The United Nations (UN) deals with all refugee matters. Smaller organizations, such as the OIC (The Organization of Islamic Cooperation), determine who specifically is allowed to seek refuge in other countries. There is paperwork required to be filled out and people must apply and go through the immigration process so they can legally be relocated to another country and rebuild their lives safe from the war zones in their home countries. There were conventions held to determine how this process would work, for example the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Optional Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. The UN has their own set of guidelines for the general population, and each individual country has their own personal set of rules and regulations to complicate the process for these refugees even further. Recently, Trump placed a ban on all immigration from certain countries, specifically, middle eastern countries who have a high concentration of people looking to seek refuge in the United States. In this video, Dr. Bill Warner is an advocate for Islamic refugees; however, the same general concept applies. The process that the refugees have to go through in order to be legally allowed to regain their freedom is lengthy and complex. These regulations should be reform, as emphasized in this video, and allow an easier transition for these people who have lost nearly everything of value to them, including family members and other loved ones.
VIEW MOREThe position that needs to be advocated is that the world, as a whole, needs to step up and reach out to these 65 million people who have been forced to flee their homes. Some countries have opened their borders to help, others closed the gates in these poor, helpless human beings' faces. It is our moral and civil duty to show compassion and give assistance when the world seeks it. President Obama said in the speech shown in this video, "the mentality that allows for violence, with impunity, is something we cannot excuse." This is the idea that all countries should have if they are capable of hosting these people who so desperately need help. The world has never seen this many people being driven from their homes at one time, even during WWII. This is a clear, and pressing issue taking place in the world and our leaders need to step up and take a collective action to help reduce the number of people who continue to suffer.
VIEW MOREThis video tells the story of two men who were a part of the Lost Boys of Sudan and the Sudanese Refugee Crisis. The cause of this refugee crisis resulted as a byproduct of British Colonialism. Sudan is a country made up of Arab-Muslims in the north, and Black Christians in the south. Beginning in 1987, the Arab government began systematically driving people from their villages in the south. Following this event was a large group of young boys who were forced to either leave their home and their families, or die. The took on the name "The Lost Boys" and attempted to seek refuge in Ethiopia. The lens of this is political and religious. The issue has evolved overtime because this refuge began in the 1980's and is still an issue today. The divide between the North and the South of Sudan grew, until eventually the government intervened and created a civil uprising. Many of the boys don't survive given the intense conditions they are forced to undergo. Simon Deng and Peter Nyok in this video were two of the lucky ones who survived, and made it to safety in the U.S. The people in these villages that were destroyed faced many challenges. The young girls had value, and could be sold into slavery or marriage. However, the young boys were killed, because the government felt it was easier to kill them as children rather then to face them as armed young men. This video shows only two of the survivors out of many, but there were also many casualties along the way. This civil war is still going on, and now, the number of deaths is immeasurable.
VIEW MORE