Refugee

A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person who has to leave their own country and find safety in another country. They cannot go back home because they fear harm because of who they are, what they believe or say, or because of war, violence, or big problems in their country. Such a person may be called an asylum seeker until they are given special help and protection called refugee status by a country or the UNHCR.

Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are sometimes also called refugees, but they are different because they have not crossed into another country. Even though they leave their homes for similar reasons as refugees, they are still inside their own country.

Etymology and usage

The word "refugee" comes from the Old French word refuge, meaning a hiding place. It is related to the Latin word fugere, which means "to flee". Historically, the term was first used to describe French Protestant Huguenots who were looking for safety from Catholic persecution. The word entered the English language when many Huguenots moved to Britain after laws changed in France in 1685. By around 1916, the meaning of "refugee" changed to describe people who had to leave their homes because of war, like civilians in Flanders during World War I.

Definitions

The first modern definition of a refugee was created in 1921 by the League of Nations. After World War II, the United Nations made a new rule in 1951 to help people who had to leave their homes because they were afraid. This rule says a refugee is someone who has a real reason to fear harm because of their race, religion, where they are from, the group they belong to, or their political beliefs. They are outside their home country and cannot safely go back.

Countries sometimes protect people who must leave because of war, natural disasters, or serious problems, even if they do not fit the exact rules. Special rules exist in different parts of the world to help these people, like in Africa and Latin America. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also helps people who cannot return home because of big dangers or problems. In Europe, there are extra ways to protect people who flee from war or very bad situations.

Related terms

Refugee resettlement is a planned way to help people move to a new country. It includes choosing who can go, helping them travel, and getting them settled.

Refugee relocation is when people move to another country without a planned process.

Refugee settlement is about helping newcomers adjust to life in a new place. This includes finding housing, getting access to school and doctors, and making sure they have the right papers. Finding a job might be part of this, but the main focus is on meeting basic needs right away.

Refugee integration is a longer process where someone becomes a full part of their new community. This includes learning the language, culture, and laws, feeling safe, making friends, and getting things like jobs and a home.

Refugee workforce integration is about helping refugees find jobs that match their skills and give them good chances to grow in their careers.

History

See also: Right of asylum and Sanctuary

The idea that someone seeking safety in a holy place should not be harmed dates back to ancient times. Early laws allowed people to find protection in churches. Over time, different groups of people became refugees due to wars, conflicts, or unfair treatment.

The term "refugee" is often used for people who fit the definition created in 1951. Many groups became refugees throughout history. For example, after laws changed in France, many people called Huguenots moved to other countries. Wars and conflicts caused many people to leave their homes, especially in Europe.

League of Nations

In 1921, an international group was formed to help refugees. They helped people who fled after a big change in Russia. Later, they also helped people from places like Armenia and Greece.

In the 1930s, a special document called the Nansen passport was created to help refugees travel. This helped many people during difficult times.

Rise of Nazism, 1933 to 1944

When a strict government rose to power in Germany, many people had to leave. This caused a large number of refugees. Special groups were formed to help these people find safety.

By the end of World War II, millions of people were refugees across Europe. Groups were formed to help them return home or find new places to live.

Post-World War II population transfers

After World War II, many people had to move from their homes due to border changes and conflicts. This included large groups of people from Germany and other places.

During this time, many people were moved from one country to another, sometimes against their will. This happened in many parts of Europe.

At the end of the war, there were millions of people who had to leave their homes. Groups were formed to help them find safety and new homes.

Refugee studies

After World War II, people began studying why some people are forced to leave their homes and what happens to them. This became a special area of learning called refugee studies. Many groups and schools started to look into this topic. In 1988, a big journal called the Journal of Refugee Studies began, helping more people to study and share ideas about refugees.

Some experts say it’s hard to study refugees because there isn’t one perfect way to define who a refugee is. They also say that much of the research focuses too much on rules and policies instead of deeper ideas. To fix this, scholars try to connect refugee studies with other areas of learning, using real stories of refugees to help understand bigger ideas in social science.

UN Refugee Agencies

Main articles: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and United Nations Relief & Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

UNHCR

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1950 to help people who have to leave their homes because of danger. It helps these people find safety in other countries and supports them until they can go home or start a new life somewhere else. Most refugees get help from UNHCR, except for Palestinian refugees, who get help from a different group called UNRWA.

UNRWA

UNRWA was created in 1948 to help Palestinian refugees. These are people whose homes were in Palestine between 1946 and 1948 but had to leave because of conflict. Today, there are millions of Palestinian refugees, and their numbers keep growing because UNRWA counts not just the original refugees but also their children and grandchildren. UNRWA helps them with things like schools, health care, and finding homes. It works in places like Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Acute and temporary protection

Refugee camp

A refugee camp is a place where governments or groups like the Red Cross build temporary homes for people who have to leave their countries. These camps give people food, medical help, and schooling while they wait to go home. Sometimes people stay in camps for many years.

Urban refugee

Main article: Urban refugee

Many refugees don’t live in camps. More than half live in cities. For example, there are about 60,000 Iraqi refugees in Damascus, Syria, and about 30,000 Sudanese refugees in Cairo, Egypt.

Durable solutions

The UNHCR wants to help refugees stay safe not just for a little while but forever. There are three ways to do this:

Integration and naturalisation

Main article: Naturalization

One way is for refugees to stay in the country where they are safe and become citizens there. This is called integration. Some countries have let many refugees become citizens. For example, Tanzania gave citizenship to 162,000 refugees from Burundi in 2014.

Voluntary return

Main article: Voluntary return

Another way is for refugees to go back home if it is safe. This is called voluntary return. Many refugees have gone home from places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Liberia. The UNHCR helps refugees who want to go back home.

Third country resettlement

Main article: Third country resettlement

The third way is for refugees to move to a new country that agrees to let them live there safely. This is called third country resettlement. Sometimes this is the only way for refugees to find a safe home.

Internally displaced person

Main article: Internally displaced person

UNHCR also helps people who have to leave their homes but stay in their own country. These people are called internally displaced persons (IDPs). They are not refugees because they haven’t left their country, but they still need help.

Refugee status

In the United States, a refugee is defined under the Immigration and Nationality Act. In other countries, the word "refugee" can mean different things. Sometimes it talks about anyone who had to leave their home country because of danger. Other times, it means someone who has been given special help and protection in another country. The most formal kind of help is called Convention refugee status. This is only given to people who meet the rules set in the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol.

To get refugee status, a person must ask for help, called applying for asylum. While waiting for an answer, they are known as an asylum seeker. Even if someone has a right to refugee status, they might not apply for asylum, or they might not be allowed to apply in the country they fled to.

Once someone is given refugee status, they get certain rights based on the 1951 Refugee Convention. However, not every country has agreed to follow this convention, and some countries do not have special rules for people asking for help.

Seeking asylum

Main article: Asylum seeker

An asylum seeker is someone who has left their home and asked another country for protection and the right to stay there. They are waiting for a decision on their request. An asylum seeker might ask for Convention refugee status or other kinds of help. The kind of help they get depends on why they had to leave their home. After a decision is made, the asylum seeker either gets refugee status or another kind of help and can stay, or they are told they must leave. Only when the country, territory, or the UNHCR says they need protection does the asylum seeker officially become a refugee. This comes with certain rights and duties based on the laws of the country where they are.

Quota refugees do not need to ask for asylum when they arrive in a new country because they were already checked by the UNHCR in the first country they went to, and this is usually accepted by the new country.

Refugee status determination

To get refugee status, a person must go through a Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process. This is done by the government of the country where they asked for help or by the UNHCR. The process follows international, regional or national laws. RSD can be done for one person at a time or for groups of people. Which way is used often depends on how many people are arriving.

There is no one specific way to do RSD (except following the 1951 Refugee Convention), and it depends on how well the country's system works and the situation with the people arriving. Because there are no fixed rules, sometimes politics can affect who gets help. Different countries can also understand the rules of the 1951 Refugee Convention in different ways.

In 2013, the UNHCR helped more than 50 countries do RSD and worked with another 20 countries, making it the second largest RSD group in the world. The UNHCR uses guidelines in the Handbook and Guidelines on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status to decide who should get refugee status.

Refugee rights

Refugee rights include important protections and rules to help people who have been forced to leave their homes because of danger or conflict. If a country agrees to the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugees there have the right to employment. Some key rights for refugees are:

Right of return

Main article: Right of return

Even after a conflict ends, it is not easy for refugees to go home. The UN Pinheiro Principles say that people should be able to return home and get their property back. But this is complicated because every situation is different. Sometimes people never had property, or cannot access it, or ownership is unclear. Refugees who move to a third country might lose their right to stay there if they return home.

Right to non-refoulement

Main article: Non-refoulement

Non-refoulement means that no one should be sent back to a place where they would be in danger. This is a key rule in international refugee law, written in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. It means that countries must not send refugees back to places where they could be harmed. This rule applies to all migrants, no matter their status. Countries cannot use national security as an excuse to break this rule. The right to non-refoulement also stops countries from sending refugees to another country that might send them to a dangerous place. This rule is very important to protect refugees.

Right to family reunification

Main article: Family reunification

Family reunification lets families who have been separated come back together. If one family member has the right to live in a country permanently, they can apply to bring other family members to join them. If the application is approved, the rest of the family can move to that country too.

Right to travel

Countries that signed the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees must give refugees special travel papers called "Convention Travel Documents." These papers can be used to travel, but not back to the country the refugee came from.

Restriction of onward movement

Once refugees find a safe place, they are usually encouraged to stay there and not travel to another country for protection. If they do move to another country, this is called "irregular movement" by the UNHCR (see also asylum shopping). Support in the second country might be less, and they could be sent back to the first country.

World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20th. This special day was started in 2000 by the United Nations. Before that, some African countries had already marked this date as "African Refugee Day."

In the United Kingdom, World Refugee Day is part of Refugee Week. This is a big celebration across the country that helps people understand and appreciate the cultures of refugees. There are many fun events like music, dance, and theatre.

In the Roman Catholic Church, there is another special day called the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. This is celebrated in January each year. It started in 1914 by Pope Pius X.

Issues

Protracted displacement

For many refugees, displacement lasts a long time. About two-thirds have been away from home for over three years, called 'protracted displacement'. Even 50%—around 10 million people—have been displaced for more than ten years.

Long-term displacement can make it hard for refugees to keep their job skills fresh. Their qualifications may become outdated, making it difficult to fit into new job markets when they finally resettle.

Medical problems

PTSD

In addition to physical injuries or hunger, many refugees develop long-term mental health issues. These can include anxiety, trouble sleeping, and difficulty remembering things. These problems can make daily life very challenging, especially when facing a new and unfamiliar environment.

PTSD was diagnosed in 34.1% of Palestinian children, most of whom were refugees, males, and working. The participants were 1,000 children aged 12 to 16 years from governmental, private, and United Nations Relief Work Agency schools in East Jerusalem and various governorates in the West Bank.

Another study showed that 28.3% of Bosnian refugee women had symptoms of PTSD three or four years after their arrival in Sweden. These women also had significantly higher risks of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress than Swedish-born women. For depression the odds ratio was 9.50 among Bosnian women.

A study by the Department of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine demonstrated that twenty percent of Sudanese refugee minors living in the United States had a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. They were also more likely to have worse scores on all the Child Health Questionnaire subscales.

In a study for the United Kingdom, refugees were found to be 4 percentage points more likely to report a mental health problem compared to the non-immigrant population. This contrasts with the results for other immigrant groups, which were less likely to report a mental health problem compared to the non-immigrant population.

Many more studies illustrate the problem. One meta-study was conducted by the psychiatry department of Oxford University at Warneford Hospital in the United Kingdom. Twenty surveys were analyzed, providing results for 6,743 adult refugees from seven countries. In the larger studies, 9% were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and 5% with major depression, with evidence of much psychiatric co-morbidity. Five surveys of 260 refugee children from three countries yielded a prevalence of 11% for post-traumatic stress disorder. According to this study, refugees resettled in Western countries could be about ten times more likely to have PTSD than age-matched general populations in those countries. Worldwide, tens of thousands of refugees and former refugees resettled in Western countries probably have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Malaria

Refugees can often fall ill because they lack protection from local diseases. Living in crowded camps with poor sanitation can spread diseases easily. For example, building camps near rivers can create ideal breeding places for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of malaria. Children are especially vulnerable, and malaria is a leading cause of death among young refugee children.

Access to healthcare services

Getting medical care depends on many factors, like whether a refugee has official status or lives in a camp. While there are guidelines for helping refugees access healthcare, barriers like language differences, cost, and distance can make it hard. Each country has its own challenges in providing care to refugees.

Exploitation

Refugee populations consist of people who are terrified and are away from familiar surroundings. There can be instances of exploitation at the hands of enforcement officials, citizens of the host country, and even United Nations peacekeepers.

Crime

Little evidence shows that refugees commit crimes more often than others, and some studies suggest they may commit fewer crimes. Refugees are sometimes unfairly seen as a threat, but most are just trying to find safety and a new beginning.

International relations

Refugees often show problems in the way countries work together and support each other.

Representation

When people talk about refugees, they often focus only on their struggles, which can hide their full stories and experiences. This can make it hard for refugees to share their own histories and feelings. It's important to listen to refugees and understand their unique journeys.

Employment

See also: Refugee employment

Helping refugees find jobs is a key part of helping them fit into new countries. Many refugees struggle to find work that matches their skills and experience. They often face many challenges, including not having the right papers or not being allowed to work in certain jobs. These problems can happen at many levels, like rules from the government, policies from companies, and individual attitudes. This makes it hard for refugees to get good jobs and feel secure.

Education

See also: Refugee children

Refugee children come from many different places and have many reasons for needing a new home. The number of children who become refugees has been growing because of wars and conflicts around the world. In 2014, there were about 32 armed conflicts in 26 countries, leading to the highest number of refugees ever recorded. These children have often gone through very hard times, which can make it difficult for them to learn and adjust to new schools.

Schools, teachers, and classmates play an important role in helping refugee children feel welcome and adjust to their new lives. However, there are many challenges. Refugee children might struggle because of past experiences, language barriers, or feeling different from others. Teachers may also find it challenging to support these students, especially when they have different needs and backgrounds. With the right support, though, refugee children can succeed and feel part of their new school community.

Refugee crisis

See also: List of countries by refugee population

A refugee crisis happens when many people are forced to leave their homes because of danger, like war or serious problems in their country. These people may become refugees if they cross into another country, or they may stay inside their own country but still cannot return home safely. At the end of 2020, there were about 82.4 million people worldwide who had been forced to leave their homes. About 26.4 million of these people were refugees.

In 2015, the number of refugees around the world was very high, with many coming from countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and South Sudan. Most refugees live in developing countries, with Turkey hosting the largest number. In 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a big refugee crisis in Europe, with many people fleeing to nearby countries.

Children made up more than half of refugees in 2015, and many were traveling alone or separated from their families. Most refugees try to go to countries close to where they came from, especially places that have helped similar groups before.