Number of Displaced People Hits Record High, Fuels Boom in Human Trafficking

20:57, June 18, 2015

The number of people who have been displaced worldwide reached an all-time high in 2014, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a statistic that also reflects a worrying number of recent high-profile human-trafficking cases.

The UNHCR estimates that 59.5 million were displaced in 2014 – a sharp increase on the previous year's estimated total of 51.2 million. It was the largest rise recorded in a single year, and nearly half of the displaced people were reported to be children.

The growing tide of displacement has been fuelled by conflict and poverty in countries such as Syria, Libya and Ukraine.

Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, had harsh words for the international community's "utter inability" to come together and tackle the issue.  Read more... (480 words)

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