When people flee their homes, whether from a war in Syria or a natural disaster like the one in El Salvador that left that tiny nation with the unwanted title of global murder capital, they often travel across international borders in search of safety. But the world’s system for protecting these people is broken.
Refugees are unable to work legally and face severe restrictions on their access to housing, education, health care, and other services. They are vulnerable to exploitation, sexual violence and death, particularly when traveling on foot or by sea. They are pushed out of their temporary shelters by gangs and often have no choice but to pay smugglers for the chance to cross dangerous borders. Many of these people are women and children. And the global community’s failure to deal with the crisis has led wealthy countries to hide behind closed borders and treat refugees as somebody else’s problem.
A better system would ensure that those who seek asylum are treated with dignity and respect. It should provide local integration options (including allowing them to legally work) and resettlement opportunities that enable them to start a new chapter of their lives. And it should fully meet funding appeals by humanitarian agencies and encourage governments to keep their borders open to refugees and provide rights-respecting asylum space, as well as support for the most vulnerable.
But it will also require individual action. If you are a manager, consider hiring refugees; vote for politicians who want to solve the crisis in parliamentary elections; and challenge myths and prejudice about refugees when friends or family members repeat them.
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