multicultural Hot Words

Refugee Camp...

Definition

Large groups of people in many parts of the world have been forced to leave their homes due to situations such as war and civil unrest. In 2003 the organisation “Medecins Sans Frontieres” (doctors without borders) estimated that 14 million refugees and up to 25 million internally displaced people live in temporary shelters.

Refugee camps are established to provide basic shelter, water, food, sanitation and healthcare for displaced people. In most cases, proper design of a camp isn’t possible because refugees have already haphazardly settled on a site which then expands to become a refugee camp.

The number of people living in a refugee camp depends on the crisis. When the number of refugees is in the hundreds of thousands, aid agencies try to set up a few smaller camps with populations of no more than 20,000 people. Smaller camps are easier to manage in relation to fire risks, security, spreading of diseases, etc.

What makes it hot?

This phrase is hot as refugee camps are meant to be temporary solutions, providing refugees with a place to live until they can return home safely. However refugees often end up living in the camps for much longer than expected, sometimes with no prospect of returning home.

Another hot issue associated with refugee camps is they can be home to perpetrators of the unrest that has led to the massive displacement of local populations. This leads to continuing fear, intimidation and safety concerns for refugees.

Date Added:

25 June 2002