letter from the representative


No one wants to raise a child refugee


After just a few short months in Canada, I am heartened by incredible welcoming Canadians


attitude towards


the of


refugees–


something I know well having worked in Lebanon, where scores of Syrian refugees have been resettled to this beautiful country.


While some of the world turns its back on the 21.3 million refugees fleeing armed conflict or persecution (part of over 65 million displaced people around the globe), Canada has maintained its commitment to offering a solution to the plight of the most vulnerable of these refugees through


resettlement sponsorship.


Let me share with you what an Iraqi refugee first displaced in Syria and then in Lebanon, told me when I asked him what being resettled to Canada meant to him: “A peaceful life…finally!” And you should have seen the smile in his eyes….


As Filippo Grandi, head of the UN Refugee Agency, said recently from Aleppo, Syria, where he witnessed the magnitude of


the destruction


and misery, “Refugees are people that flee from danger, they’re not dangerous themselves.”


and private


Children are arguably among the most vulnerable of refugees, as displacement


directly impacts their


capacity to grow—physically and emotionally—in a stable environment. We all remember the comfort of home, school and our neighbourhood when we were growing up—all were refuges when our minds and bodies were undergoing constant changes. None of that is available when you are on the road fleeing conflict


or persecution, simply


because of who you are or what you represent in the eyes of your persecutors. Chances are you will not be in school (more than 50 per cent of primary-school-aged refugee children are not in school), and you may miss vaccinations that will affect your health. Worse, you could be separated from your parents, putting you at higher risk for physical or sexual exploitation.


In this issue of UNHCR Magazine, we focus on children on the move from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, known as the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA). They flee, often alone, from gang violence; local police offer them no protection.


In particular, UNHCR has been documenting


an unprecedented UNHCR / 03


increase in the numbers of those women and


children, who often,


after having been sexually abused or beaten up, have no choice but to flee for their lives. Take a moment to read their stories that recount the harm they have suffered, but also their daily acts of resilience as they seek not a better future, but simply a future.


Thank you for supporting UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Your commitment is so important during this time of great uncertainty for so many. I look forward to receiving your feedback.


Warm regards,


JEAN-NICOLAS BEUZE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE IN CANADA


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32