The human tragedy of thousands of asylum seekers floundering—and dying—in the Mediterranean highlights an unprecedented global challenge for the 21st century. "In terms of migrants and refugees, nothing has been seen like this since World War Two", says Leonard Doyle, spokesman for the International Organization for Migrants. Globally there were estimated to be 16.7 million refugees and 34 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the end of 2013. The conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen alone have created some 15 million refugees and IDPs. The numbers are growing on an almost daily basis. Just in the past few weeks, the fighting in Yemen has displaced another 150,000 while fighting in Iraq's Ramadi has added another 114,000 to Iraq's total displaced of around 3 million refugees and IDPs.
Most of the world's displaced seek shelter either elsewhere in their own country or in neighboring countries. However, buffeted by wars and harsh economic, political, and social conditions, people mainly from Africa and the Middle East but elsewhere as well are escaping to the developed world to evade their circumstances—and doing so in growing numbers.
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