イギリスの名探偵小説『シャーロック・ホームズ』を書いたのはスコットランド出身のコナン・ドイル（Dr Conan Doyle）ですが、国際英語学科にはアイルランド出身のシェーン・ドイル博士（Dr Shane Doyle）がいます。SDGsに関心を持ち社会学的視点から英語を研究しています。「ドイル博士の目」と題して、社会問題について（不定期ではありますが）英語でメッセージを発信していきます。
それでは、以下に、"Dr Doyle's Eye No. 2"（「ドイル博士の目」第２回）をお届けします！
国際英語学科に進学を考えている方、また、単に英語に興味がある方はぜひご一読下さい。
Chasing a dream
I was watching the BBC news a little while ago and a story about some cyclists in Italy caught my attention.
This particular group of cyclists aren’t Italian by the way, no, they are from Afghanistan. They are not just a group of five female cyclists chasing a dream in the mountains of Northern Italy, they are also refugees. They fled their homeland because their lives were in danger, as female athletes were banned from playing any sports in their country. But through the help of a local charity in Italy run by a former world champion cyclist they were able to continue their dream to cycle for Afghanistan in the Olympics.
"They asked for help, their lives were in danger. So it is the natural thing to do to help them."
- Alessandra Capellotto (former World Champion Cyclist)
Leave no one behind
This is the central commitment of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). This commitment is a global pledge made by the UN to work towards a sustainable future, a future not for a chosen few, but rather for everyone.
One group of people for whom this is particularly difficult to achieve are refugees. According to the Refugee Council of Australia, this group accounts for 27.1 million people in total, while another 89.3 million people are ‘forcibly displaced’. They have been forced to leave home due to conflict, disaster or persecution. Together this almost totals 120 million people, similar to the whole population of Japan!
What do the SDG’s mean for people who are forcibly displaced or who are refugees?
Well, let’s think about that. In terms of: SDG1(No poverty), they lose everything when forced to flee their home countries, SDG 4 (Quality Education) they lose out on an education which in turn affects their whole lives, SDG 5 (Gender Equality) as refugees, women and girls are more vulnerable to gender based violence and discrimination, SDG 8 (Decent work and Economic growth) means that refugees are severely disadvantaged when compared to citizens of the host country when it comes finding jobs.
So how many refugees did Japan accept in 2021?
According to the Asahi Shimbun (May 14, 2022), Japan accepted 74 refugees, which is a jump from 47 in 2020. Although Japan did grant special permission for 580 foreign nationals to stay in Japan out of humanitarian consideration. In fact, developed nations should be doing more considering that less well-off nations are hosting twice the number of refugees than richer nations. (amnesty.org)
But perhaps, as in this BBC news story, it is on an individual basis that we can impact on the lives of refugees or those who are displaced. I look forward to hearing about this cycling team of refugees in the future.
