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Across the world there are currently over 100 million people who have had to leave their homes. Some have settled in new countries; many more are living in refugee camps, waiting for it to be safe enough to go home or settle in a different country. The United Nations decided that refugees should have a special day, when we think of them and show our support. The first World Refugee Day was on 20 June 2001, and it's been celebrated every year since then.
Why is World Refugee Day important?
More people than ever before have been forced to leave their countries, and very few of them have been able to return. Every moment of the day, people are leaving everything behind to escape war, persecution or the devastating effects of climate change and natural disasters. A refugee crisis on this scale is difficult to deal with, but the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, reminds us that 'the problems are war and hatred, not people who flee'.
The aim of World Refugee Day
World Refugee Day helps to raise awareness of the dangerous and difficult situation refugees are in. Safety is a human right, and the message of World Refugee Day is that everyone has the right to seek safety. The aim of the day is to create empathy and understanding, and to get political and practical support to help refugees. It is also a day to recognise the bravery and strength of people who have to face many dangers and difficulties to rebuild their lives.
What happens on World Refugee Day?
There are a lot of events on 20 June in different countries. These events are often organised by, or involve, refugees themselves. Many famous landmarks, such as the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo and the Empire State Building in New York, are covered in blue lights to show solidarity with refugees. In Glasgow, Scotland, people hold hands to form an enormous human chain around George Square, in the city centre, to 'show the world that Scotland welcomes refugees'. In many places there are film showings, exhibitions and various fundraising events.
What you can do to help
There are petitions worldwide, organised by the United Nations. By adding your name to the list, you are sending the message that every person has the right to seek safety. You can also make donations to charities that support refugees, or write letters to your governments asking them to take action. People are also getting involved in action against climate change and its effects, to prevent more people becoming climate refugees.
First of all, we need to realize who the refugees are. Refugees are not travelers and they don’t want to leave their country. Mostly they just want to live as ordinary people and to be safe in their country. Sometimes, even if fleeing their country is not the best option, they may be forced to leave their country. So World Refugee Day helps us to understand what situation they are in.
In addition, they sometimes need to leave because of global warming and climate change occurring in their own regions. What would you do if these events happened where you live? That’s why, we should stop for a moment and think about their lives. We cannot be apathetic towards the situation they live in. For example, there are many refugees in Turkey because of the internal Syria war. So I talked to a few refugees to understand their lives and why they left their country. Next, I asked them what they are doing here. According to me, their life is very difficult. We should help them until the war is over and afterwards we should help them return to their country and build a life in their country.
To conclude, World Refugee Day raises awareness so we can understand them. We should celebrate the day all over the world. I wish for a better world for people all over the world. I hope everything will be better.
Hi everyone,
it is really a sadly situation. Especially Women, children survive in their counry because of war, famine, terror and a lots of reasons. We should be aware of situation becase this situation can be in your country, too. In last 20 years , Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and it non advenced counties like these still have exploited because of their fertile land and plenty underground sources.
in my oppinion i thing to reduce some of refugee crisis each one can adobt a refugee child and consider him like one member of the family and to start that suppose to make initiative with name (adopt a refugee child)