"I have been working with refugees and migrants for 10 years, speaking to hundreds of people about their experiences. I now see that my understanding of what they had gone through was shallow and utterly inadequate.

At present, being in exile from my homeland of Canada (which has virtually shut its borders), feeling cut off from my loved ones overseas, gripped by anxiety for their well-being as well as my own, I have a new and visceral appreciation for the experiences of people caught up in catastrophes.

I dont wish to minimize the indescribable suffering and destruction in places like Syria and Venezuela, from which millions of people have fled. These situations are in no way comparable to what is happening in most countries affected by the pandemic.

But for millions of people in wealthy nations, the pandemic might represent the first time they have experienced even an infinitesimally faint echo of what is endured by others who are caught up in calamities of a completely different nature and severity.

Could these experiences create a better understanding of what it might be like to be a refugee? Could this unprecedent situation create compassion and empathy for those forced from their homes? Its far from impossible.

When calamities befall our fellow human beings, will we confine them to squalid camps, fire tear gas at them, separate them from their children, prosecute them for the crime of trying to build a safer life for themselves and their families? Or will we remember the time when we felt vulnerable and powerless, when we worried about meeting our basic needs, when our passports were worthless, when we were paralyzed by wrenching anxiety and uncertainty?

We are not powerless. We can choose solidarity and compassion, protecting and assisting the most vulnerable among us and acting in line with the greater good. We can save many lives". - Anna Shea, Amnesty International

If you wish to find out more about how you can partake in a virtual event to help to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied, please visit https://www.amnesty.org.uk/ways-to-give/challenge-events/virtual-event-for-human-rights or email team@amnesty.org.uk.

Thank you for your support!