A student’s thoughts:

24.06.2024 | By Katie Noyed | Pictures: Artwork by Afghan painter, women’s rights activist, and refugee – Jahan Ara Ra. To learn more about Jahan and her work, please visit her website. 

According to the latest statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 117.3 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes due to humanitarian crises, war, persecution, or violence. Of this number, 43.4 million are considered refugees under the mandates of the UNHCR and UNRWA (the agency with a mandate for providing aid and work programmes to Palestinian refugees), and over 40% of these refugees are under the age of 18. 

When we consider the statistics on forced migration, it can be difficult to fully comprehend just how many people this number encapsulates. In reality, this equates to 1 out of every 69 people on our planet, or 117.3 million real people, who have been forced to make the impossible decision to leave their homes and seek safety out of the hope of a better life.

Around the world today, we are seeing an unprecedented number of conflicts and conditions propelling the mass movement of people. There are the devastating wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the violence in the northern triangle; meanwhile, climate change is impacting the global south at disproportionate rates, making the environments of millions of people uninhabitable due to high temperatures, drought, prolonged rains and other climate-related disasters. 

Although the label ‘refugee’ is given to millions of people around the world, it does not come easily. No one chooses to be a refugee, and oftentimes, the media considers the title synonymous with the title of ‘victim.’ However, this label erases one’s agency and wrongly projects passivity. Instead, refugees should be seen as agents of change—individuals with agency, unique histories, and dreams.  

In honour of those who have been forced to flee their homes, the United Nations observes the 20th of June as ‘World Refugee Day. This is a day to recognise the strength, courage, and resiliency of refugees around the world, a day to seek out refugee voices, and a day for education and a day for collective action.

At DRH Lindersvold, we strive to incorporate the topic of forced migration into the curricula of our two programmes: Volunteer for Change and Nature Now. As an international education centre, we care deeply about addressing global issues like inequality, poverty, and climate change – all of which are elements woven into the topic of forced migration. Furthermore, we seek to empower the students who come through our school to take a stand and demand a better world for all people. We hope you will stand too.