What awaits fleeing Ukrainians on the other side of the border?

Trent's Dr. Feyzi Baban explores the changing reality of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has brought the plight of refugees into stark focus. With the United Nations estimating that up to five million refugees will be crossing the border into Central European countries, depending on the length and the depth of this conflict, Trent associate professor of International Development Studies, Dr. Feyzi Baban, is concerned about a potential refugee crisis.

“Most of the Ukrainians will be crossing the border into neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Moldova, and many of these countries do not have the infrastructure to deal with a large number of people coming across their borders in such a short time,” Professor Baban, who has been conducting cutting-edge research on the topic of forced migration for several years, told the CBC. “That will be the most pressing concern: being able to accommodate that number of people in such a short time period.”

He is looking forward to sharing his insights into forced migration with students through Trent’s new specialization in Global Migration & Refugee Studies, which will give hands-on experience through community-based research and study abroad opportunities. Students will develop a deeper understanding of cross-border population movements, the causes and impact of displacement and forced migration, migrant experiences, human rights work, governance, settlement, and citizenship – both in Canada and around the world.