The large increase in the number of people—refugees and migrants—reaching Europe in 2015 brought huge attention to the refugee crisis that has been unfolding in the Middle East over the last five years. But there has been a decades-long human rights and humanitarian crisis affecting refugees across the world. Yet, it is a crisis that is neither inevitable, nor unsolvable. In fact, the reason millions of refugees continue to suffer years after they have been forced to flee their countries is the apathy, and sometimes hostility, of governments and political leaders. In contrast, support for refugees among ordinary people in countries around the world is surprisingly high.
The outpouring of support that followed the drowning of the Syrian child Alan Kurdi in September of 2015, and which saw the rise of the #RefugeesWelcome movement, was countered, often vigorously, by anti-immigration rhetoric. In some countries, political leaders adopted overtly xenophobic attitudes and some governments introduced policies that were seen by many as racist.
