Today is World Refugee Day!
As CLA’s Student Chapter theme for the upcoming academic year is Refugee Rights, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate a post to this very special day!
On December 4th 2000, the United Nations General Assembly decided that from 2001, June 20th would be celebrated as World Refugee Day, which was the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. This day is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation refugees face throughout the world. The event is marked by a variety of events in more than 100 countries! These events range from activities such as demonstrations, story-telling, simulations or other types of celebrations that recognize the journey refugees have made through art, music and food. Many events are hosted across Canada by UNHCR partners, including NGOs and faith based organizations.
To learn more about events happening today, click here!
Here are some basic facts on Refugees:
Who is a Refugee?
According to the UN’s 1951 Convention, a refugee is a person who has left his or her country and cannot return because of a well founded fear of being persecuted due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group. The 1967 Protocol, removed the geographical and temporal restrictions from the 1951 Convention.
The Principle of Non-Refoulement
This is the most important feature of asylum, which is the protection from being forcibly sent back to a country where a refugee's life or freedom would be in danger. This forced return is known as refoulement. Non-refoulement is a rule of international law which stipulates that no person may be returned against his or her will to a country where his or her life or freedom would be in danger.
What is the difference between an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) and a Refugee?
IDPs are similar to refugees, but they have not crossed an international border. Internally displaced people flee within their own country because of war, human rights violations or natural disasters.
Is a Migrant the same as a Refugee?
Although refugees and migrants often travel in the same way, they are fundamentally different and are treated differently under international law. 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.
Current issues facing Refugees in Canada:
On December 15, 2012, important changes to Canada’s refugee determination system came into effect. These changes are contained in Bill C-31 which made numerous changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This has resulted in serious issues for Refugees in Canada such as:
- Drastic cuts to the health benefits paid by the federal government to refugee claimants. These changes were made without advance notice or consultation with the provinces or health and immigration stakeholders.
- Doubling admission rates for refugee children at Sick Kids Hospital after Ottawa cut its health care coverage for asylum seekers.
- A dramatic increase in applications to strip refugees of their status.
- The number of people claiming refugee status in Canada reached a “historic low” in 2013 after it brought in changes to speed up the program by deterring applicants.
As the summer progresses, I will be conducting research and interviews to draft CLA’s Student Chapter Theme Document on Refugee Rights for the 2014-2015 year. Stay tuned to learn more about this captivating and important topic!