The Refugee Experience

A single mother with two young daughters ages 5 and 7, currently living in Ethiopia. She has limited education and has worked as a cleaner. She is considered a woman at risk and cannot return to her country of origin for safety reasons. She has no contacts in Canada.

​

​

​

An Iraqi family of four, currently in Jordan, is awaiting resettlement. The father, 48, has 14 years of education and experience managing several stores. His wife, 45, has 12 years of education and experience as a teacher. Their son is 14 and their daughter is 18. Both attend school. All have some English. They cannot return to their country of origin due to fear of persecution based on religion. The father is a survivor of violence.

Their property, businesses, and schools [are] in ruins, and family members [have been] killed.

• In 2021, there were 26.6 million refugees.

• An additional 48 million people are internally displaced (within their country)

• In addition, an estimated 5.1 million Ukrainians have either left their country as refugees or are internally displaced

LGBTQ+ refugees often have very limited access to education, water, housing and health care, and are regularly exposed to violence.

• Most countries do not accept refugees as permanent residents, and they have few rights

• Only 15% of refugees are hosted in developed countries

A married couple from Afghanistan. The family ran a small restaurant in Kabul. Their four children range in age from 5 months to 10 years of age. They are in Pakistan, living in a disused garage, and have no employment. The father has a bullet injury from a firefight between opposing factions when he was walking to their restaurant. They have no English. Their children have often been unable to go to school. They live in poverty. They are victims of war. 

This 41 year-old mother from the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently living in Rwanda, is accompanied by her four children. She has six years of education and has worked in sales and as a housekeeper. She is considered a “woman at risk” and may benefit from additional support during settlement. The family speaks fluent French and has no contacts in Canada.

​

There are large numbers of survivors of violence and torture.

• 68% of all refugees come from five countries (Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, South Sudan, and Myanmar)

• Refugee women are often exposed to exploitation and abuse through domestic work or survival sex

Some flee due to persecution based on religious or political affiliations.

• Canada permanently settles about 30,000 refugees per year

• The Canadian government has committed to supporting an additional 40,000 people fleeing Ukraine in 2022