Refugees: "Every time you blink, one more person is forced to flee.” Every 4.1 seconds there is a new refugee or new IDP

Source: UN Radio
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Every four seconds there’s a new refugee or internally displaced person in the world, says UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

People continually flee to other countries — tens of thousands of Malians to Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso; thousands of Sudanese to South Sudan, and now well over one million and a half Syrians to neighboring countries.

Millions more — the internally displaced — are fleeing their homes but not their countries – for example Somalis, Iraqis and Syrians.

The crisis in Syria has driven that number dramatically higher.

The Syrian crisis made 2012 a game-changing year.

According to the UNHCR, there were more refugees or internally displaced people last year than at any time since 1994.

And now the crisis in Syria could result in even larger numbers of people displaced or in need of humanitarian assistance by the end of 2013, says Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“Every 4.1 seconds there is a new refugee or new Internal displaced, which means that every time you blink, one more person is forced to flee.”

High Commissioner Guterres says children under 18 are the greatest victims.

Gerry Adams, United Nations.

Duration: 1’26″