The world is now dealing with a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. According to UN, the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine has crossed two million – the fastest growing crisis facing Europe since World War II. It is now bracing for another influx as Russia have announced a ceasefire allowing civilians to flee.
Almost 1.2 million refugees have fled to neigbouring Poland where they have welcomed with open arms and locals even agreed to take them home. Other countries including Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have also accepted refugees while others such as Germany and UK have been slammed for not doing enough. The fallout from the Ukraine war will require long-term humanitarian solutions to support the crisis as it is unlikely that the situation will be fixed anytime soon.
The Ukraine refugee crisis has also sparked racism concern and preferential treatment for others than those from Middle East or Africa. A Ukrainian official said the situation was very emotional for him as “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair” were being killed. A journalist faced ire when he said the refugees were coming from “relatively civilized” countries. Similar coverage has been seen on foreign channels during the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
The emphasis on being European has highlighted the blatant racism and relative apathy in response to conflict in developing countries. The refugees who fled brutal wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan were not welcomed in Europe and many arriving on dingy boats in rough seas were pushed back. Not to forget the situation of those in Myanmar or other conflict zones who cannot reach Europe’s borders.
There are also shocking reports of Asian and African communities facing discrimination as they fled Ukraine, spending days at border points in freezing temperatures without food. This implies that Ukrainian lives are more worth saving while million others can be negated for not being “well-dressed” or from supposedly less civilized locations.
The crisis has exposed the global, systemic institutionalised racism in Europe and beyond. The UN Declaration of Human Rights states “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Countries need to acknowledge and address racism and xenophobia which contravenes international law and basic human rights.
