Refugees

Refugee: definition

Refugees are people who have left their homeland because they fear that they will lose their lives or their freedom if they stay. People become refugees because one or more of their basic human rights has been violated or threatened.

International law defines a “refugee” as a person who has fled from and/ or cannot return to his/her country due to a well- founded fear of persecution, including war or civil conflict.

A person is a refugee if

·         Refugees have to be outside their country or origin

·         The reason for their flight has to be fear of persecution

·         The fear of persecution has to be well founded, i.e. they have to experienced persecution or be likely to experience it if they return;

·         The persecution has to result from one or more of the five grounds listed in the definition.

·         They have to be unwilling or unable to seek the protection of their country.

Who protects refugees?

·         UNHCR

·         Protecting refugees is the core mandate of the UNHCR ( united nations high commissioner for refugees)

Who do they help?

By helping refugees go back home or to settle in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight.

Where are they involved?

UNHCR staff operate in some 120 countries around the world, from major capitals to remote. The largest portion of staff are based in countries in Asia and Africa, the continents that both host and generate the most refugees and internally displaced people. Among our biggest operations are Afghanistan, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Iraq and surrounding countries, and the Sudan. But we also have substantial operations in many other countries around the world.

Identify the top 10 countries & continents or concern, record their population?

1.  Asia – 18,567,061

2.  Africa- 10,475,567

3. Pakistan – 4,744,098

4. Thailand – 3,615,552

5. Dem republic Congo – 2,362,295

6. Iraq- 2,026,789

7. Somalia- 1,576,544

8. Sudan- 1,426,412

9. Syrian Arab republic – 1,357,546

10. Iran- 1,072,346

Use a world map image from google and mark these countries to the map and apply to your