What is happening?
Refugees fleeing from their countries is no new phenomenon; at the end of last year UNHCR estimated that there were as many as 19.4 million refugees around the world. [1] However, the current crisis, which escalated to unprecedented levels in recent weeks, is far more severe than anything the world have seen in many decades.
The crisis is a global one - refugees are fleeing countries from Honduras to Nigeria to Myanmar, and they are arriving in wealthy countries including the United States and Australia, as well as poorer ones like Turkey and Lebanon. In the UK, much of the coverage is focussed on Europe, where an influx of desperate refugees are putting huge pressures on countries like Italy, Greece and Hungary.
According to statistics from the International Organisation for Migration, between January and August 2015, more than 350,000 migrants were detected at EU borders, compared to 280,000 detections for the whole of 2014. [2]
Some of the most terrible humanitarian tragedies in 2015 are related to the European refugee crisis: The drowning of at least 300 people after an attempted crossing of the Mediterranean under rough conditions in February; the shipwreck off an Italian island which took an estimated 800 lives in April; the discovery of more than 70 bodies of Syrians in an abandoned lorry in Austria in late August.
Many refugees are also travelling long distances by foot to reach Europe. This moving account by photographer David Maurice Smith tells the story of hundreds of men, women and children walking from Keleti station in Budapest, Hungary to the Austrian border in search of safety and refuge.
Last Wednesday, the full horror of the humanitarian crisis came to bare as pictures were released of the body of a three-year old Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, lying lifeless on a Turkish beach. [3] At home, Britons and Parliamentarians alike agreed that swift action must be taken to address the massive influx of refugees into Europe.
Why is this happening?
The largest group of refugees by nationality is Syrians fleeing from their conflict-torn country. Bashar al-Assad's regime has targeted civilians ruthlessly, including with chemical weapons and barrel bombs; ISIS has subjected Syrians to murder, torture, sexual slavery, and other appalling atrocities. Since the civil war broke out in 2011, half of the country’s population – 11 million Syrians – have been displaced. Today, almost one out of every four refugees is Syrian [4].
Afghan and Eritrean refugees form the second and third largest groups. Afghanistan’s refugee crisis is more than three decades old – Afghans began fleeing the country after the Soviet invasion of 1979 and throughout the 1980s. When the Taliban seized control even more fled. The war in Afghanistan over the last decade has both pushed yet more Afghans to leave the country. The current wave is prompted by repeated terrorist attacks and conflict between the Taliban and the Islamic State.
There is no civil war in Eritrea. But a combination of an extremely repressive government and widespread poverty in the country are forcing many to crawl under razor wires or tiptoe across minefields to seek refuge in other countries.
How is Europe responding to the refugee crisis?
For years the EU has been struggling to present a united front on migration and asylum policy, as each member state has their own police force and judiciary. EU countries have remained broadly divided over how to share the increasing refugee burden between them.
On Wednesday, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, announced plans to distribute 160,000 refugees across EU countries with binding quotas. Germany and France have indicated their support, while Eastern European countries like Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland are likely to oppose Juncker’s proposal. [5] The United Kingdom is not part of this quota system.
Earlier this week, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany is expected to take at least 800,000 asylum seekers by the end of this year, as she urges Europe as a whole to do more to accept refugees. [6]
Conversely, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed his opposition to letting in more refugees into Europe. ‘We shouldn’t forget that the people who are coming here grew up in a different religion and represent a completely different culture. Most are not Christian, but Muslim,’ he said. ‘Or is it not worrying that Europe’s Christian culture is already barely able to maintain its own set of Christian values?’ [7]
What is the UK doing to respond to the crisis?
In the House of Commons this week, the Prime Minister told MPs that the UK Government is preparing plans to accept 20,000 more refugees fleeing Islamic State jihadists and conflicts in the region over the next five years. [8] Officials are currently working under the ‘Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme’ to grant asylum to Syrian refugees. The Prime Minister insisted that the UK has a ‘moral responsibility’ to those living in camps bordering Syria while doing all it can to end the conflict there. Vulnerable children and orphans would be prioritised in what would be a ‘national effort’ to help refugees and give them a ‘warm welcome’. Mr Cameron also said that the UK is helping Syrians by funding refugee camps and meeting the 0.7% international aid pledge.
Richard Harrington, MP for Watford, has been appointed as the Home Office Minister responsible for co-ordinating work to resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees and to manage the upscaling of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme [9].
In late October the PM pledged to accept 1,000 refugees by Christmas [10]. They consist of the most vulnerable in the camps - the disabled, mentally ill, scarred from war, whose lives are at risk if they stay. The UK Government and the Home Office are working closely with the UNHCR to ensure that all refugees are properly assessed prior to their arrival. Local authorities in the UK are being asked to take a share of 1,000 refugees and provide support for their resettlement, with financial backing from central government.
How can Christians respond to the crisis?
The Bible is not short on exhortations to take care of the poor, the sick and the needy. Jesus Christ condemns those who ignore the plight of the refugees and the asylum seekers, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me’ (Matthew 25:42-43, NIV). For ‘whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (v45). Instead, Christ’s followers are called to self-sacrificial generosity. We are to welcome the stranger, confront our own prejudices, and act counter-culturally to be salt and light of the world.
Here are some practical things Christians can do to respond to the refugee crisis as it unfolds:
Pray. All our actions should be guided by prayers first and foremost. Please pray for MPs, administrators and decision-makers on all levels to be given wisdom on how to respond to refugees. Pray for compassion for European people and governments. Pray for your community and your family to be able to welcome and support refugees as they arrive the UK. For more information on how you can pray for the refugee crisis, Tearfund has prepared a useful prayer Powerpoint that you can download.
Donate. Many Christian organisations are working hard to tackle the humanitarian crisis on the ground. The CCF partners closely with Christian Aid, Open Doors, and Tearfund. These organisations are appealing for financial support as they bring desperately needed resources and support to refugees.
Host a refugee. Some families, communities and churches may be able and willing to host a refugee. Andy Walton from the Centre of Theology and Community writes, ‘The Church remains the biggest civil society movement in the UK. We have buildings, we have people, and we have spare rooms. Not only that, but we have the networks that could help people to settle. This isn't something to be taken lightly, but if you're interested, it could be life changing for you and them.’ [11]
Get involved. An online parliamentary petition which gained more than 400,000 signature prompted a constructive debate on the issue in the Commons earlier this week. Many across the country are organising events and rallies to show their support for refugees. You can also write to your representatives or meet them at their constituency surgeries to express your concerns.
References:
[1] http://www.unhcr.org.uk/about-us/key-facts-and-figures.html
[2] http://unitedkingdom.iom.int
[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34133210
[4] http://www.unhcr.org.uk/about-us/key-facts-and-figures.html
[8] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34171148
[9] https://www.gov.uk/government/people/richard-harrington
[11] http://www.christiantoday.com/article/refugee.crisis.five.things.you.can.do.to.help/63775.htm