Forced displacement has been part of the human experience throughout most of history. It is among the most complex challenges facing mankind today. People experiencing involuntary displacement are often referred to as refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people (IDP). While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they each make important distinctions. As migrants and immigrants are not terms specifically relating to forcibly displaced people, they are not included within the scope of this paper.
REFUGEES
Refugees are people who have been uprooted from their homes and forced to seek refuge in a foreign country. The word can also refer to a narrowly defined legal status that is given to some forcibly displaced people.
Refugee status can be given by a national government hosting refugees or by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The United Nations and most national governments refer to the following definition to assess whether someone qualifies for refugee status.
“A refugee is someone who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” (UNHCR)
In most developed nations, when a host government officially recognizes someone as a refugee, it gives that person the right to permanent residency, access to public and social services and protection from deportation.
However, 80% of the world’s refugees are in developing nations. Few of these countries can afford to offer a status that includes access to employment and social services. They often rely on the United Nations to care for those seeking refuge within their borders until a permanent solution can be found.
ASYLUM SEEKERS
“The terms asylum-seeker and refugee are often confused: an asylum-seeker is someone who says he or she is a refugee, but whose claim has not yet been definitively evaluated.” (UNHCR)
Asylum-seekers are people who request permanent refuge in a foreign country. If their case is approved, they receive refugee status.
There are three basic outcomes for someone whose case for asylum is rejected:
- Temporary Humanitarian Status. In order to offer temporary protection to failed asylum seekers, a host government might give limited permission to remain in its country until it is deemed possible for them to safely return. Even after years have passed and persons have fully integrated into their country of refuge, temporary status can be revoked, allowing host governments to deport these persons back to their country of origin.
- Deportation. Failed asylum-seekers are sometimes deported to their country of origin. Others are deported to a country through which they passed after fleeing their homeland.
- Hide or Try Again. Some failed asylum-seekers avoid deportation by remaining in a country without permission and keeping a low profile. Many try to access another country where they request asylum and hope for a better outcome.
UNDECLARED ASYLUM SEEKERS
Undeclared Asylum Seekers are people who were forced to flee their country of origin but who have not yet requested asylum (refugee status) in a foreign country.
Few forcibly displaced people are able to flee their country with a passport. Some risk long and dangerous journeys, crossing multiple borders in search of a country that they believe offers them hope of a safe and peaceful life. Feeling that they have no other option, they often resort to paying people to assist them across international borders. Because they sometimes travel together with undocumented migrants who voluntarily left their country in pursuit of a better life, they are often mistaken to be illegal migrants themselves.
Undeclared asylum seekers are among the most vulnerable displaced people. They have no official status. They cannot legally work. They cannot access public services. They are often unable to understand the languages of the countries through which they pass. Many rely on exploitative criminal networks in their search for permanent refuge.
As these refugees are under the radar, there is no way of knowing how many there are. It is likely that they number in the hundreds of thousands.
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE (IDP)
Internally Displaced People (IDPs) have been forced to flee their homes, but not their country. IDPs and refugees are often uprooted by similar causes (e.g. war, persecution, violations of human rights, etc.). Some IDPs are displaced by natural disasters (e.g. tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones, etc.).
IDPs are the largest group of forcibly displaced people in the world. They remain under the authority of their own government, even though it might be the direct cause of their displacement. They are among the most vulnerable as there is no international treaty to protect or assist them.