One photo saved Mustafa's life. In January 2021, a photographer snapped this image of him in his father's arms. They were living in a refugee camp in Turkey, victims of the Syrian civil war. The picture was shared online and won the Siena International Photo AwardThe SIPAContest is held annually in Siena, Italy.. It launched a campaign that raised £152,000 and brought Mustafa and his family to Italy for medical care.

Turkey is home to the world's largest refugee population at over 3.8 million. According to the UN, there are 100 million forcibly displaced peopleThis number includes refugees and people internally displaced in their own country. globally. If they were a country, it would be the 15th largest in the world. Most refugees live in the poorest nations.

In the last decade, the number of externally displaced peopleRefugees. has more than doubled. Wars in Afghanistan, South Sudan and Syria have created the biggest crisis since records began.

The war in Ukraine shows how quickly the situation can change. Last year, Poland hosted one of the lowest numbers of refugees. The arrival of 1.2 million Ukrainians across the border has put it in the top 10.

Meanwhile, Japan has the world's third-largest economy and a population of 126 million. However, it has only accepted 1,394 refugees in the last 10 years. Is it time rich nations opened their doors?

The idea is not popular with anti-immigration politicians. If we make it easier for people to claim asylumProtection from persecution outside your country. The right to asylum is recognised by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.", they argue, economic migrants will take advantage.

Others believe it is better to help host nations through the UN aid agencies.

Kutupalong in Bangladesh is the world's largest refugee camp, home to 600,000 Rohingya exiles from neighbouring Myanmar.

"I am a refugee," says Labour politician Alf DubsNow a member of the House of Lords, Baron Dubs was born in 1932 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. His family was Jewish and fled the Nazi occupation.. "When I was six, the UK saved my life and gave me a home and hope." In 1939, he fled the Nazis on the KindertransportGerman for children's transport. During World War Two, individuals and companies sponsored around 10,000 Jewish children to bring them to Britain to save them from the Holocaust. .

People often overestimate the number of refugees in their country. In the UK, the Migration ObservatoryA research centre at the University of Oxford. found a majority thought asylum seekers were the most common type of migrant. In reality, they are the smallest group. The UK has fewer than 200,000 refugees.

"We are coming, thank you," said Mustafa as he boarded a flight from Turkey. "We love Italy." In the war, his father lost a leg and nerve gasDue to the medication taken by his mother, Mustafa was born without limbs. This is a rare condition called Tetra-amelia syndrome. poisoned his mother. He was born without limbs.

Yes: All countries must help people fleeing their homes. But the burden must be fair. Currently, a few nations take responsibility for most of the world's refugees. Wealthier states should and can step up.

No: Accepting more refugees is not always the solution. Instead, wealthy nations can be more helpful by using their influence to stop conflicts and support countries hosting refugees.

Or... This should not just be about war refugees. People leave their homes for many reasons. Extreme poverty and climate change force migrants to seek safety. We need a broader definition of refugee.