Sadness

Millions of refugees are hidden victims of the West's war on terror, warns UN

Refugees fleeing persecution or civil war are becoming the hidden victims of the West's obsession with combating terrorism, the United Nations will warn in a report published today.

Only a fraction of the world's 9.2 million refugees have the means to reach the industrialised world to seek asylum. Those who do are increasingly likely to be treated like criminals as rich countries put up the barriers to keep out terrorists and economic migrants.

"More and more, asylum-seekers are portrayed not as refugees fleeing persecution and entitled to sanctuary, but rather as illegal migrants, potential terrorists and criminals - or at a minimum, as 'bogus'," the report by the office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), warns.

It saddens me how people are closing their hearts to people displaced by conflict, the right wing press have taken the issue hostage and done a very good job of muddying the line between asylum-seekers and immigration. Refugees have become the perfect scapegoat of our times, it is easy to blame non-whites than to actually find real solutions.