Meet four individuals forced to flee their homes due to religious persecution

This year, the number of people forced to flee their homes hit a heartbreaking milestone of 100 million for the first time in recorded history. According to UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency, by the end of 2021, more than 89.3 million people were forcibly displaced, 27.1 million of whom were refugees. Of that, an estimated two-thirds of refugees are from just five countries. In three of those countries — Afghanistan, Myanmar and Syria — many refugees were forced to flee because of ongoing persecution due to their beliefs or religious affiliations. 

We are highlighting four individuals who have been forcibly displaced because of their religious identity and what UNHCR is doing to help them recover. 

Afghanistan 

After more than four decades of conflict, Afghan refugees continue to make up one of the largest protracted displacement situations in the world, with more than 6 million Afghans having been uprooted from their homes and country by conflict, violence and religious persecution.

Shortly after the Taliban took full control over the country in 2021, the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated further, and freedoms declined for many vulnerable communities — including women, girls and religious minorities.

According to UNHCR, reports have raised concerns over safety threats to women and girls, including forced marriages, the beating of women protesters, human rights activists, female judges and police. Furthermore, women and girls' freedom of movement and education have also been limited under the Taliban's rule — forcing many and their families to flee their homes, seeking safety within Afghanistan or neighboring countries.

Many like *Ain Gul, a widowed mother of five, were among the thousands forced to flee their homes shortly after the conflict began.

"When the conflict started, we had to leave our home and come to Jalalabad. The Taliban forced people to cook for them. We had no food ourselves, so how could we feed the Taliban?" Ain Gul shares.

Despite the challenges, UNHCR has remained on the ground, rapidly scaling up its operations and providing lifesaving aid such as emergency shelter, food, health, water and sanitation support, cash assistance and psycho-social support within Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

To help support and uplift women and girls in Afghanistan, UNHCR has created several empowerment centers where women can take computer and coding classes or receive training and support to run businesses. Throughout the country, UNHCR also runs livelihood projects like mobile bakeries, tailoring training, and poultry projects, which have helped lift women-headed households out of poverty. 

Myanmar

For decades, the Rohingya people have been one of the most marginalized groups in Myanmar – a predominantly Buddhist country. As a Muslim ethnic minority, the Rohingya have faced numerous human rights abuses and have not been recognized as an official ethnic group since 1982.

Since the early 1990s, the Rohingya have been forced to flee their homes due to successive waves of violence in Myanmar. Their largest and fastest exodus began in August 2017, when violence broke out in Myanmar's Rakhine State, forcing more than 742,000 people to seek refuge in Bangladesh. Most of those who fled were women and children, like Belowara, who lost her husband five years ago and now single-handedly provides for her four children.

"We fled from Burma after a lot of suffering," she says. "We came here with teary eyes and wet bodies."

Today, more than 919,000 Rohingya refugees have found refuge in and around the Kutupalong and Nayapara refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar region.

Though the Rohingya have found safety in Bangladesh, the conditions in the camps are challenging, and the local infrastructure and services have been stretched to their limits.

UNHCR has been working with partners in support of the Bangladeshi government to ensure an adequate response to growing humanitarian needs and the protection of the Rohingya refugees. Some of UNHCR's activities include distributing shelter and lifesaving relief items, as well as education, healthcare and activities to prevent sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

The Central African Republic 

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country neighboring the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Chad to the north. It is among the world's most impoverished and fragile countries and has struggled with armed conflict and instability for several years.

In 2013, sectarian conflict between Muslim and Christian armed groups spread across the CAR, displacing more than 734,900 people. Christian and Muslim-affiliated armed groups attacked civilian communities and houses of worship. This fueled an intractable conflict that destroyed many of the country's mosques and displaced more than one-quarter of its population.

Like many others, the conflict has forced Fatime to flee her home in Bria, the capital city, and created a wedge between her and her family. 

Her Christian mother and Muslim father separated four years before the crisis began. When Fatime returned home from boarding school, her father was upset that she had chosen education over marriage.

Furious, Fatime's father accused her of being from a rival militia. He kidnapped her and took her to prison, where she was violently abused. She escaped during the melee when her uncle — a senior militiaman — came to liberate her. For six months, Fatime underwent psychotherapy for PTSD with an international medical corps and received treatment for anxiety and depression.

Thanks to the support of UNHCR, Fatime is safe and her mental health is improving.

Inside the CAR, UNHCR focuses on delivering shelter and essential relief items to support the growing number of internally displaced persons, like Fatima and her family.UNHCR is also working with other humanitarian partners to support protection activities and provide humanitarian assistance throughout the region.

Iraq

For decades, conflict and violence have forced families to flee their homes in Iraq, but in 2014, an escalation of violence in the region surged when the Islamic State (ISIS) launched attacks in Northern Iraq. As a result, more than 3 million Iraqis, like Fakhiri and his twin sister, were displaced within the country. Another 260,000 have been forced to flee to neighboring countries.

Fakhiri and his sister belong to Iraq's Turkmen minority and fear being persecuted. Their 23-year-old nephew was among the many Turkmans tortured and killed by ISIS.

"Our neighborhood was like a ghost town. We just want to go to the camp.” 

Since the conflict began, UNHCR has been on the ground in Iraq and surrounding regions, providing protection and lifesaving aid such as tents, mattresses and other basic essentials. 

How you can help …

Daily, thousands of people flee their homes because of war, violence and persecution, and urgently need shelter, protection and safety.

By becoming a USA for UNHCR monthly donor and joining our generous and compassionate community of supporters, you can help provide vital aid like medicine, clean water, food and tents to refugee families who have lost everything and give them hope for the future.

*Names changed due to protection reasons.