Many of us have seen the headlines about the Syrian Civil Conflict and the Rohingya Exodus before, but these are just two examples of the ongoing refugee crisis. It affects millions of lives globally, both for the people escaping, and for the nations which face great humanitarian as well as economic pressure in taking these people. In the past decade alone, the amount of refugees worldwide has doubled. Over 84 million people have been forced to leave their homes and lives behind due to poverty, persecution, and war, among many other reasons. They now account for approximately one percent of Earth’s entire population.
But these numbers only cover up until late 2021: in late February of 2022, Russia attacked its neighboring country to the west, Ukraine. In the early hours of the morning, several Ukrainian countries were the targets of shelling and rocket attacks in what Putin declared a “special millitary operation” in Ukraine. Despite months of troop and tank buildups in its eastern border it shares with Russia, much of Ukraine and many leaders across the world were stunned by the invasion.
Troops entered from multiple directions and Putin said that Ukraine should surrender, threatening any interference from other countries would result in “instant” retribution. The US imposed heavy sanctions on Russia to weaken the economy, as did many European members of NATO, including a partial ban on SWIFT. President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked on multiple occasions for further support, including a fast-track membership to NATO, which was one of the key Russian requirements for a ceasefire.
While the political tensions intensify and much of Russia and Ukraine’s future remains uncertain, the invasion has wreaked havoc in civilian areas. Homes and apartment complexes were struck by missiles. Medical supplies ran dangerously low in clinics and hospitals. Many slept underground in train stations. Although men are not allowed to leave, women, children, and the elderly have been fleeing from Ukraine en masse.
The fleeing of Ukrainian refugees marks what the UN refugee agency called “the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II”. Now, nearly a month later, the number is over three million people, and over another 16 million people were directly affected. Most of the refugees in Poland, and others in neighboring nations such as Romania, Hungary, Moldova, and other European countries. Ukrainian refugees also currently have temporary protected status in the US.
War has many physical effects, but it also greatly impacts people in many other ways. Elizabeth Sweet, the executive director of MIRA (the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition) emphasized the importance of offering services to refugees to meet their needs. This is so that in addition to having their rights protected, these people can also sustain their hope and build connections with one another and these programs.
People across the world in many nations are struggling with both the refugee and the internal displacement rates being at an all-time high. It is important to keep the refugees of Ukraine, Syria, Afganistan, and the many other countries they are escaping from are in our thoughts.
The images and narratives of immediate crisis for Ukrainian refugees since Russian forces invaded their country on February 24 are almost too heartbreaking to absorb. They are numbing, endless variations on themes of rapes, pillaging, heartless brutality. Women, in particular seem to be targeted. This is a tradition that’s followed war scenes for hundreds of years. Dagmar Schumacher, Director of the UN Women’s Brussels Office, noted on the occasion of International Women’s Day:
“We are very concerned…women and girls [are] at increased risk of sexual violence, especially those who are refugees of otherwise displaced from their homes.”
The horrors of a war torn country are not exclusive to those in the immediate midst of them. For example, Natalia (name changed upon request) is a Ukrainian woman who moved to Massachusetts with her family four years ago. While she is not a refugee from the current war in her country, her comments are indicative of what many in her country, now here, are experiencing. She is currently taking ESOL and American citizenship classes. She recently noted to her ESOL teacher:
“I am safe, of course. My family and I are all safe and for that we are grateful. Unfortunately, everything I have in my country is ruined. I cannot communicate with my family there and I can only hope the world will help us stop this madness.”
SAMPAN, published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, is the only bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England, acting as a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area. It is published biweekly and distributed free-of-charge throughout metro Boston; it is also delivered to as far away as Hawaii.
