Record numbers of refugees and migrants fleeing civil war and persecution have entered Europe in the past month. An estimated 300,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea this year, arriving in Southern European countries like Greece and quickly overwhelming local resources.
Over 90 percent of the people arriving in Greece are from Syria and Afghanistan, where civil war and violent conflict has uprooted millions now fleeing to Europe with their families hoping to find security and asylum, according to President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband.
On the small Greek island of Lesbos, around 2,000 people arrive by boat each day. Many then make it to the mainland and start walking north. Other countries have tried to block widely traveled routes. Hungary tried to erect a fence to keep refugees from walking in, but it fell quickly and thousands streamed across the border.
The crisis has raised alarms throughout Europe. Aid agencies and community leaders are struggling to keep up with the influx of people and keep local residents from angry and lashing out against the newcomers. Germany recently announced that Syrian asylum-seekers will be allowed to enter the country, but the burden of taking in refugees needs to be distributed fairly across the European Union, Miliband said.
Diplomatic efforts should also focus on addressing the violence forcing refugees to flee, according to Miliband. Humanitarian aid in African countries and countries bordering Syria would help stem the flow of refugees.
“This refugee crisis is something that obviously Europe needs to contend with, but, frankly, it needs a wider international response,” Miliband said. “If you don’t tend to the problem upstream, the flow will overwhelm downstream.”
Warm up questions
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Take a look at the Mediterranean Sea on a map, what countries border it? What do you know about those countries?
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What is a refugee?
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What do you know about the conflict in Syria?
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Why are so many people currently trying to enter Europe from the Middle East and Africa?
Critical thinking questions
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Who should bear the primary responsibility for the refugees pouring into Europe?
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How should the rest of the world respond to this crisis?
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Once refugees find asylum in Europe, what other problems might they then have to contend with?
