Humanitarian Crisis

HUMANITARIAN ISSUES

What is humanitarian issues?

A Humanitarian Issue  (or "humanitarian disaster") is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people.Each humanitarian crisis is caused by different factors and as a result, each different humanitarian crisis requires a unique response targeted towards the specific sectors affected. This can result in either short-term or long-term damage.

Humanitarian Issues in various places:

Venizuela

Venezuela has been in the midst of a severe political and economic crisis for several years, which worsened significantly after the spring 2018 national election. Millions of refugees have fled Venezuela due to extreme levels of unemployment, coupled with severe challenges in trying to access daily necessities such as food and medication. Those who stayed and are employed are struggling with hyperinflation that has devalued the Venezuelan bolivar by several orders of magnitude while wages have fallen far behind the rate of inflation. All of these factors have created a complex humanitarian emergency (CHE) in Venezuela and surrounding countries, particularly Colombia. This emergency has become much more challenging in 2020 with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Africa

There has been an unprecedented famine in East Africa, primarily Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan, since the beginning of 2017. Due mainly to armed conflict and made worse by drought, the crisis is affecting nearly 20 million people.

Playing a prominent role thanks to its development policy, the EU has decided to allocate EUR 165 million to the countries affected. The resurgence of famine in Africa also highlights the limits of development policy, since the EU was unable to prevent it.

It is, however, essential that the causes of famine are tackled. Famine and armed conflict are linked: conflict starts where there are shortages, with terrorist groups more able to gain a hold among vulnerable groups.

Yemen

Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with more than 24 million people – some 80 per cent of the population – in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 12 million children. Since the conflict escalated in March 2015, the country has became a living hell for the children in that country.

With COVID-19 now spreading rapidly, Yemen is facing an emergency within an emergency. Sanitation and clean water are in short supply. Only half of health facilities are functioning, and many that remain operational lack basic equipment like masks and gloves, let alone oxygen and other essential supplies to treat the coronavirus. Many health workers are receiving no salaries or incentives, and 10.2 million children don't have access to basic healthcare.

Afghanistan

Forty years ago, Afghans began fleeing the violence in their country and seeking refuge across nearby borders. More than 400,000 people fled the violence of the Communist-led Taraki and Amin government, crossing over into Pakistan. The numbers progressively swelled after the Soviet invasion on Christmas Eve in 1979.

Syria

The Syrian refugee crisis is the result of a March 2011 violent government crackdown on public demonstrations in support of a group of teenagers who were arrested for anti-government graffiti in the southern town of Daraa. As violence increased, families began to flee. Within two months, the first refugee camps opened in Turkey – by March 2013, more than 1 million people had fled Syria. Today, 12 million Syrians are displaced from their homes and more than a million Syrian children have been born in exile.

 Conclusion

There is an urgent need for profound and tangible changes in the way the international community responds to violations of international law and human rights, and prevents and reduces the impact of conflicts and disasters on vulnerable people.

Governments and aid agencies must dramatically improve the way they provide aid and support local organisations, uphold the international law that is meant to protect civilians, and uphold the rights of people fleeing from conflict and disaster.

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