After more than a month of war in Eastern Europe, the number of people who have left Ukraine to flee the conflict has reached 4 million, according to figures released by the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) on Tuesday (29). The figure represents about 9% of the country’s total population, estimated at 44 million people.
The gravity of the migratory crisis, considered the biggest since the Second World War, is evident if we take into account the more than 6.5 million people who, according to the UN, had to move internally to leave threatened regions. In other words: for every four inhabitants of Ukraine, at least one has had to leave his home since February 24, when the Russian-led invasion began.
The daily flow of people leaving the country, however, has been decreasing. The European Union (EU) reported that, after a peak in which its member countries together received 100,000 Ukrainian refugees a day, the average has now dropped to around 40,000. The bloc, the main destination for those fleeing the war, is challenged by yet another migratory wave that shows no signs of stopping.
As leaving Ukraine has become a challenge, with cities under siege and disrespect for humanitarian corridors, and the only way to do it is by land, the main destinations for emigrants continue to be neighboring countries, especially Poland. The country, a member of the EU, has so far received 2.3 million refugees.
Polish authorities, once known for refusing to receive refugees, have shown a different attitude towards the humanitarian crisis in a neighboring country and welcoming immigrants, although they are beginning to express concern about the growing flow of Ukrainians entering the country – some with the desire to to establish residence, and others seeking to emigrate to another nation.
A survey released by the UNHCR this Wednesday (30) outlined a profile of the mass of Ukrainians entering Poland. The survey, which from March 9 to 28 spoke to 215 people in two reception camps, showed that 88.4% of refugees are women and 82.3% are between 18 and 64 years old. Regarding religion, 63.7% said they were Catholic, while 23.7% said they were Orthodox.
The survey also shows that the main demand presented by the respondents is economic support (16%). After all, 37.1% of them said they were unemployed, while 17% are retired. Nearly half of people said they aim to return to Ukraine as soon as possible, and another 29% said they did not know what they had planned for the future at this point in the conflict.
With the numbers growing day by day, the EU seeks to outline plans to promote the reception of these people. Countries like Germany have already taken a critical stance, calling for refugees to be distributed more equitably among European countries.
The quota policy, a model adopted during the 2015 refugee crisis to force reluctant countries to accept immigrants, has been rejected so far. In contrast, European leaders say that a policy anchored in regional solidarity is needed.
The EU’s largest country, with more than 80 million people, Germany says it has registered more than 270,000 Ukrainian refugees so far. France, the second largest in the bloc, in turn, claims to have registered 30,000. Spain, on the other hand, speaks of 25,000, and the Czech Republic of 300,000.
The United Kingdom, where the initial policy of welcoming refugees created unease for the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said on Wednesday that it had issued 25,500 visas to Ukrainians since the beginning of the war, and that the total number of people registered to apply for a visa in the country reaches almost 60 thousand.
Last week, the EU launched a joint package of ten points to coordinate the action of member countries in the reception of Ukrainians. The list, with few measures of immediate impact and more organization promises, says, among other things, that guidelines will be drawn up for the reception of children and a plan to combat human trafficking.
Critically, the German government regretted the fact that the package was not binding – that is, it had to be compulsorily complied with by member countries. Interior minister in Prime Minister Olaf Scholz’s government, Nancy Faeser, said that at some point the rules would have to be mandatory. “The more refugees that come, the greater the desire for a balanced and mandatory distribution,” she said.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides recently stated that a plan is being drawn up to buy and distribute vaccines against diseases such as measles, polio, tuberculosis and, of course, Covid-19, to immunize Ukrainian refugees, with priority for children. , and thus minimize the risks of new outbreaks in the countries that host these immigrants.
