A look at the worst refugee crisis since World War II

By Abdul Kuddus, based in New Delhi, India

Op-Ed: With the civil war in Syria, Iraq and instability in parts of Middle East and Africa showing no signs of closure, Europe is groping for answers to one of the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Europe is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis with people fleeing war zones, persecutions and economic uncertainty. They are undertaking perilous journeys across rough seas in dingy boats and countless dying in the process. Those that manage to reach safer places encounter apprehensive, sometimes even absolute unfriendly hosts.

According to the Washington Post, “An average of nearly 45,000 people a day join the ranks of those either on the move or stranded far from home.”

The numbers of refugees at border crossings in the Balkans is overwhelming. Police and immigration authorities are facing enormous problems as surging refugees try to cross the barriers and are being driven back by baton-wielding police and tear gas.

Reportedly there has been some respite for migrants seeking asylum. Germany has decided to stop returning Syrian asylum-seekers to their first port of entry in the EU, as per requirements stipulated the Dublin Convention.

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Germany on Tuesday decided to ease asylum rules for Syrians. The move relieves pressure on southern European nations as thousands additional migrants pour into the bloc.

Migration is here to stay

The U.N. special envoy on the rights of migrants, Francois Crepe au in a statement said:

“Building fences, using tear gas and other forms of violence against migrants and asylum seekers … will not stop migrants from coming or trying to come to Europe. Let’s not pretend that what the EU and its member states are doing is working. Migration is here to stay.”

Are there easy answers?

The world is witnessing a mammoth period of instability and conflict. The Washington Post quoted the United Nations saying:

“It is the largest pool of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced persons since the ravages of World War II."

Recent events of refugee crisis reported by media outlets shows that the world’s refugee management system is collapsing. Compared to sheer magnitude of refugee influx, the systems and processes in place to deal with such crisis is inadequate.

And the countless reports examining the causes and impact of a massive wave of migration driven by war, oppression and poverty is no panacea for the looming disasters that threatens to reshape the world in many ways.

Even newer or novel terminologies to describe the situation or attempts to oversimplify the migrant issue brings no tangible solution for the refugees and nations facing the influx.

It is pertinent to note that the UNHCR positions its existence on durable solutions to refugee problems through “voluntary repatriation; local integration; or resettlement to a third country in situations where it is impossible for a person to go back home or remain in the host country.”

Sadly for the million refugees landing on the shores of Europe, these solutions are either non-existent or nowhere in sight.

It’s about time to reduce escalating global conflicts that trigger mass displacement of humans. And, the need to frame coherent and comprehensive migration policies that could address the appalling humanitarian problem.