10 Things You Didn't Know About Refugees

What do Albert Einstein and M.I.A. have in common?

Friday, June 20 is World Refugee Day.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, a refugee is someone who has fled their home country due to persecution, war, or violence.

1. Albert Einstein and M.I.A. are refugees.

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Albert Einstein was a Jewish refugee from Germany. M.I.A. is a Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka. Other famous refugees include singer Freddie Mercury, psychologist Sigmund Freud, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and Olympic medalist and 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi.

2. Less than 1% of the world’s refugees are resettled in North America, Europe, or Australia.

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Most remain in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

3. Most refugees reside in countries that routinely deny them their fundamental human rights.

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145 countries have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention that protects refugee human rights, but few countries truly honor it. Without access to their rights, refugees cannot work, go to school, move around freely, or receive protection from police.

4. Iran and Pakistan host the world’s largest refugee populations.

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Above, a Pakistani refugee camp. Some of the largest refugee-hosting countries have not signed the UN Refugee Convention, leaving millions of refugees vulnerable to serious human rights violations.

5. Most refugees in the world today are from Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Iraq.

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This world map shows total refugees by country of origin.

6. The average time spent in a refugee camp is 17 years.

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Many young refugees have never experienced life outside of a camp.

7. Dadaab refugee camp is Kenya’s fourth-largest city, although no Kenyans live there.

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Dadaab is the world’s oldest refugee camp. Originally built in 1991 to host 90,000 refugees, Dadaab is now home to 339,291 refugees.

8. However, only 1/3 of refugees live in camps. Over half of all refugees live in urban centers, and this number is growing.

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Urban refugees often live in hiding without access to local government services, including access to schools, work, and help from police. If they are caught living in urban areas without permission, they can be jailed or deported.

9. Less than 40% of refugee children are in school.

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And this number is even lower for girls. Only 6% of refugee girls finish school. When they don’t go to school, refugee children are at high risk for recruitment as child soldiers, criminal activity, forced labor, and other forms of exploitation.

10. An estimated 80% of all refugee women experience rape and sexual abuse.

theatlantic.com

Refugee women are vulnerable to sexual violence, human trafficking, forced prostitution, labor exploitation, and survival sex, both during flight and in their host countries.

Friday, June 20 is World Refugee Day.

The world's refugees are often forgotten and left without the means to rebuild their lives. It's time to start the conversation about a sustainable solution that allows refugees freedom, protection, and the opportunity to make empowered choices.

Spread the word this World Refugee Day!