The world of Tzu Chi June 2021 (Vol.135)

2021 • 06 10 eature series of wars in the Balkans of Eastern Europe has sparked yet another wave of refugee crisis. Indeed, the Europe refugee crisis in 2015 is seen as the worst humanitarian crisis in the recent era. An unprecedented influx of more than 19.5 million refugees worldwide stormed European coasts. Statistics shows that countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa have absorbed most of the world’s refugees. Having one person in every two seconds forcibly displaced (due to conflict or persecution) weighs heavily on UNHCR’s responsibility. Among the 80 million forcibly displaced, the 26.4 million refugees faced the worst fate. The United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) is mandated to assist 5.7 million Palestine refugees. More than two thirds of all refugees and Venezuelans displaced abroad came from these five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. It is estimated that among the one million Myanmar refugees, nearly 90 per cent Rohingyas are housed at the large- scale refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, southeast of Bangladesh while the rest are scattered in Southeast Asia countries. Malaysia remains a preferred destination because of its predominant Islamic religion and culture. Rohingyas – Malaysia’s largest refugee group According to UNHCR’s statistics, as of March 2021, a total of 178,920 refugees and asylum seekers has been registered in Malaysia. Men and women account for 68 per cent and 32 per cent respectively. Among them, 45,720 are teenagers and children below 18 years of age. UNHCR Associate External Relations Officer, Yante Ismail said: “UNHCR leads international action to protect and assist people who have been forced to leave their country because of wars, human rights abuses or persecution. Our role is to provide life-saving assistance, providing shelter, providing food, providing other kinds of assistance that people need to survive, and also to safeguard people’s basic human rights, when they are fleeing. We also look for long-term solutions to help people reboot their lives in safety and dignity. “UNHCR uses cash-based interventions to provide protection, to provide assistance and to provide services for refugees, especially for vulnerable refugees. It is Myanmar’s historical timeline