Each year on 20 June, the world celebrates World Refugee Day, the international day to honour people who have been forced to flee their homes. Together, we can champion their right to seek safety, build support for their economic and social inclusion, and advocate for solutions to their plight.
A few years ago, I worked on a project for Immigration New Zealand, putting together an event to mark World Refugee Day. This involved reading many stories by former refugees about how they came to be refugees and what that life entailed. The stories all had a common thread; no-one chooses to leave and everyone longs to go home. But for most, it is impossible. War, famine, crime, and corruption have driven them out and a refugee camp is their only hope. And often, only the very lucky have made it that far, with many falling on the road. I didn’t read one story where I wasn’t crying by the end. A twist of fate and a life is overturned. It takes courage to leave your home, even when there is no alternative, and it takes luck and resilience to reach safety. Millions languish in refugee camps throughout the world, and all they want is a chance to start living their lives.
I remember the heartbreak of reading of people who had no one left alive who knew who they were or something as simple as when their birthday was. Some had fled so young that they had no idea of when they were born.
Today, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cares for about 117.3 million displaced people globally with about 37.6 million holding refugee status worldwide. Of that number, only 1.1 million refugees returned to their countries of origin during 2023 while 158,700 were resettled, with New Zealand taking a quota of 1500 a year.
It is even more disheartening to realise that it is simply man’s inhumanity to man that creates refugees. Persecution and war drive people to flee and to seek a decent life, and we should help them if we can with compassion and understanding. The UNHCR has an excellent site, so if you do nothing else, make the effort to read the stories and learn more about what it is to be a refugee. As Eli Wiesel wrote, the opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.
Adrienne Kohler
Senior Communications Partner
Read here about Unitec graduate Asadullah Ishaqzada, who came to New Zealand as an 17-year-old asylum seeker and built a career in carpentry.