organisations focused on the needs of urban refugees are rare, particularly when the general population itself is living in poverty.
Urban refugees often include multiple nationalities and ethnic groups, so that identification, outreach, and assistance delivery is much more challenging than in the contained setting of a camp. While some urban refugees are able to blend into their surroundings and support themselves, others are among the most desperate and vulnerable of all refugees.
