Global refugee crisis - most devastating | Sunday Observer

Global refugee crisis - most devastating

31 March, 2019

The largest number of people forcibly displaced in the past decade as a result of conflict, violence or persecution since the Second World War. With the most recent numbers reaching 68.5 million, the global refugee crisis is indeed one of the most devastating events in recent history.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that 5.2 million people were displaced in the first half of 2018 and that there are 20.2 million refugees and 3.2 million asylum seekers across the world as at 2018.

Migrants, refugees, asylum seekers

Often used interchangeably to refer to refugees, the terms migrant, refugee and asylum seeker each refer to specific situations in which people who are displaced find themselves. Conflating these meanings may undervalue a person’s experience or even cause serious issues with regard to their safety and security.

The simplest definition of a migrant is a person who moves from his country of origin to another in order to reside there for more than a year.

Reasons for doing so may vary but are often in pursuit of better opportunities – this can include work, studies and even to move away from sites of violence and conflict.

A refugee, on the other hand, is someone who has fled armed conflict, violence or persecution on the grounds of religion, ethnicity, nationality, political opinion or belonging to a particular group and has sought international protection as he is unable to access protection within his country.

More often than not he can no longer remain in his country of origin due to fear of serious harm and even death.

An asylum seeker is someone who claims to be a refugee but whose claim is still being determined or assessed. He initially registers with the relevant authority in the country of asylum or if there is no such authority with UNHCR, which then evaluates his claim and determines whether or not he is in need of international protection.

Most refugees and asylum seekers live in fear of persecution having left behind their country of origin due to the lack of state protection available to them, they must then rely on international protection. The 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, based on the principles of non-discrimination, non-refoulement and non-penalisation as well as providing minimum standards for treatment, are two of the key documents that provide for the protection of refugees.

In 2015, 193 states affirmed the importance of refugee protection. This resulted in what became known as the Global Compact on Refugees which was affirmed by the UN General Assembly in November 2018.

The Global Compact provides a framework that recognises that a sustainable solution to the refugee crisis cannot be implemented without international cooperation. Therefore, it provides additional guidelines for governments, international organisations and other stakeholders to equip them to both support host communities and refugees.

Its key objectives are to support host communities to ease some of the pressure they feel, to help refugees be more self-reliant, expand and improve access to third-country resettlement while also supporting the conditions in the countries of origin to allow people to return safely and with dignity.

Sri Lanka has yet to ratify the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol but has recognised the importance of the Global Compact on Refugees as a ‘rallying point for multilateralism and solidarity’ that could help protect and address the needs of the millions who have been displaced as a result of conflict.

Asylum space

Despite not being party to the convention or the 1967 Protocol, the Government provides asylum space for refugees and asylum seekers to submit their claims to UNHCR in Sri Lanka and to remain, while a durable solution is achieved in each specific case. As per the Government’s agreement with UNHCR, they are granted space in which to reside until UNHCR processes their claims of asylum which can take between one and a half to two years.

At present there are 844 refugees and 826 asylum seekers awaiting the determination of their claims in Sri Lanka. Since Sri Lanka is not party to the Convention, these refugees and asylum seekers have no official legal status and are, therefore, unable to work during their stay in Sri Lanka.

As a result, they are provided with a living allowance by UNHCR which can be used to meet their basic needs. This living allowance, however, is only available to refugees. Asylum seekers have to rely on the support of non-governmental organisations such as ZOA and Muslim Aid as well as support from family back home to meet their basic needs.

The children of refugees and asylum seekers also have limited access to education. While primary education is made available to refugee children, children under the age of five and over 12 receive no official schooling. Similarly, asylum seekers must once again, rely on charities and benefactors to facilitate learning opportunities for their children.

The lack of access to employment and the lack of educational opportunities, especially for secondary-school age students and youth severely impacts the self-reliance and motivation of refugees and asylum seekers in Sri Lanka. UNHCR in collaboration with Citra’s Social Innovation Lab is currently exploring opportunities to provide increased support for skills development and vocational training for refugees and asylum seekers in Sri Lanka and the third edition of the Colombo Development Dialogues will provide a space at which possible solutions might be formulated.

The writer is a Sociologist at Citra Social Innovation Lab, a joint initiative between UNDP Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Research.

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