[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 93 (Friday, June 19, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S6844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           WORLD REFUGEE DAY

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, tomorrow is World Refugee Day, a day to 
pause and recognize the millions of people who have been forced from 
their homes by natural disaster, conflict, or in some cases 
persecution. They often only carry with them the clothes on their backs 
and the new burdens and trauma that accompany the title of ``refugee.'' 
Yet as we acknowledge the tragedy of their loss, we can also celebrate 
their enduring resilience. Even after years of suffering and 
hopelessness, many refugees never give up hope that they will return to 
their homes to be allowed to live peaceful and full lives. They 
continue to struggle to ensure that their basic rights are protected 
and basic needs met.
  Today, the overall number of refugees and internally displaced people 
is estimated at 42 million. The refugee experience cuts across borders 
and countries, but the circumstances that give rise to displacement are 
often unique. There are so many crises to talk about--in Colombia, Sri 
Lanka, Thailand, and Zimbabwe, for example--but I want to briefly 
highlight three in particular.
  First, in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, a humanitarian 
crisis continues to unfold as more than 2 million Pakistanis have been 
displaced from their homes due to fighting between militants and the 
Pakistani Government. The Pakistani people have borne additional 
hardship as friends, families, and strangers--already strained by the 
global economic crisis--have opened their homes and lives to many of 
the displaced. We must do more to encourage this generosity through 
creative means as well as providing traditional aid to the hundreds of 
thousands in camps.
  I also wish to highlight the eastern Democratic Republic of the 
Congo. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the 
fighting between the Congolese military and armed groups in eastern 
Congo, forcing people into squalid camps where children are subject to 
forced recruitment and women suffer unspeakable levels of sexual 
violence. In eastern Congo and so many other conflict zones, rape and 
other forms of gender-based violence have become not just outgrowths of 
war and its brutality--they are used as weapons of war. We must do more 
to stop this horrifying practice, to provide protection to these 
vulnerable refugee populations, and to address the underlying causes of 
eastern Congo's conflicts.
  Third, there continue to be more than 250,000 refugees from the 
Darfur region of Sudan in eastern Chad in addition to some 190,000 
internally displaced people--Chadians--in the area. Moreover, millions 
of people remain internally displaced in Darfur. These people do not 
have access to many basic humanitarian needs such as water, health 
care, and education, and they continue to be subject to attacks by 
government forces and armed rebel groups. We need to address their 
needs and enhance civilian protection, while working to stand up a 
viable peace process for Darfur and the wider region.
  Finally, World Refugee Day is also an occasion to celebrate the work 
of donor governments including our own, private individuals, 
nongovernmental organizations, and agencies like the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Refugees that are working to meet the needs of 
the displaced. To those who have given generously, to those who have 
lived among the displaced, and to those who report their stories and 
refuse to allow them to be forgotten, I say, thank you.
  Nonetheless, we must do more to bring attention to the plight of the 
tens of millions of refugees around the world and to ensure their 
fundamental right to be safe. The theme of this year's World Refugee 
Day is ``Real People, Real Needs''--a reminder of the human face of 
refugee crises around the world. Today, let us see that face and commit 
ourselves to meeting the real needs of refugees and IDPs around the 
world.

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