UNITED NATIONS: The head of the UN refugee agency said on Monday that the world must speak up against the “ugly reality”; that persons of colour people fleeing Ukraine were facing violence and racial discrimination.

“We bore witness to the ugly reality that some black and brown (sic) people fleeing Ukraine – and other wars and conflicts around the world – have not received the same treatment as Ukrainian refugees,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.

“They reported disturbing incidents of discrimination, violence, and racism.”

In a recent report, another world body, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said it was alarmed by “verified, credible reports of discrimination, violence and xenophobia against third country nationals attempting to flee the conflict in Ukraine.”

Saakshi Ijantkar, a fourth-year medical student from India, shared her ordeal with CNN via a phone call from Lviv, western Ukraine.

“They were very cruel. There was no reason for them to beat us with this cruelty,” Ms. Ijantkar said. “I saw an Egyptian man being pushed by one guard… with so much force (that) the man hit the fence, which was covered in spikes, and lost consciousness.”

Mr Grandi said such acts of discrimination were unacceptable, and the UN agency was “using our many channels and resources to make sure that all people are protected equally.”

The UN official noted that all refugees suffer “the same pain and sorrow; the same loss and anguish” and they deserve “the same relief” given to the Ukrainian refugees. “Everyone on the run equally deserves our compassion, our empathy, and our support,” he added.

“We can — and must — salute solidarity, while also resolutely condemning acts of discrimination and bias”, Mr Grandi said.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2022