Suffering in Silence
Over 130 million people worldwide are victims of conflicts and catastrophes each year. However, many of these humanitarian crises are not publicized at all: We take a stand against suffering in silence and dedicate this year's fundraising campaign to the victims of these forgotten crises!
Any Crisis Forgotten Is One Too Many
In the world, there are many dangerous places that thousands must flee from each day. There are countries where half of the children are starving. Do you know where this is happening? If your answer is "no", you're not alone. Supporting people in need is very difficult if most of the world simply looks away.
If There's No Hashtag, Then Did It Really Happen?
In this era of social media and 24-hour access to news, this question has become a truism for many people. What we see on the screen, via the internet or hear over the radio becomes our reality. If an event happens and we don't hear about it, it simply doesn't exist in our consciousness. The sad truth is that the lives of over 132 million people around the world were threatened by crises and catastrophes last year, regardless of whether we heard about it or not. Many of the humanitarian crises affected people without anyone being aware of it. They suffer in silence, away from the public eye.
Why Does This Happen?
An astronomical number of crises, difficulty in gaining access for the media in crisis zones, a lack of finance – there are many reasons that the international community is simply looking away. A study by the Aurora Humanitarian Index found that, for 61% of the participants, there are simply too many humanitarian crises today to follow them all. Many people are also unsure of which countries are hit hardest by these crises. For example, the incorrect assumption that industrialized nations take in the most refugees is very widespread.
In reality, 80% of refugees worldwide actually live in developing countries.
What Can We Do to Help?
The world had many crises to deal with in 2019 too; the people affected by these need action and support from us all.
The war in Yemen, the Syrian crisis, the cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique and the impact of the climate change around Lake Chad are just a few of these. In addition, a multitude of other catastrophes and conflicts also occurred, but these are hardly seen in the media. The consequences for the people affected by these are huge: Time and time again, we have seen how important public awareness is for mobilizing funds and exerting public pressure on political decision-makers.
Suffering in Silence
CARE, the international relief organization, is therefore publishing its "Suffering in Silence" report for the fourth year in a row.
Each year, this study focuses on ten crises that each affect over a million people but have not received much attention from the general public. "Suffering in Silence" is a call to the global community that asks us to act in order to save the people that are suffering in silence in these forgotten crisis zones.
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