SHARJAH — Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al-Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children, has called for immediate international action to help the rising numbers of refugees fleeing war and arriving in neighboring countries, homeless and hopeless. Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi said, “The real crisis in a war continues long after the fighting stops with families torn apart and people left stateless, homeless, and without hope. “If the international community does not come together and take action on the world's refugee situation now the impact of war will effect generations to come. “United Nations High Commissioner for refugees reports that, for the first time since World War II, the number of refugees exceeds 51 million people, more than half are vulnerable women and children. Some have been languishing in refugee camps for decades long after the crisis that drove them from their homes has been forgotten. Furthermore, there are now nearly 19.5 million registered refugees in the Middle East and this is a vast and worrying number of people who are displaced and in great need of basic care and support giving rise to a humanitarian crisis.” The call to action comes on World Refugee Day, established in 2001, by the UN General Assembly to renew commitment to end war and conflict, and to help the people who have been forced to flee their homes. World Refugee Day honours the strength and resilience of over 51 million people around the world who have fled war, persecution and human rights abuses. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon said, it is an opportunity for the international community to recognize the plight of millions of uprooted families across the globe. Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi said, “The numbers of refugees are on the rise each day, and I am saddened to hear that this month has seen a new influx of over 23,000 refugees fleeing their homes to escape the conflict in Syria and arriving in Turkey, homeless and facing hopelessness and despair. “Many of them are women and children who face an uncertain future, not knowing when, or even if, they can ever return home. It is the duty and responsibility of decision makers globally to help and support these innocent victims of tragic circumstance who find themselves far from home, with little else but the clothes they can carry. As United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said, one family torn apart by war is too many. That is human cost of war and disasters,” she added. Through her initiative, the Big Heart Foundation is sponsoring a new project to help both Turkish and Syrian women fleeing sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). It is being launched to coincide with World Refugee Day. The project will run until the end of the year, with $500,000 being made available for specialist care for Syrian and Turkish women who have fled from, or are at risk of, sexual or gender based violence. — SG
