22 July 2016
University of Essex community stands #WithRefugees
Each day war forces 34,000 people – close to three times the number of students studying at Essex - to flee their homes.
To escape the violence, refugees leave everything behind – everything except their hopes and dreams for a safer future.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, believes that all refugees deserve to live in safety and is leading the #WithRefugees campaign and petition to send a clear message to governments that they must act with solidarity and shared responsibility.
Many of our graduates work with organisations which support and promote the rights of refugees across the world, while our academics in our Human Rights Centre and across our University are also working on research and projects directly impacting on refugees.
We’ve been speaking to graduates and academics about why the #WithRefugees campaign is so important. We will be sharing their thoughts over the coming month on Facebook, Twitter and on this page through Storify.
The petition asks governments to:
- Ensure every refugee child gets an education.
- Ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live.
- Ensure every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.
The #WithRefugees petition will be delivered to UN headquarters in New York on September 16, ahead of the UN General Assembly high-level summit to address large movements of refugees and migrants, on September 19.
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