For 22 years now, on 18 December, we have marked International Migrants Day*, established by the UN. 2022 was a very intense year in terms of migration. Millions of people had to leave Ukraine because of Russia’s military aggression. Armed conflict and threats to life and health are often among the main reasons for migration, but not the only ones. Why do people migrate? Read on to find out.
Migration in numbers
According to data published by the European Commission (“Immigrants in European society – overall figures”), 1.92 million people migrated to European Union countries in 2022. Since February 2022, when Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began, the EU has received more migrants than at any time since the Second World War.
At present, most people are forced to leave their country because of war, but migration is also driven by, among other things:
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the search for work and an income that makes a decent life possible,
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the need to give one’s family better living conditions or to join family members already living in a given country,
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the need for education (of a better standard, or access to it at all),
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the need to obtain refugee status.
In Poland, people from Ukraine are currently the largest group of migrants. In April 2022 there were more than 3 million of them. In Wrocław, Ukrainians make up a large group of new residents – more than 250,000 people (according to the Data Analysis Centre report “Urban Hospitality: An Estimate of the Number of Ukrainians in the Cities of the Union of Polish Metropolises”). People from Belarus, Georgia, India, Turkey and many other countries have also chosen Wrocław as their home.
Hospitality
Welcoming new residents is a major challenge for a city. Municipal bodies, NGOs and residents are working to make Wrocław a new home for everyone.
Since its inception, Passage of Dialogue (Przejście Dialogu) has been a place for meetings and intercultural dialogue, as well as a space where the city’s residents can run their own activities. In February 2022 we focused our work on helping refugees arriving from Ukraine. Consultants from the WroMigrant team, together with legal advisers and volunteers, provided consultations and passed on key information to those trying to find their feet in a new reality.
We currently run a range of activities aimed at integrating all residents and helping newcomers feel at home here. The WroMigrant team provides not only consultations but also training in Ukrainian, English and Belarusian. Thanks to our partnership with UNICEF, and together with organisations and educators, we have been running – and continue to run – educational, art and language workshops for adults, young people and children at the Passage. The events are very popular – over 3 months, more than 2,000 people took part in total.
On International Migrants Day, we want to emphasise how important cooperation and openness to the needs of others are. Cities should be a safe haven for everyone who wants to join their communities – and that is what we will keep working towards.
*The term migrants also includes refugees.
Sources:
“Immigrants in European society – overall figures”, https://commission.europa.eu/, the article is available HERE, accessed: 16.12.2022.
“Urban Hospitality: An Estimate of the Number of Ukrainians in the Cities of the Union of Polish Metropolises”, https://metropolie.pl/, the report is available HERE, accessed: 16.12.2022.
