During war and armed conflict, refugees suffer a range of traumas that leave lasting impacts on their mental health. Many will struggle with PTSD, depression, and anxiety as adults. They will also have lower incomes and worse educational outcomes than their peers. Moreover, a lack of access to adequate medical care can lead to severe physical ailments such as malnutrition and cholera.
Refugees need a safe return home or the opportunity to build a new life elsewhere. But the global system of protecting people who flee violence is broken. It is based on the 1951 Refugee Convention and a network of UN agencies, but it has been overwhelmed by the scale of the refugee crisis, and the world has lost sight of its original commitments.
The problem is not only the lack of financial resources to support the needs of refugees, but also the narrow political interests that drive international action. For example, when a refugee crisis occurs in a country with strong security and economic links to the country of origin, Western states may consider the situation in strategic terms, rather than as a humanitarian challenge.
A key step towards a solution is to ensure that the displaced are able to live in dignity and contribute in their host communities. This requires a change in how aid is delivered. A growing body of evidence suggests that cash transfers are the most effective way to help refugees. As a recent study by the Overseas Development Institute summarized, cash can make humanitarian assistance more accountable to those it’s intended for; it reduces child labor; and it creates an incentive for refugees to invest in their own economic futures.