June 20th is "World Refugee Day" set by the United Nations.
As the new coronavirus hits the economy seriously, the conflict between refugees and the host population is becoming more serious.
According to UNHCR = United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of refugees and internally displaced persons displaced by conflicts was 82.4 million last year, the highest number since 1950 when UNHCR was founded. Refugees are concentrated in the country, which is a burden.
Of these, Lebanon in the Middle East has accepted more than 850,000 refugees from neighboring Syria, where the civil war continues, but as the new coronavirus spreads and the economic crisis deepens, conflicts frequently occur between refugees and Lebanese. doing.
In December last year, Lebanese lit a tent where Syrian refugees live due to troubles over payment of wages, and during the Syrian presidential election held last month, Lebanese headed for overseas voting in Syria. I attacked the bus on which the refugees were riding.
In Lebanon, protests against the government and the spread of the new coronavirus have accelerated the economic crisis, and the real value of the currency pound has plummeted to one-tenth, and rising prices are putting pressure on people's lives. ..
This has led to growing criticism among the Lebanese people that one in eight Syrian refugees in the population is a burden to society.
In Fulsol, eastern Lebanon, measures have been taken to effectively reduce the wages of Syrian refugees working to protect agriculture, the region's main industry, which is costly to operate due to rising prices.
"The only way to protect Lebanese farmers is to pay Syrian workers what they can afford," said Melhem Gassan, Mayor of Frusor.
Lebanese farmer Elias Misaed has a debt of about 2 million yen in Japanese yen due to a sharp drop in grape sales due to the impact of the new coronavirus and a sharp rise in fertilizer and other prices due to the currency plunge. I have it.
We welcome the town's actions, as management will not be able to continue and daily wage payments to Syrian refugee workers will be heavy.
Meanwhile, Syrian refugee Suleiman Hassan, 32, is in trouble with this measure.
I work as a day laborer in agriculture to support my wife and four children, but this measure has reduced my income by about 20%, and I continue to have trouble with my daily diet.
Suleiman said, "As long as I'm staying in their country, I can't say I don't like it, and I have to follow the measures. However, children don't know anything and cry for food, so somehow they can earn income. I have no choice but to find it. "
UNHCR "Refugees lose their jobs in Corona and become increasingly poor"
UNHCR = High Commissioner for Refugees Grundy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in an interview with NHK, "Refugees and internally displaced persons make a living from daily work that would be lost under restrictions on going out. The new corona virus is becoming more and more poverty. It's more complicated than the health aspect, "he said.
On the other hand, regarding the conflict between Syrian refugees and the residents of Lebanon in the host country, High Commissioner Grundy said, "In Lebanon, nearly 90% of Syrian refugees are below the poverty line. The situation is extremely tragic, with 25% of the population. It is important to support not only refugees but also the local people of Lebanon, "said the international community to support refugee host countries. I complained that I needed to go.
Refugees living in overcrowded conditions The challenge is prompt vaccination
A refugee camp on the island of Lesvos in eastern Greece began vaccination with the new coronavirus on the 3rd of this month.
In Greece, vaccination of medical workers and others began in December last year, and in January, the general public was also vaccinated, but refugees were not included.
Regarding this, a Swiss NPO said, "People living in refugee camps are overcrowded, social distances are not maintained, medical care is limited, and they are more infected with the new coronavirus than ordinary Greeks. It's getting easier, "he blamed the Greek government for better response.
In response to this, in Greece, vaccination with the new coronavirus began on the 3rd of this month at a refugee camp on Lesbos Island.
A booth for vaccination was set up at the venue, and visitors were vaccinated.
According to the IRC (International Relief Commission), an international organization for refugee support, about 50,000 refugees remain in Greece, so vaccination is required to prevent the spread of infection among people living in overcrowded areas in camps. The challenge is how to proceed quickly.
Illuminated with the symbol color blue
UNHCR = United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is illuminating 23 landmarks such as towers and castles nationwide in blue, the symbol color of the United Nations, to coincide with World Refugee Day.
Of these, the five-storied pagoda of Toji Temple in Kyoto and Tsuruga Castle in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, were each illuminated in a fantastic blue color.
In addition, on SNS, in response to UNHCR's call, efforts are being made to post photos and videos with a blue theme along with words such as "#with refugees" and "#WithRefugees", such as hydrangea, sky, and paper airplanes. The posts I took were one after another.
In addition, UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador, Japanese artist MIYAVI, said in a video on Twitter, "There are more than 80 million people around the world who have been displaced from their hometowns by conflicts and wars. We are in a crisis, but considering that there are people living in even more harsh conditions somewhere in the world, I hope we can use this as an opportunity to discuss what we can do. " He asked for an understanding of the refugee issue.