The forces that shatter communities and uproot their residents are difficult to tame.
These views were expressed by SHARP Lahore Office Field Manager Zainab Raza Jafri on Friday.
Talking in lieu of World Refugee’s Day, she said that her organisation has been working for the Afghan refugees for over a decade.
She further stated that over 51 million people are now refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced persons, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees which is more than at any time since World War II.
“The needs of these refugees are overwhelming and their anguish is unbearable,” she said, adding that SHARP provides more humanitarian assistance along with legal assistance to refugees than any other NGO.
She was of the view that some refugees simply cannot return home because the risk of violence and persecution is too high.
“The refugees are often forgotten and frequently misunderstood. They are regarded as a burden, as helpless individuals, or as people who wish to move to some other country. This is not who they are,” she said.
She said that they are resilient, hardworking and gracious people and have experienced more violence and faced more fear than anyone else will ever know.
“They have lost their homes, their belongings and their countries,” she said, adding that they have faced war and oppression.
“They have chosen not to take up arms but to try to find safety for their families. They deserve our respect, our acknowledgment and our support – not just today but for the duration of their ordeal,” she concluded.