Michigan - The American Center for Justice (ACJ) said that millions of refugees from middle eastern countries in particular and many conflict-affected countries in general were still suffering, and that they were witnessing increasing challenges in light of the complex political situations in many countries, let alone the failure of the international community to fulfill its legal and moral obligations towards this sensitive humanitarian file. The center expressed its shock at the unjustified absence of the role of relevant international organizations, especially the UNHCR. 

The ACJ indicates in its statement on World Refugee Day, which falls on June 20 of each year, that the information it documented and recorded about the living conditions of refugees in conflict countries - especially Arab countries - reflects a serious decline in the indicator of individuals’ enjoyment of their basic rights and their right to asylum and safety. Thousands of refugees were threatened with forced deportation, as happened with Sudanese refugees in Egypt, whose country is witnessing a state of security chaos and food insecurity.

The American Center for Justice followed with astonishment the news published by local Egyptian websites over the past few days, about the security services in the Qena seizing 7 buses carrying Sudanese refugees who entered Egypt illegally. The Egyptian security bodies then deported them through the borders of Aswan Governorate under the pretext they didn't have official residency papers, without any consideration of the consequences of such a decision. 

The number of refugees registered with the United Nations has exceeded 31 million, while the conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan have escalated. Moreover, citizens of countries that have witnessed influential wars and conflicts, such as Syria and Afghanistan, are still struggling to ensure a decent and safe life in their countries.

As for Yemen, the ongoing conflict caused hundreds of thousands of Yemenis to flee outside the country in search of a place where they can live safely with their families away from the scourges of war and its violations.

The Yemenis fled to several countries, including Egypt, where the number of Yemeni refugees reached about one million, Turkey, where the number of refugees is estimated at about 50,000, and some thousands in Malaysia, in addition to Morocco, Algeria, India, Somalia, and Sudan. On the other hand, there are more than 4 million IDPs who sought refuge in camps that lack the minimum necessities of life, such as food, health care, education, and a safe environment. 

The ACJ highlights in its statement the risks the refugees are exposed to during their asylum journey, especially since they take dangerous routes, including the sea, where boats often sink or get lost due to the large numbers of refugees and the greed of smugglers who extort innocent people. Additionally, many refugees take desert roads so that they can enter to neighboring countries, such as Yemen, which led to the death of dozens of them due to thirst and exposure to human traffickers through these dangerous roads, as well as dozens of people whose traces were lost or who lost their lives while crossing the borders in Belarus and elsewhere.

Latifa Jamel, President of the American Center for Justice, said, “ The living conditions of hundreds of thousands of refugees are worsening on daily basis in light of the renunciation of some countries hosting these refugees from their legal and moral obligations, as well as the unacceptable absence of the relevant international organizations.” She added, "Efforts must be concerted and concrete to improve the conditions of refugees, especially in countries experiencing bad economic conditions that may prevent them from carrying out their full duty to address the needs of those refugees.” 

As for the daily life of refugees, the American Center for Justice confirms that limited income for refugees significantly affects their standard of living, especially in host countries with high costs of living, such as Jordan, where the average rent for one apartment - for example - in the city center is about $700, 30% higher than rent prices in Cairo, Egypt. The high costs of living push refugees in host countries to the brink of the abyss, placing them in dire humanitarian conditions. Some families in some Arab countries are forced to share one small apartment with another family. Refugees and asylum seekers suffer other difficulties in terms of health services and education. For instance, in Egypt, refugees have access to primary, secondary and emergency public health care on an equal basis with Egyptians, and the same applies to public education.

The ACJ stresses that many international agreements guarantee refugees special protection and full rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in addition to the Convention on the Rights of Asylum and the Convention on the Rights of Women and Children. 

The American Center for Justice emphasizes that failure to take real and effective action by the countries hosting refugees and the concerned United Nations agencies to improve their living conditions make these countries and agencies fully responsible for the suffering of these refugees. Accordingly, the American Center for Justice calls on these parties to take more serious and concrete measures in order to ensure that refugees enjoy their rights and improve their living conditions by supporting special international programs that provide minimum requirements.