How the Private Sector Can Help Tackle the Refugee Crisis Essay

There is an excellent refugee crisis in the world right now. According to the Whitehouse Fact Sheet 2016, an excess of 65 million people have been displaced in a global spectrum; and this has increased immigration from one country to the other leading to a myriad of challenges (The White House). These include but not limited to exerting pressure on national resources like health, education and social services that are meant to aid a country's rightful citizens. Anyone who has cared about these pressures and the future should certainly care about how to respond and make the situation better in every possible way however small it might appear on face value. In most cases, immigration-related issues have been left solely for the government and its branches like the department of immigration to deal with. The regulation and management of immigration and the challenges and benefits related to the influx of immigrants have been kept in check by laws such as the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) as well as the immigration act of 1990, the USA-Patriot Act, among others. While these laws have curbed or dealt with immigration issues for a considerably better degree, the private and the non-profit sectors have kept quiet on the subject of immigration leaving the entire burden to the federal government while also neglecting or ignoring how crucial the immigrant skills and capabilities can be of great benefit to the sectors. To contribute to a better future for every citizen, the private sector should join hands with the government to tap the immigrant skills and potentialities through educating refugees, providing employment opportunities, and promoting enablement so that the areas can benefit from the problem.

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To begin, education provides immigrant children and young adults with appropriate tools to thrive in a new environment. According to the UNHCR education report of 2016, opportunities of learning reduce whenever children are forced by circumstances to flee their homes, and also as they grow into adults. The report also notes that more than half the 16.1 million refugees under UNHCR are children. Six million of these children are in the primary and secondary school age bracket (Grandi). That is a huge number with potential, skills and resilience which, without education to nurture them and provide more learning opportunities, they can struggle to cope thereby not contributing positively to their new environments.

Educating the immigrant children ensures they build on the primary compulsory education that some have, provides them with necessary skills to succeed within the labor markets, and equips them with essential vocational skills which can contribute to the economy and the labor force of their new countries. The private sector can contribute through supporting the government through funding refugee educational projects and providing educational resources and scholarships to refugee children and young adults. Non-governmental organizations should partner with other sectors like the tech sectors to work on things like linguistic media, say a multilingual application, to help refugees not only major languages but also their rights in the new countries. It takes enlightenment to a new level.

Also, the private and non-profit organizations should partner with the government agencies to find ways through which immigrants get employment opportunities, have their entrepreneurial efforts or projects supported and also get assistance in workforce reentry (Howden). The recognition of refugee job potential is made better by enhancements through education and training which later pave ways of employment. Employment of these refugees and immigrants in the various sector for which they can work ensures their skills are put in to good use and can be of great benefit to not only themselves but also their new countries (Laroche & Don). Private firms can offer to hire immigrant employees with backgrounds and bridging gaps left by government agencies as far as immigrant social welfare is concerned. In countries like Canada where the private sector sponsors refugees and immigrants, resettling has been made easy, and the public attitude to refugees and immigrants has been positive (Yap et al.). Therefore, provision of employment to the immigrants aids them in deepening their roots, standing on their feet financially, and contributing positively to their host countries.

Lastly, enablement services are essential here. These include humanitarian services, increased access to resources meant for refugees and immigrants, strengthened infrastructure and encouraging receiving countries to welcome refugees and allow them to settle, attend school and work. Measures like deportation have heart-wrenching consequences to family ties as depicted by Paola Mendoza's short film "Broken Tail Light," in which a mother's deportation subjects her daughter to foster care for the rest of her life (Mendoza). Enablement as an initiative should be taken as a serious campaign by the private sector and the non-profit organizations to ensure that governments put certain programs in place to help the situations of immigrants. It takes no special education to realize that most of these people flee their homes forcefully, some due to war, while others want good lives. Their dreams and aspirations are also valid just like those of everyone else. When these infrastructures are put in place, immigrants can settle and become so productive. Skilled immigrants have contributed immensely to the economy of the US, by "innovating sufficiently" and raising the productivity of other workers (Moore).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the non-profit and private sectors should join hands with the government to manage, control and nurture the skills that the immigrants have. This can be done through education, which provides the right tools to thrive; employment, which aids in self-sustenance and economic boost, and lastly, enablement measures to make refugee or immigrants' lives better for them to be productive and contribute positively in the host countries.

Works Cited

Factsmatter. https://defineamerican.com/factsmatter/. Accessed 5 Nov 2018.

Grandi, Filippo. "Why Refugees Must Be Given Education And The Tools To Thrive". Unrefugees.Org, 2016, https://www.unrefugees.org/news/why-refugees-must-be-given-education-and-the-tools-to-thrive/. Accessed 5 Nov 2018.

Howden, Daniel. "Analysis: How The Private Sector Can Help Tackle The Refugee Crisis". Refugees, 2016, https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/articles/2016/10/03/analysis-how-the-private-sector-can-help-tackle-the-refugee-crisis. Accessed 5 Nov 2018.

Laroche, Lionel, and Don Rutherford. Recruiting, retaining and promoting culturally different employees. Routledge, 2007.

Mendoza, Paola. Broken Tail Light. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVLq153EH44. Accessed 5 Nov 2018.

Moore, Stephen. "How Legal Immigrants Contribute To The Economy". The Washington Times, 2018, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jul/1/how-legal-immigrants-contribute-to-the-economy/. Accessed 5 Nov 2018.

The White House. FACT SHEET: White House Launches A Call To Action For Private Sector Engagement On The Global Refugee Crisis. 2016, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/30/fact-sheet-white-house-launches-call-action-private-sector-engagement-0. Accessed 5 Nov 2018.

Yap, Margaret, et al. "Correlates of career satisfaction in Canada-The immigrants' experience." Journal of International Migration and Integration 15.1 (2014): 49-71.