Refugee
From ArticleWorld
The internationally agreed definition of refugee is defined in the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugee, as amended and its 1967 Protocol. Simply, a refugee is any person who flees his homeland because of well-founded fear of persecution.
During the last years, the majority of refugees came from Afghanistan, Sudan and Iraq.
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Asylum seekers
When people flee their own country, seeking refuge in another state, they apply for asylum – the right to be recognized as refugees and to receive legal protection and assistance. Asylum seekers should not be confused with migrants who left their countries for economic reasons.
Determining the refugee status is often decided by certain governmental agencies within the host country. Though, this sometimes leads to abuse in a country that has strict immigration policy or is facing economic problems. Asylum can also be made on arrival to the country of refuge. Some governments accept such asylum claims, while other governments may detain asylum seekers or even send them back to their countries.
It is important to note that article 33 of the 1951 UN Convention defines non-refoulement, saying that no country shall return or expel a refugee to the country where his life or freedom would be threatened, or where he would be tortured or mistreated. Unfortunately, not all countries follow this principle.
UNHCR
With its headquarter in Geneva, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1950, to lead international action in order to protect refugees and resolve their problems. The UNHCR's purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. The agency help refugees to integrate locally, assist in the voluntarily return to the original country, or to resettle them in another country.
The UNHCR's mandate has been expanded gradually over the years to include providing humanitarian assistance to persons of concern, and including internally-displaced persons-IDPs. Though there is no legal definition of IDP, he/she is the person who fled his home for reasons such as persecution or wars, without crossing international borders.
In 2005, the number of refugees and people of concern to the UNHCR rose to 19.2 million from 17 million in 2004.
Refugee in Europe
- After the WWII and the defeat of Germany, about 12,000,000 Germans were displaced to the Allied-occupied Germany. More than 3,700,000 Eastern German refugees fled to the West for asylum from Soviet occupation.
- During the war in former Yugoslavia in 1991-1995, the country breakup and ethnic conflict displaced about 2 million people.
Refugees in Asia
- In 1971, the Bangladesh Liberation War caused more than 10 million Bengalis to flee neighboring India.
- During the Afghan War 1978-1992, resulted in more than 6 million refugees fleeing to Pakistan and Iran.
Refugees in Africa
- As a result of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, over 2 million people fled into neighboring countries like Zaire. Little action was taken to resolve the situation and the crisis did not end until rebels forced the refugees back across to Rwanda.
- The largest number of refugees are from Sudan, who have fled either the longstanding or recent conflicts. The 20-year civil war displaced 4 million Sudanese people inside the country, while about 500,000 are refugees. Darfur conflict resulted in displacing 1.8 million people.
Palestinian refugees
Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, the great majority of Palestinian refugees were not allowed to return to their homes. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East - UNRWA was established in 1950. UNRWA provides basic and relief services to over 4.1 million Palestinian refugees. The agency's definition of Palestinian refugees covers the 1948 refugees and their descendants who became refugees.