World Refugee Day 2022: Everyone has the Right to Seek Safety

World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives. It is a day to acknowledge the contributions of refugees in their communities. It is observed on June 20 to highlight the quandary of refugees across the globe.

People honor the spirit and intrepidity of millions of refugees worldwide on World Refugee Day. World Refugee Day is about raising awareness of the situation and showing the refugees that together we can work to end the crisis and help displaced people to find safe and happy homes.

A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention.

The theme for this day of the year is "Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety." According to UNHCR, Seek Safety means: Right to seek asylum, Safe access, No pushback, No discrimination, and Humane treatment.

"This year’s World Refugee Day affirms a fundamental tenet of our common humanity: everyone has the right to seek safety – whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The first World Refugee Day was nominated on June 20, 2001, by United Nations General Assembly. On this day, people all over the world will join together to express their support for and compassion for the world’s refugees. The worldwide commemoration is an opportunity to recognize the contributions that refugees make to their new countries or their homelands, if and when they can return.

According to the UNHCR, there are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people around the world. More than 21 million of these people are refugees and 10 million are stateless. On average, 42,500 people per day flee their homes to seek protection within the borders of their own country or other countries.

Refugees might take shelter in any country, but it is the responsibility of the international community to look after them. As the people of Bangladesh understood the torments of the refugees, they did not take the time to provide shelter to these displaced Rohingyas. The whole world including the United Nations has today stood beside the Rohingyas and has also praised Bangladesh for sheltering them.