I have a lot of friends and acquaintances who are refugees. They have fled dire situations in their home countries (countries that most of them did NOT want to leave) and they are now in a different country, either trying to figure out how to stay there or trying to get to somewhere else, often to join family or good friends. I can’t help them with much: I’m not a lawyer and have no legal training. But I can help with tracking down information they are looking for and debunking things they have heard (usually something about how easy it is to get into some South American country).
I have been pleasantly surprised and grateful regarding the web sites of a variety of countries for their clear information, in English, about exactly how someone can legally migrate to their country. Even tiny countries that aren’t at all wealthy often have very clear, up-to-date information on their web sites for anyone thinking of coming there under any circumstances. These web sites have been incredibly helpful in my efforts to help friends and acquaintances to get accurate information and to avoid scams.
The same CANNOT be said of the web sites of UNHCR , the United Nations agency that is supposed to be the leader in protecting refugees – people forced to flee conflict and persecution, as well as those denied a nationality. UNHCR web sites based in various countries all over the world are NOT focused on providing critically-needed, up-to-date information for refugees. And that is inexcusable.
UNHCR country web sites are often focused primarily on enticing donors rather than helping refugees access the critical information they need:
- the information refugees would be looking for is either hard to find or not there at all,
- many pages that are supposed to have information for refugees are horribly out-of-date,
- the information for refugees that is there is usually is NOT the info refugees want most,
- and the sites are so full of jargon I can’t understand the information and English is my first language!
An example of what I’m talking about: UNHCR Pakistan: this web site is NOT focused on refugees. I wish it was an exception, but it’s not. I have an Afghan colleague now in Pakistan trying to register as a refugee, but the UNHCR office is closed! There’s NOTHING on the web site saying it’s closed.
Each and every UNHCR web site in ANY country should have a link called “Help for Refugees” on the home page as prominent as any link to donate. That link should be on EVERY page and be as prominent as any link to donate.
And when someone clicks on that “help for refugees” link, they should be taken to a page that has this information (or links to such):
- How and when to register with UNHCR in that country.
- Notices about office closures.
- UNHCR office hours.
- Statement regarding who is considered a refugee.
- Rights and obligations of asylum seekers in dealing with UNHCR.
- A list of the first things someone should do upon arriving in that country as a refugee.
- How to apply for refugee status in that country.
- How to contact the UNHCR office in that country.
- Where UNHCR offices are located in that country.
- Where or how to find shelter in that country (if this information changes frequently, then tell refugees how to find the most up-to-date information themselves).
- What NGOs are in the country that help refugees, or how to find them (NGOs that can help with education, legal matters, shelter, dealing with the police, etc.).
- Information regarding working in that country.
- How to avoid scams that target refugees.
- Tips for staying safe (including for children, for women, how to avoid traffickers, etc.).
- How to research rumors (and why it’s so important to do so).
- Why requests for asylum take so long to process.
- The dangers of lying or misrepresenting information to UNHCR or any immigration authorities.
- A list of reliable news outlets.
UNHCR, you would reduce the amount of phone calls and visits to your offices if you made the aforementioned information available and kept it up to date on your individual country web sites. You would prevent at least some of the harm that refugees experience because they are targeted for crime and otherwise exploited. You would help stop harmful rumors before they get too widespread. And you would be fulfilling your mission!
Have you ever asked refugees themselves what information they need most?
Do better, UNHCR.
And for those who wonder why I have a lot of friends and acquaintances who are refugees, or who desperately want to be such: it’s because I have worked for the UN and talk about that work, as well as other humanitarian-focused work, online in various online communities and via my own social media channels, and because I frequently write about refugee-related efforts:
You can volunteer to address the critical needs of refugees IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY
Our Lady of the Manifest: the icon for a very particular community of online volunteers
My request to my US congressional representatives regarding Afghan refugees