Sudanese refugees who cross the border into South Sudan receive assistance from Jesuit Refugee Service, ranging from psychosocial support to basic needs such as sleeping mats. Photo: Paula Cassado Aguirregabiria/JRS

By Amaya Valcárcel

*Aamira and her ten children, the youngest of whom was one year and six months old, fled the Blue Nile State when civil war erupted in 2012. They left with only the clothes on their backs and spent nine days in the bush without food, water, or medicine before reaching a town in the Sudanese border. They stayed there for a year before moving to Gendarussa refugee camp in Maban, South Sudan, where they still live today.  

Life in a refugee camp is hard, but Aamira, who was forced to marry at 14 and drop out of school, decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher. She enrolled in a four-year teacher training program run by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the camp and earned a certificate in education from the University of Juba. She now teaches at two primary schools in the camp. "For me, education is everything," she told JRS. 

The number of people like Aamira, who remained forcibly displaced by war, armed conflict, persecution, and violence, reached 120 million by May 2024, and continues to grow, according to the United Nations. This includes 62.5 million internally displaced persons, 36.4 million refugees, and 6.1 million asylum seekers, according to UNHCR's 2023 Mid-Year Report. Low-and middle-income countries host 75 percent of the forcibly displaced and bear a disproportionate share of the world's displaced population relative to their population size and available resources.

Syrian refugee children attend a learning program run by the Jesuit Refugee Service in Lebanon to help them integrate into the local education system.

The most common causes of forced migration include: 

  • Poverty and inequality, exacerbated by factors such as corruption and lack of infrastructure 
  • Armed conflict, such as in Myanmar, Sudan, and Syria; governance failures and regional power struggles exacerbate the situation 
  • Climate change,  such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events and droughts that force people to move 
  •  Human rights violations, including forced displacement as a strategy of warfare, coupled with the global arms trade exacerbate conflict and insecurity, with increased military spending and the arms trade leading to violent conflict and the growth of more lethal military technology. 
  • Access to natural resources, a major driver of conflict that is exploited by both Western and non-Western companies, perpetuates violence, and human rights abuses; the conflict in the Central African Republic or the Democratic Republic of Congo is an example of how the exploitation of natural resources fuels long-term conflicts, often driven by corrupt elites, companies, and armed groups.  
  • Access to water, a vital resource of the 21st century, which has become a source of global tension, exacerbated by climate change and rising demand 
  • Land disputes and land grabbing that leads to extreme poverty; combined with government ineffectiveness, it fuels organized crime such as drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking.  

In most cases, these causes are interrelated. Addressing them requires political and economic commitment to promoting just economic development and social progress. At the same time, the international response, including legal frameworks such as the 1951 Refugee Convention and regional agreements, must adapt to recognize new forms of persecution. 

Non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, including Canadian Jesuits International, and its partner, JRS, play a critical role in protecting and assisting refugees and other forced migrants. JRS was founded in 1980 in response to the plight of Vietnamese boat people. Since then, it has expanded its mission to accompany, serve, and advocate for forcibly displaced people in 50 countries.                                                                                           

Inspired by the vision of its founder, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, the response of JRS is guided by an apostolic discernment that goes beyond material aid to include spiritual and psychosocial support. As a ministry of the Society of Jesus, JRS accompanies the forcibly displaced toward reconciliation, helping them to heal their inner wounds and rebuild their lives on a just foundation so that like Aamira, they can participate fully in the decision-making processes that directly affect their lives. 

*The person's name has been changed to protect their identity. 

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