In the article titled “The human face of the refugee crisis,” McDonald-Gibson examines one of many stories of refugees and the hardships they face. Charlotte McDonald-Gibson (2016) tells the story of Eritrean refugees escaping from their country. The primary focus falls on Sina, an Eritrean woman who fled the country due to governmental persecution: her real name is never revealed.
Sina’s story is typical for her country’s people: she lived a relatively normal life with her husband until he was falsely charged with a crime of political nature. The crime in question was practicing a religion outlawed by the government. The man did not practice it but was caught with a group of people who did: that was enough to have him imprisoned. He escaped, but the family knew it was a beginning of an end: the government would come for them. Escape was the only option, but their government could reach for escapees long beyond its border. The only option was to contact smugglers who would get them to Europe, “the only place where they would feel safe” (McDonald-Gibson, 2016, p. 5). Their plan took a dark turn when smugglers turned out to be scammers. The money was gone, and the couple was separated from each other. Alone and heavily pregnant, Sina eventually reached Greece, where she gave birth to a healthy baby. While the woman escaped the horrors of political persecution, she never heard back from her husband. Her path to a new life was far from over.
The author utilizes the tragic story of Sina as a demonstration of how people living in her country have to survive. McDonald-Gibson attempts to highlight the horrors of political persecution and oppressive regime that plagues woman’s country. To tell what kind of life she had to escape and how dangerous the freedom travel was. The author does not shy away from darker details, making the story feel grim: even though Sina escaped, her husband didn’t, and many others did not either, often perishing during the journey. McDonald-Gibson (2016) illustrates it with eloquent and colorful language to highlight the horrors they endured: “forced to sleep in their waste,” “screams would echo around the metal box,” or “brutal retribution” (p. 5). While the language McDonald-Gibson uses is moving, sometimes it makes the story read more like a vibrant tale rather than an article. At the same time, all of it is done with a clear and compassionate goal in mind: to make the reader sympathize with Sina and others.
The article’s title is intentional because the author emphasizes the need to see these people as fellow human beings in need instead of a statistic in a news report. By choosing one person as an example, the author gives the refugee crisis a persona, a human face. McDonald-Gibson (2016) makes an effort to make the reader sympathize with those involved in the story and care about their life, suffering, and future by utilizing colorful language, creative tools, and real-life examples.
Reference
McDonald-Gibson, C. (2016). The human face of the refugee crisis. The Guardian. Web.