Notre Dame students are smart—no doubt about that—but there’s a difference between being intelligent and being informed. You may excel in the classroom, but education needs worldly context beyond your ND bubble. This weekly column exists to keep you up to date with the latest happenings around the nation in 500 words or less. We do the research, you do the reading. HCNDXO
This week, we’ll be taking a look at the refugee crisis in Europe.
Who are the refugees and why am I hearing about it now?
Many of the refugees are Syrians, as the Syrian civil war has escalated to the point where many people feel they cannot stay there. This crisis has come into focus, especially in the West (including America) when images of the washed-up body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi in Turkey went viral. His parents and older brother were trying to escape to Greece when their raft flipped; only his father, Abdullah Kurdi, survived.
The disturbing image that went viral.
Where are the refugees staying and why is it a problem?
Nearly 4 million Syrian refugees are currently residing in 5 host countries; Turkey, in particular, has taken in about 2 million refugees. But the refugees cannot stay long since they can’t legally work there. Instead, they stay in refugee camps.
A refugee camp in Turkey.
What is being done to help?
UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced today (September 4) that the UK would provide resettlement for “thousands” more Syrian refugees and another £100m in humanitarian aid to be sent to camps in Syria, Turkey, Jordan, and the Lebanon.
PM David Cameron
What’s happening in Calais and Budapest?
In Calais, France and Budapest, Hungary, migrants and refugees are protesting. In the Calais refugee camp, over 100 Eritrean, Sudanese, and Syrian refugees have started a hunger strike and marched into the town because they believe they still aren’t safe and don’t have enough food. In Budapest, refugees who were stranded waiting for a train have begun the 110-mile escape to Austria.
What’s left after refugees fled Calais.
Some people are calling this the “biggest European crisis since World War II.”
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