REFUGEES

There are over 79.5 million people who are forcefully displaced from their homes due to persecution, violence, the outbreak of wars or oppressive regimes to find stability, safety or refuge. The united nations describe a refugee as a person who flees their country and is unable to return due to conflict or ongoing persecution. Refugees are divided into internally displaced persons and refugees. Internally displaced persons are much difficult to help as they don’t come under international law and are much difficult to assist. Refugees seek asylum in different countries where are recognized legally as a refugee and they receive legal and material protection.
The 1951 refugee convention is the main legal instrument for refugee law. The 1967 protocol is also used as one of the documents for refugee law. The convention for the first time gave us the definition of a refugee, its legal protection, material assistance and those displaced persons who don’t classify as refugees. The 1967 protocol expanded the range of the definition and legal assistance. The 1989 convention on rights of the child which isn’t particularly for children but was used while dealing with minor refugees, the convention elucidated the rights of children in a country. The African countries follow the organization of African Unity of Convention Governing the Specific Aspect of refugees. In 1984, the Latin American countries signed the convention to follow the Cartagena Declaration of Refugees.
The process of recognition of displaced persons into refugees depends upon the state. Where the country is unwilling to do the process, UNHRC does the process. Refugees entitled to basic human rights where they have right to freedom from degrading treatment, freedom of rights of freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, religion, right to life and liberty, the right to freedom from discrimination on basis of race, colour or gender and more importantly right to asylum. International law also forbids the countries to resettle the refugees in their own country where they may seemingly be persecuted for their race, religion or by a political group. Refugees are required to keep with them all the time a refugee identity certificate which is either issued by the UNHRC or by the state where they are seeking asylum, this is their legal document for identification. All states that have signed the 1951 refugee convention have to provide refugees with the freedom to the process of an identification certificate. Refugees are also issued with a refugee travel document which substitutes as a passport for international travel because they cannot get a passport for their country. According to the convention of 1951 chapter 3, all refugees are allowed to gain legal employment. But the main goal of a refugee is to return home . as most of them leave their own homes in a hurry to escape wars or violence but they can’t due to the rampant violence in their countries. Refugees either stay in camps with little hope of going back to their countries or they move to different camps in different countries trying to gain asylum.
In conclusion, refugees are the world’s most harrowing humanitarian crisis. There are strides taken to protect the rights of the refugees but it has proven to be difficult. Countries who have used to receive refugees have now at their limit. The efforts made by the international bodies and states are recognized but need more innovative methods to deal with it. The influx of refugees have over the years have increased which only means that violence and war in the world have increased with no signs of slowing down.