Many refugees have fled war-torn areas where they witnessed unspeakable atrocities and barely escaped with their lives. After weeks, months, or even years, they arrive at a refugee camp run by the United Nations, places billed as safe havens for refugees until they can be resettled or it’s safe to return home. But as recent reports have revealed, the workers in these camps can perpetrate some of the same horrors that refugees have fled, abusing adolescent and pre-adolescent boys and girls for sex, and looking the other way when violence erupts.
I recently talked to a refugee who spent a decade in refugee camps in West Africa before being granted asylum in the U.S. Her story is both tragic and inspiring. Tragic because of the evil Finda Davis witnessed both inside and outside of refugee camps, but inspiring because of her will to overcome and her reliance on God. After hearing, I think you’ll have more compassion for refugees, yet you may also be more alarmed concerning the vetting process and our nation’s reliance on the United Nations. It’s important, though, that we be aware of what’s truly happening so we can do something.