A friend asked me what should be the appropriate way to use the term ‘refugee’ after hearing my story with a school fellow with refugee background.
The 1951 Convention relating to refugee defines ‘A refugee is a person 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 1951).
'Refugee’ is a technical term to identify a person in order to provide protection. In general, refugee is person who has experienced forced migration and sought refuge in a foreign country to escape persecution. Unfortunately, the term has been overused and used thoughtlessly to highlight the deficits and difficulties of a group of people. The term thus produces stereotypes and creates a subclass of a society. There is a need to 'relate people as people, not sub human species' in our daily lives (Dave 1989).
I view refugee as an experience of a person. When we grow up, we are no more called kid. When we meet one another, we are called by individual name. My suggestions to my friend are: to call the person by name in all conditions; to use ‘person with refugee backgrounds’ or ‘person with forced migration experience’ when it is necessary to specify such experience; and to apply the term ‘refugee’ when technical use is better such as written policy.
All to all, they are only my thoughts. If someone has any ideas, kindly please share with us.
References
*ANDREWS, Dave (1989) Can You Hear the Heartbeat: a challenge to the way Jesus cared, Hodder and Stoughton, London
UNHCR (1951), The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Article 1, viewed 30th April 2010. http://www.unhcr.org.au/basicdef.shtml
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Hi Ada
ReplyDeleteI have gone through your write-up on refugee. I would like to share my experience with you.
Once I was also a refugee, a political refugee in India. It was in 1987, when I was very young. It is a long story. No words can describe the sufferings of refugees. Why we had to become refugees, I am telling you that story very briefly. It might sound a political story.
Indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), where I live, started movement for the right of self-determination since 1972. Because, the Bangladesh government did not recognise the identity and special rights of indigenous people by the constitution. Still the government sticks to that policy.
As democratic movement was impossible, the indigenous political party PCJSS went to the underground movement. Finally it took armed struggle against the government. In response to PCJSS movement, the government of Bangladesh also took repressive measures. Many plainlanders (Bangali) people were brought into the CHT to marginalise indigenous peoples. The military forces backed those Bangali settlers, and helped them occupying lands of the indigenous peoples. So, there were many conflicts. Many massacres were committed jointly by the military army and Bangali settlers on indigenous communities. Many people got killed, and thousands of thousands indigenous families were displaced from their ancestral lands. Still many of them are living as internally displaced peoples (IDP), the better term could be internally refugees.
These sorts of nasty incidents were intensified during 1986 - 1990. The military forces adopted a policy of gathering indigenous families in 'cluster villages' nearby the military camps. This kind of strategy (making strategic hamlets to detach Viet Cong Guerrilas from people) was applied by the US army in Vietnam during 1960s. The Bangladesh military army wanted to apply the same strategy for our village, and other neighbouring villages in 1986 - 87. But villagers did not want to resettle in the military-surrounded 'cluster villages'. On the other hand, PCJSS guerillas did not want the military forces become successful in their efforts. There were fightings between the military forces and guerillas...to save our lives we had to flee our village, and finally we became refugees in Tripura state of India. I was there for four years since 1987 to 1991.
We crossed the border and entered India to save life. This was not migration...this was for saving lives. The Indian government gave shelter by making refugee camps. Quiet frankly to share my experience with you that many people had to live on minimum amount of food. Just to keep ourselves alive...that life was not for a human being. I realise the sufferings of refugees from my heart, but no word can express it. It is a matter of realisation by heart...
I don't know what are the stories of the people with whom you are working. But I realise their sufferings. I strongly believe, no one would want to be a refugee, yet people become refugees. There are sad stories behind being a refugee...I understand, I realise from my heart.
I wish, poeple be free from sufferings of refugee life, and the term 'refugee' be abolished from dictionary.
Thank you Ashok. Your sharing reminds me the stories I heard from a community worker. Some people like himself spent almost twenty years in finding a peaceful land to live. They struggled with UN to gain the refugee status that nobody would like to own if it is not for the safety of themselves and their families. The hardship they have gone through traumatised them as well as increased their level of resilience. I also wish there is no more refugee in the world. For our dream to come true there is genuine need to embrace differences in our everyday live.
ReplyDeleteI read your first post and all this subject is new to me. In my country we dont have refugees, only people that have political asylum. I cannot imagine the experience of having to live your own country to find something better or just to survive.
ReplyDeleteHi Lorena,
ReplyDeleteAccording to UNHCR*, 'an asylum seeker is a person who has left their country of origin, has applied for recognition as a refugee in another country, and is awaiting a decision on their application'. Some people experience a period of time as asylum seeker before they get the refugee status from UN.
Peru is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the status of refugees. According to UNHCR** data as of Jan 2009,there are around 1,000 refugees and 580 asylum seekers residing in Peru and around 20,900 refugees and 2,100 asylum seekers in Australia. You may like to explore why the people with refugee background are unseen in Peru.
Sources
*http://www.unhcr.org.au/basicdef.shtml#top
**http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e492fa6