Introduction
There are an estimated 12 million refugees around the world today, almost
all are victims of wars and conflicts and most of them are based in countries
of the South.
Refugees come from every race and religion, from every part of the world.
They are ordinary people who had jobs and families, just like us. However,
they had to give up everything , to
travel to strange lands, for safety, because they feared for their lives.
When a refugee arrives in a new country, they are known as an asylum seeker
until they are granted refugee status. If someone has fled their home in
fear of their life but has not crossed the borders of their country, they
are known as an internally displaced person. It is estimated that 80 percent
of the refugee population is women and children.
Source UNHCR R. Chalasani
The debate over refugees has been confused with immigration, and
the terms immigrant, asylum seeker and refugee has been mixed up. So-called
bogus refugees have been linked with global terrorism and, in turn, global
terrorism with
the planned war against Iraq. |
