REFUGEES: stateless &
homeless
ref·u·gee (refyo͝oˈjē/) noun
- a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
"tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes"
synonyms:
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"collecting blankets for the refugees"
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Origin
late 17th century: from French réfugié ‘gone in search of refuge,’ past participle of (se) réfugier, from refuge (see refuge).
Flowing Across Borders (from UNHCR)
The practice of granting asylum to
people fleeing persecution in foreign lands is one of the earliest hallmarks of
civilization. References to it have been found in texts written 3,500 years
ago, during the blossoming of the great early empires in the Middle East such
as the Hittites, Babylonians, Assyrians and ancient Egyptians.
Over three millennia later, protecting
refugees was made the core mandate of the UN refugee agency, which was set up
to look after refugees, specifically those waiting to return home at the end of
World War II.
The 1951 Refugee Convention spells out
that 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."
Since then, UNHCR has offered
protection and assistance to tens of millions of refugees, finding durable solutions
for many of them. Global migration patterns have become increasingly complex in
modern times, involving not just refugees, but also millions of economic
migrants. But refugees and migrants, even if they often travel in the same way,
are fundamentally different, and for that reason are treated very differently
under modern international law.
Migrants, especially economic migrants,
choose to move in order to improve the future prospects of themselves and their
families. Refugees have to move if they are to save their lives or preserve
their freedom. They have no protection from their own state - indeed it is
often their own government that is threatening to persecute them. If other
countries do not let them in, and do not help them once they are in, then they
may be condemning them to death - or to an intolerable life in the shadows,
without sustenance and without rights.
On November 13, Social
Justice 12 will host Bruce Gurney, former Sutherland teacher, UBC instructor,
and now, humanitarian worker. Bruce is heading to Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya in a few
weeks, to donate his time there in the service of some of the half-million
displaced people living in waiting.
He will be sharing his thoughts about his decision to embark on this
journey.
Your job is to be informed
when he visits; please read, watch and think about the information below! Answer the questions on the final page.
UNHCR support helps end sleepless nights for struggling students in Dadaab
© UNHCR/A. Nasrullah
DADAAB,
Kenya, May 2 (UNHCR) – Getting a good night's sleep
was until recently almost impossible for 18-year-old Somali refugee Abdifatah,
and this was affecting his studies and his marks.
A
student at a secondary school in Hagadera, one of the camps in northern Kenya's
sprawling Dadaab complex, Abdifatah used to share a bed in an overcrowded
dormitory. "When I found the bed occupied by another student, I used to go
back to look for a place where I could sleep. Sometimes I had to sleep on top
of a locker or in the mosque. I even slept on the sand under a tree," he
told UNHCR.
He
was so tired during the day that he used to avoid classes. But his situation
has changed considerably since the UN refugee agency opened a new dormitory
building in early January to provide shelter for 80 of the neediest secondary
school students, including refugees and locals.
Many
of these students could not afford a place to stay and slept in the open. This
had a negative effect on their studies and made them vulnerable to banditry,
violence, insects and animal attacks.
Because
of the discomfort, Abdifatah had been thinking of dropping out of school even
before he finished primary school. His family had fled to Hagadera 16 years ago
to escape the violence and suffering in Somalia. But his sister Amina
encouraged him to stick at it, telling him that a full education would give him
an advantage in life, wherever he was. He is now determined to complete his
education.
"The
stress of wondering where I will sleep at night is over," he said. "I
am determined to achieve a lot, because my family is counting on me to be the
main breadwinner and to lead them in the future. They are following my progress
very closely," said Abdifatah.
His
sister said he made the right decision and she expected him to do well, now
that he has somewhere to stay. "My brother used to complain about his
shelter at school, but he seems happy since moving to the new place and we are
relieved as well. I am optimistic that he will complete his studies and go up
to university," Amina said.
Abdifatah
already has a career plan. "I want to become an ambassador," he says
confidently. "Today, I am taking on responsibility in the dormitory,
tomorrow I want to take responsibility for Somalia."
Staff
at the secondary school have also noticed a difference since the dormitory
opened. "You can see this facility has boosted the morale of the students.
They are working harder," said teacher Jackson Kamau Kiragu, who added:
"You will be surprised to see how they have been conducting themselves
since this dormitory was opened."
The
dormitory was one of four facilities constructed by UNHCR and opened earlier
this year to support refugees and the local community in Dadaab, whose camps
house more than 350,000 mainly Somali refugees. The other facilities include a
town hall, new classrooms in a primary school, and a health centre.
"We
want to give back to the community a little of what the community has given to
refugees," Raouf Mazou, UNHCR's representative in Kenya, said at the
opening ceremony, while pledging to continue helping the Kenyan host community.
By Assadullah Nasrullah in Dadaab, Kenya
UN site for Somalia refugee data:
UNHCR site on East Africa/Kenya:
Medecins Sans Frontiers site about Dadaab Camps:
Al Jazeera article on Dadaab Camps:
UN initiative to train women in camps:
Medecins Sans Frontiers site about the camps:
REFUGEES: stateless &
homeless
Questions:
Check these links:
1.
Under what
circumstances does someone become a refugee?
2.
Where in the
world do we find refugees?
3.
How many refugees
are there in the world at present?
4.
How does a
refugee find food, shelter, water and safety?
5.
Where does money
come from to fund UNHCR refugee relief?
6.
How and where are
refugee camps established?
7.
What are some of
the greatest concerns about children living in refugee camps?
8.
How is being a
student in Dadaab Camp similar to being a homeless youth in Vancouver?
9.
What is Canada’s
policy on accepting refugees?
10.
How can ordinary
citizens such as ourselves help refugees, and why should we care?
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