According to UN forecasts, even more people will be forced to earn a living, using dangerous escape or relocation routes. Reduced humanitarian funding from the United States and other countries increases the risk for refugees.
UNN reports with reference to UNHCR and ORF.
Details
The UN warns of new flows of refugees due to lack of funds caused by reduced humanitarian funding from the United States of America and other countries. Due to the reduction of budgets for humanitarian expenses, in favor of defense financing, a significant number of safe contact points of the UNHCR for women and children will have to be closed. In particular, medical care and support points.
Thus, plans to reduce the aid budget deprive the most vulnerable refugees of the necessary support. This puts them at greater risk in the context of ill-treatment, poverty problems, as well as forced return to dangerous areas or the prospect of dangerous escape, the UN Refugee Agency said in a statement today.
Underfunding is already a problem for Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Among the examples:
- in Jordan, 63 programs that supported 200,000 women and children would have to be discontinued;
- in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is a problem with birth registration in refugee families; more than 10,000 children are at risk of statelessness;
- in South Sudan, 75% of UNHCR shelters for women and girls can no longer provide their services, depriving up to 80,000 victims of rape and violence of medical care
- the reduction of services provided in Malawi limits the possibilities of identifying and assisting unaccompanied children.
According to the report, more than 17.4 million refugee children are at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking or separation from their families. In the absence of rapid and effective child protection measures, the consequences for their well-being and development will be significant. Children are also exposed to an increased risk of ill-treatment, early marriage and recruitment by armed groups.
Among other examples:
In the African Horn and Great Lakes region, one million vulnerable children, some of them without adult accompaniment, are exposed to an increased risk of ill-treatment and exploitation.
In Angola, Mozambique and Zambia, programs for victims of gender-based violence have been reduced or suspended, leaving the most vulnerable women and children without psychosocial support.
The problem of increasing refugee flow
Some refugees may be forced to return to their countries, where they risk finding themselves in a dangerous situation. Others who wish to return voluntarily may be denied this opportunity.
The UN Refugee Agency report states that 12,000 refugees from Central Africa in Chad and Cameroon who wish to return home are now without any assistance to do so.
Another example is Syria. More than half a million refugees have returned despite the ongoing instability. However, their sustainable reintegration into the country depends on increased funding.
Assistance intended to facilitate the return of 20,000 Syrians every month from Turkey has also been affected by budget cuts.
Reference
Recently, many countries have cut their budgets for humanitarian expenses, partly due to high defense costs. The US, which funded many UN organizations at a level of up to 20%, sharply reduced its funding under President Donald Trump, ORF recalls.
Let us remind you
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have found refuge in the US under Biden's program are now fearful of deportation due to Trump's possible immigration policy, which is causing concern among refugees.