This fall of 2024, Canadian Jesuits International is focusing on forced migration, its causes and how to address it. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of May of 2024, more than 120 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes globally due to war and conflict, persecution, violence, climate change, and human rights violations. This is the highest level of displacement ever recorded. It is a crisis of global dimensions which touches our humanity. In this context protecting the rights of migrants and refugees is crucial and necessary.   

Yet, instead of addressing the root cause of forced displacement or offering humane refuge, the human rights of refugees and migrants are being undermined and violated as different countries seek to restrict and deny access to asylum seekers.  

Canadian Jesuits International through the work of its partners works for a humane and long-term solution to forced displacement based on shared responsibility and the respect of human rights.  

Help end displacement by: 

• calling on Canada to fully incorporate all provisions of the Arms Trade Treaty, (which Canada signed in 2019) particularly those found in Articles 6, 7, and 11, into Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act (EIPA). The EIPA must also be updated to include a universally accepted definition of “substantial risk.”  This would help address armed conflict which is one of the root causes of forced migration 

• Prioritizing the rights of refugees and increasing Official Development Assistance for projects that support the education of children and youth experiencing forced displacement.