Transcript Refugees and Human Rights

Refugees, Internally Displaced
Persons, and Human Rights
Timothy H. Holtz, MD, MPH
Emory Human Rights Week 2005
With gratitude to Basia Tomczyk, RN, PhD
Overview
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Refugee/IDP definitions
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Human Rights/Legal and Policy Framework
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Demographics
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International agencies working with refugees
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Health issues
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Case studies
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Question and Answer period
“Persons of concern” - UNHCR
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Refugees
Internally displaced
persons (IDPs)
Asylum seekers
Returned refugees
Stateless persons
Human Rights/Legal and Policy
Framework
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1951 Refugee Convention defined a refugee as a
person who:
“owing to a well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion,
nationality, membership in 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.”
Human Rights/Legal and Policy Framework
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1967 Protocol
applied the same definition but removed the
date “January 1, 1951 and geographic
restrictions”.
Entered into force 4 October 1967
Human Rights/Legal and Policy
Framework
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International instruments impose legal
obligations on states parties to protect and
promote the rights of refugees.
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National law dictates the admission of refugees
and the types of services they will receive.
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Domestic laws therefore govern the civil, social,
and economic rights of refugees.
Human Rights/Legal and Policy Framework
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Both the convention and protocol set forth the
principle of non-refoulement, and that refugees
have a right to a fair hearing and expeditious
processing.
Article 33:
“No contracting state shall expel or return
(refouler) a refugee in any manner whatsoever
to the frontiers of territories where his life or
freedom would be threatened on account of this
race, religion, nationality, membership of a
particular social group or political opinion.”
Refugee Convention Omissions
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Gender
discrimination and
persecution
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Gender violence
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Reproductive rights
Human Rights Framework for Women’s Rights
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1976 Declaration on the Protection of Women
and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict
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1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
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1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence
Against Women
“Internally Displaced Person”
Definition
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Someone who has not crossed a border but
who shares many characteristics with refugees.
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Not protected under international refugee law
because they remain inside their own country.
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Vulnerable population as many are attacked by
their own governments and remain largely
inaccessible to outside monitors and
humanitarian assistance.
Asylum seeker
Definition
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A person who flees their own country for fear of
persecution to seek sanctuary in another state.
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Right to be recognized as a bona fide refugee
and receive legal and material assistance.
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Must prove a “well founded fear” of persecution
in their asylum case.
Demographics
~15 million refugees
 ~20 million IDPs
 ~1 million asylum seekers
 17 million “people of concern” in 2004
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Causes: War, civil strife, famine,
natural disasters
Refugee and IDP
Facts
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Since 2000 the global refugee population has
decreased by 10%
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Number of “persons of concern” has remained
relatively stable in the last 20 years
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About 50% are women and children
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About 25% are women of reproductive age
Refugee, IDPs, Asylum Seekers
UNHCR Demographics
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Asia
Africa
Europe
Latin America
North America
6.2 million
4.3 million
4.2 million
1.3 million
1.0 million
Major Refugee Populations
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Afghanistan
Sudan
Burundi
DR Congo
Palestinians
Somalia
Iraq
2,100,000
606,000
530,000
450,000
420,000
400,000
368,000
Refugees
Burden
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Ratio of Refugee Population to Total Population
Pakistan
1:72
Tanzania
1:73
Japan
1:19,859
Major IDP Populations
The “no less vulnerable”
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Sudan
Colombia
Azerbijian
Liberia
Sri Lanka
Russian Federation
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Unknown
1,244,000
575,000
530,000
386,000
368,000
327,000
Asylum Seeker Population
Country of origin
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Russian Federation
China
Serbia/Montenegro
DR Congo
Turkey
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Iraq
Columbia
Afghanistan
Nigeria
Somalia
Asylum Seeker Populations
Country of asylum
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United Kingdom
United States
France
Germany
Austria
Canada
Sweden
61,000
60,000
60,000
50,000
32,000
32,000
31,000
International Response
Key Players
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UN High
Commissioner for
Refugees
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World Health
Organization
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World Food Program
International Response
Key Players II
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Ministry of Health
Non-Governmental
Organization’s
(NGO’s)
Religious groups
Refugees themselves
Adverse Health Effects of
Refugee/IDP status
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Infectious disease
Reproductive Health
Mental illness
Non-infectious
disease
Violence
For every 1 violent death in DR Congo War
Zone there are:
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17 deaths from fever/malaria
10 deaths from measles, tuberculosis,
meningitis
11 deaths from respiratory diseases
6 deaths from malnutrition
18 deaths from other causes/accidents
•International Rescue Committee, quoted in New York Times, March 20, 2005
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UNHCR
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Working in 116 countries
Staff of 6,000 (83% in the field)
Budget of $1.3 billion
565 implementing partner NGOs
Serves 17 million “persons of concern”
Health Intervention Areas in Complex
Humanitarian Emergencies
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Epidemiology/Surveillance
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Mental Health
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Injuries
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Nutrition
Research
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Reproductive Health
Response
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Immunizations
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Water and Sanitation
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Health Information and GIS
Training
Support
Information