Washington D.C., May 30, 2018 / 16:06 pm
An unprecedented 66 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes by conflict and violence, according to a report released Wednesday the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The May 30 report, "Confronting the Global Migration Crisis", found that developing countries host the majority of forced migrants, meaning that poor communities which lack resources are supporting a disproportionate amount of refugees and migrants.
Catholic Relief Services staff have seen this occur on the ground in Africa, where the CSIS report documented that "almost 94 percent of all forced migrants in Africa stay in Africa."
"The refugee crisis has put a tremendous strain on host communities, many of which struggle to meet their own population's needs. Around 85 percent of refugees are in low or middle income countries. It's really important to make sure that when we provide support to the displaced that we don't forget about the needs of the people hosting them," Emily Wei, the deputy director for policy development at CRS, told CNA.