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| Sunday, 3 July 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
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Rights of refugees People all over the globe observed World Refugee Day on June 20. Statistics prove that there are more than eleven million refugees in the world, today. Even in our own little country there are refugees; some are victims of war and others victims of natural disasters such as the recent tsunami. Every year millions of people around the world are displaced by war, hunger and civil and political unrest, and also natural disasters. These refugees spend their lives without proper food, health care, and shelter. Although governments guarantee the basic human rights and physical security of their citizens, when civilians become refugees this safety net disappears. International volunteer organisations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pursue international protection to ensure that states are aware of, and act on, their obligations to protect refugees. However, according to UNHCR, international protection comprises more than physical safety. Refugees should receive at least the same rights and basic help as any other foreigner who is a legal resident, including freedom of thought, of movement and freedom from torture and degrading treatment. Economic and social rights are equally applicable. Refugees should have access to medical care, schooling and the right to work. The 1951 Geneva Convention is the main international instrument of refugee law. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) flee their homes for the same reasons as refugees, but remain within their own country and are thus subject to the laws of that state. Persons who have participated in war crimes and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law - including the crime of terrorism - are specifically excluded from the protection accorded to refugees. Refugees, especially the elderly, women and children, are often vulnerable to violence. Rape, in particular, is a common element in the pattern of harassment that drives refugee families from their homes, as civilians increasingly become the deliberate targets of sectarian warfare. UNHCR field staff attempt to prevent conditions that encourage such assaults, offering victims special care, and ensuring a proper legal follow-up, which could include trials for suspected perpetrators. Preventive measures include improving camp layout or upgrading basic facilities such as lighting and walls and encouraging refugees to institute night patrols.In normal circumstances refugees cannot request resettlement in a specific country. But in the interests of family reunification, refugees may request resettlement in countries where their close family members are living. UNHCR Secretary-General or the General Assembly, with the consent of the country involved, has included recent crises in Colombia, the Middle East, the Balkans, Africa, Afghanistan, Timor and Sri Lanka. Refugees International(RI) is another organisation that is fighting for the rights of refugees throughout the world. Refugees Interactional generates life saving humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people around the world, and works to end the conditions that create displacement. Refugees International acts first and foremost as a witness to the suffering of the displaced. Its advocates spend weeks in the field, interviewing and meeting with war-affected populations, non-governmental organisations and aid agencies. RI conducted missions in over 20 countries in 2004. Recent missions have included the Darfur region of Sudan,Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Liberia, Haiti, Uganda, Cambodia, and the Thai-Burma border, just to name a few.RI advocates and assesses humanitarian problems, identifies the most urgent needs and moves quickly to develop immediate solutions to these needs. Our contribution to the humanitarian field lies in our unique combination of advocacy and action, both with hands-on expertise in crisis situations and with policymakers in Washington, New York, Geneva and other centres, claim officials. **** How can unaccompanied children find their families? An unaccompanied minor is one "who is separated from both parents and for whose care no person can be found and who by law or custom, has primary responsibility." The number of unaccompanied child refugees varies widely. It often comprises two to five per cent of a refugee population and in Europe a UNHCR study estimated that four per cent of asylum seekers were separated children. UNHCR works with other agencies such as the Red Cross, UNICEF and Save the Children, to ensure that unaccompanied children are identified and registered, and their families traced. In the Rwandan crisis in the mid-1990s, an estimated 67,000 children were reunited with their families. In the recent tsunami disaster, many children were not only displaced, but also seperated from their families. Action was taken to reunite most of these children with their families but some have not been so fortunate. *** World Refugee Day In 2000, a special UN General Assembly Resolution was adopted designating June 20 every year as World Refugee Day. The purpose of World Refugee Day is to draw attention to the plight of refugees, celebrate their courage and resilience, and renew commitment to solving refugee problems. It is also an opportunity to recognise the contribution which refugees make to the countries which host them. Just as we make a special effort to remember our mothers on Mother's Day, we want the world's refugees to be remembered on their special day. For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee Days and even Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20 in several countries. As an expression of solidarity with Africa, which hosts the most refugees, and which traditionally has shown them great generosity, a special UN General Assembly Resolution was unanimously adopted in 2000 which designated June 20 every year as World Refugee Day. |
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