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Julianne Berry-Stoelzle

Ms. Basile

English 9, Period 5

23 March 2018

Independent Research Project: A Refugees Journey

Refugees flee from conflict in their homes. They embark on often dangerous journeys to

find a safe place until that conflict is over. According to the UN, “the world has some 65 million

displaced people, the highest number since World War II” (Brown). The high amount of refugees

seeking shelter and new homes is making it hard for countries to meet their demands. Many

developed countries are taking in less refugees which leads to them flooding into the

underdeveloped countries that are trying to help. As Antonio Guterres puts it, “we are seeing

more and more borders being closed, we are seeing more and more refugees being rejected,

namely in countries of the developed world” (Guterres). Underdeveloped countries do not have

as many resources to help these refugees, so many hasty built refugee shelters have been set up.

However, these refugee shelters are only meant to provide temporary living areas but the

conflicts are not being solved as fast as people originally planed (Brown). This leads to millions

of refugees living in these tent houses for years without hope of being able to return home in the

near future. Other countries are allowing refugees to immigrate into their countries. This has the

advantage that these refugees will eventually be able to support themselves but the financial

support from the government, even in developed countries such as the US, is not enough to deal

with each family of refugees’ individual needs (Nadworny). Although refugees may have gone to

school in their home countries, most of them are not as well educated because the conflict they

are fleeing from has created havoc in their communities. Having lower level of education makes
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it harder for them to find well paying jobs to sustain themselves and their families. Overall,

refugees are a much bigger problem that a single country can solve on their own.

There are many different ways to approach the problems that refugees present. The most

dangerous part of their journey would be fleeing their country and traveling to another,

especially if they have to cross a large body of water. However, refugees do not completely have

to fend for themselves, “Italy started a rescue-at-sea operation... and in the first six months of this

year, 65,000 boat migrants arrived in Italy, an eightfold increase over the same period in 2013”

(Frelick). This operation was very successful and continues to save thousands of lives every year.

After their journeys, refugees need to find more permanent places to live. Relocating refugees

into existing societies would enable them to get jobs and not be as dependent on government

assistance. Refugees could become part of the society and economy of the country that they are

in (Brown). This would be better than having refugees sit around in refugee camps that are meant

to be torn down later. Once government support for a refugee family runs out, they can turn to

nonprofit organizations, such as International Neighbors, which help refugees with most things

from finding a car to drive, to helping refugees understand the legal system to just being

supportive and making them feel welcome (Nadworny). No matter how much they do, one

government and one country can not solve the world’s refugee problem alone. Multiple countries

have to work together and help these people that are clearly in need of assistance. Developed

countries with strong economies could make a huge difference as, “equitable burden-sharing

among the American states and European nations would transform these situations from crises

into manageable problems” (Frelick). Perhaps, country leaders will be able to put aside their

political differences and work together toward the common goal of improving the lives of these

people that need help.

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Works Cited

Brown, Ryan L. "Canvas Cities: Does the World Need a New Model for Refugee

Camps?" Christian Science Monitor , 08 Oct, 2017 , SIRS Issues Researcher ,

https://sks.sirs.com.

Guterres SG, Antonio. "Refugee Protection an Obligation Under International Law."

Inter Press Service , 21 Jun, 2017 , SIRS Issues Researcher , https://sks.sirs.com.

Frelick, Bill. "Rich Countries, Barred Doors." Los Angeles Times , 22 Jul, 2014, pp. A.13

, SIRS Issues Researcher , https://sks.sirs.com.

Nadworny, Elissa. "90 Days to Start a New Life: For Refugees in the U.S., What

Happens Next?" NPR , 9 Mar. 2017. NPR , www.npr.org/2018/03/09/577353905/90-days-to-

start-a-new-

life-for-refugees-in-the-u-s-what-happens-next. Accessed 14 Mar. 2018.