Concept in Definition ABC

The term refugee has two meanings. In a first sense, a refugee is understood as that person who decides to protect himself from some threat or danger and look for a safe place, that is, a refuge. On the other hand, from the point of view of international right There is the figure of the refugee, which is the person who requests protection outside of their own nation.

Refugee status

An emigrant is an individual who decides to leave his country for economic reasons and with the hope of finding a better life in another country. However, the refugee is not properly an emigrant, since his reasons for leaving his country are very different.

The right International law contemplates five specific reasons for considering someone as a refugee: 1) the abandonment of a territory for reasons of discrimination racial, 2) reasons of a religious nature, 3) due to nationality (for example, when a minority group of a country is persecuted within its own borders), 4) for being part of a

social group and 5) for political reasons. These are the reasons that justify an individual to apply for refugee status. Said request must be based on a well-founded fear, that is, the applicant must prove that her life is in danger for the reasons indicated.

The problem affecting refugees is complex. It must be borne in mind that an immigrant could lie about her personal situation in her country of origin with the intention of obtaining refugee recognition. This possibility means that the authorities that the host countries have to study each of the requests, since otherwise there would be a "pull effect", that is, the migration mass movement of some people to other countries claiming persecution or some kind of discrimination.

This circumstance entails a whole series of complicated procedures and special situations (for example, refugee camps where thousands of people are in a very precarious and uncertain situation waiting for a decision to be made on their situation).

The figure of the refugee can be understood from an individual perspective and occurs when someone specific and for very specific reasons is forced to ask for help and request their refugee status. However, in the context of war or certain humanitarian crises it often happens that thousands of people decide to go to other places seeking protection. When this happens, the media communication they speak of "refugee crisis" or other such headlines.

Photos: iStock - EOPITZ / Joel Carillet

Refugee Issues