Get the Facts: Refugees and IDPs

The world is now witnessing the highest levels of displacement ever recorded. Beyond sensational headlines, there is a lot to learn about refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Every day, more than 44,000 people are forced to flee their homes due to conflict or persecution. That’s 1 man, woman, or child every 2 seconds!
In total, around 68.5 million people in the world are refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs).
A refugee is someone who has had to seek safety in a country other than their own.
An IDP is someone who has been displaced from their home or community but remains within their home country.
More than 50% of the world’s refugees are children.
85% of refugees are hosted by developing countries. The world’s richest countries only host around 5%.
The average time out of country for a refugee is now well over a decade.
Last year alone, more than 5,000 men, women, and even unaccompanied children lost their lives during their search for safety and a better life.
Two refugee crises that have made headlines this year are the crisis in Venezuela and ongoing unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC.)

According to UNHCR, violence, insecurity, and threats, as well as lack of food, medicine, and critical services, have pushed more than 3 million Venezuelans to other countries.
This is the largest displacement in recent Latin American history.
There has been a 4,000 percent increase in the number of Venezuelans seeking refugee status 2015, mostly in the Americas.
Venezuela has traditionally hosted thousands of refugees from the regions and other parts of the world.
ADRA is serving refugees from Venezuela in Colombia and Ecuador.

According to UNHCR, “the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the most complex and challenging humanitarian situations worldwide, with multiple conflicts affecting several parts of its vast territory.”
4.5 million are internally displaced within DRC and 826,000 are refugees in other African countries.
People are fleeing their homes at a worrying pace, as worsening violence destroys lives and livelihoods across the country.
On top of its own displacement crisis, DRC is host to around 530,000 refugees from neighboring countries such as South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), and Burundi.
ADRA works with refugees from DRC in Uganda.

Seeking asylum in other countries is a human right recognized by Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Countries that have ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention are obligated to protect refugees in their territory.
Refugees and asylum seekers have numerous rights, including the right to: not get sent back to their home country; not be punished for illegally entering countries that are party to the Convention and Protocol; housing; work; access to education; access to public assistance; access to courts; get identification and travel documents. (CNN)

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