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Since the Syrian Civil war and resulting migrant crisis, most of the narrative around refugees
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has been the burden they place on European countries, such as Greece, France and the
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UK.
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But these and other wealthy nations are actually absorbing very few people in need.
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In fact, of the 21 million refugees in the world, most are living in just a handful of
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countries, many of which are suffering from their own financial and political problems.
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So we wanted to know, which countries have taken in the most refugees?
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Well, a refugee is someone who is forced to leave because their country has become too
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dangerous, for instance from a war or natural disaster.
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As of the end of 2015, Pakistan hosts about 1.6 million refugees, a vast majority of which
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have entered from neighboring Afghanistan.
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Most fled when the Soviet Union invaded during the Cold War, and as a result, a majority
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are second and third generation.
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In the 1970’s and 80’s, the Pakistani government welcomed Afghan refugees, allowing
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them to open businesses and settle with local populations.
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However as more and more arrived, and relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan declined,
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Pakistan gradually changed its tune.
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In December 2015, it gave all refugees six months to leave, later extending the deadline
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another six months.
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More than 250,000 have since returned to Afghanistan, most of whom were not even born there.
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Another destination for refugees is Turkey, which hosts an estimated three million asylum-seekers
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as of June 2016.
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While roughly 90 percent are from Syria, many are from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Somalia.
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Over the course of 2014 and 2015, nearly one million migrants and refugees fled Turkey
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for Greece or other European countries, often taking dangerous and unorthodox routes on
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land or sea.
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After hundreds of deaths, the EU and Turkey brokered a deal in which all migrants attempting
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to settle in Greece would be returned to Turkey.
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In exchange, Turkey got a number of benefits, including more than six-and-half billion
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dollars for resettlement efforts.
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The idea was that Turkey would be a safe haven for migrants to resettle, however it hasn’t
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exactly played out that way.
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Turkish officials have reportedly failed to provide asylum seekers with adequate aid,
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and have even shipped many to other war-torn countries.
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Like Turkey, Jordan hosts more refugees than just about any other country.
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Nearly 3 million refugees live in Jordan, a majority of which live in urban areas below
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the national poverty line.
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More than 2 million are Palestinian, most of whom settled in Jordan after it occupied
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and annexed the West Bank in the mid 20th century.
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But some are actually Palestinian Syrians who fled from the Syrian Civil War, making
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them double refugees.
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In 2014, Jordan closed its border with Syria, and in 2016 Jordan’s King Abdullah II announced
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that the country had reached a “boiling point”, and that it could no longer provide
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aid to refugees without further help from the international community.
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World leaders have met countless times to come up with a permanent solution to the global
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refugee crisis, however no tangible plan has been put in place.
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For instance the UK has taken in just 8 thousand refugees since 2011, while its population
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is 10 times bigger than Jordan’s.
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With few world powers willing to take in anywhere near the amount of refugees living in Pakistan,
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Turkey or Jordan, these asylum seekers will continue to live in a state of uncertainty.
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Millions of refugees are fleeing from conflicts all over the world.
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But when these men, women and children leave their home country, what rights do they still
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have?
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Find out in this video.
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Thanks for watching Seeker Daily.
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