EVERYBODY'S CHALLENGE - Jesuit Refugee Service | USA

nal, national and personal security. Despite the end of the Cold War
and the spread of democracy, life has become increasingly difficult
and dangerous for many populations. A number of nation states
have collapsed, including Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Liberia,
Sierra Leone and the former Soviet Union. Even the creation of new
states – 27 in the last 10 years – is a sign of volatility. In many countries
citizens have lost confidence in their own government’s ability
or will to protect them. When the economy declines or global forces
shift the balance of power within a country, governments are tempted
to use force to control their people.
· The refugee’s intensifying experience of rejection: Many countries’
main aim now is to keep refugees at a distance. Fortress Europe
is being reinforced to stem a foreign invasion. The media are enlisted
to protect us from the forcibly displaced, ignoring their sufferings
and oversimplifying their struggles. Restrictive migration legislation,
common policies regarding asylum requests and the upsurge
of extremist anti-foreigner groups all typify Western trends.
· Globalisation: The refugee phenomenon is now truly international
and cannot be addressed nation by nation. The movement of
peoples is just one aspect of wider global trends. Refugees can no
longer rely on governments or even intergovernmental bodies for
protection. This is a major concern.
What sparks refugee movements?
No field worker doubts the importance of being present among
refugees and displaced people – most of whom are women and children.
But what can be done to prevent new violence erupting, and to
prevent still more forced migrations?
It is important to understand that refugees may be marginalised
people, but their significance is far from marginal. What displaced
populations reveal to us all are profound shifts and stresses underlying
our social and economic systems. Refugee movements are like
earthquakes signalling movement between the earth’s tectonic plates.
They are warning signs of our global community’s deep tensions.
When refugees cry for help, they cry out on behalf of all of us.
What turns local conflicts into humanitarian disasters is poverty.
People living constantly at the limit cannot survive long without a
field to cultivate or a market at which to sell their produce. They are
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