2021 has been a harrowing year for many displaced people. But, to bring about change, we must keep hope for a better world, no matter how dire the situation. That’s why at Rethinking Refugees, we believe in highlighting positive actions that are pushing for betterment of the situation of refugees around the globe.
Below, we bring an overview of some notable actions throughout last year:
1) On the PL-BL border, many locals abided by their humanitarian values by calling out the Polish government and the Border Police on their illegal mishandling of asylum seekers and their disregard of the pre-existent UN and EU accords.
2)In Poland, “The Green Light” initiative, created back in October by Kamil Syller, seeks to build a network of households willing to provide aid to refugees. On December 10th, green lights shone across Europe in support of human rights.
3)On the CRO-BIH border, an international media team uncovered violent pushbacks in a 9-month long investigation by using satellites, social media, speaking with sources and even using disguises. The findings sparked an investigation in the Croatian Interior Ministry.
4) Nations like Jordan are leading the way in including displaced persons in the COVID-19 vaccination plan. Indonesia and Angola have recently started vaccinating refugees and asylum seekers thanks to the efforts made by the UNHCR and other partners.
5)In the US, Oregon lawmakers have approved the creation of an office to support immigrants and refugees, effectively advocating for the necessities of these vulnerable groups. Sen. Kayse Jama and Rep. Khanh Pham, themselves former refugees from Somalia and Vietnam respectively, are leading this state-wide bill forward, hopefully inspiring other states to follow.
6)Finally, we wish to highlight the efforts of Afro-Ecuadorians and Afro-Colombian refugees based in Calderón, Ecuador to defend women’s rights. By using their ancestral music genre arrullos, they seek to educate the public about gender-based violence.
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