Every day people flee situations where their rights are being violated. Ethnic conflict, oppressive regimes, religious discord and discrimination all cause people to leave their homes and seek sanctuary overseas. Most seek safety elsewhere in their own country or in neighbouring countries, living in refugee camps or assimilating into the local community. A small number travel vast distances seeking protection in countries which are unfamiliar to them.
Many refugees are fleeing countries where simply being a member of a religious or ethnic group puts them at risk of persecution. Others flee because they have taken a stand against an oppressive government. Some may already be overseas as visitors or students when political changes in their home country make it too dangerous for them to return. For others, societal attitudes towards their sexual orientation or gender mean they fear the retribution of their families or communities if they stay at home.
Persecution is not the only reason why people leave their homes and move elsewhere. Most people moving across international borders are migrating in search of better opportunities. This is why Indian doctors move to the United States, why Polish builders migrate to the UK or why Ghanaian entrepreneurs work in Nigeria. People seeking asylum are often viewed as part of this wider group of economic migrants even though their reasons for migrating and their protection needs are very different. This confusion can be seen in media reporting where asylum seekers are described as ‘illegal’ immigrants. Unfortunately it means that too often the public misunderstands why people
seek asylum and what rights they are entitled to.
Getting the terminology right
Asylum seeker: A person who has left their country of origin and formally applied for asylum in another country but whose application has not yet been decided. Refugee: Someone whose asylum application has been successful and who is allowed to stay in another country having proved they would face persecution back home. Refused asylum seeker: A person whose asylum application has failed and who has no other protection claim awaiting a decision. Some refused asylum seekers voluntarily return home, others are forcibly returned and for some it is not safe or practical for them to return until conditions in their country change. Migrant: A person who moves from one place to another, either temporarily or permanently. Migrants may leave home voluntarily or they may be forced to move because they are starving or fearful for their safety. Many migrants leave for a mixture of reasons. |
Where do refugees come from?
The number of refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s responsibility rose from 9.9 to 11.4 million by the end of 2007. On top of this figure a further 4.6 million Palestinian refugees were under the care of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
The steady decline in refugee numbers witnessed since 2002 was reversed in 2006 when numbers started going up again. By the end of 2006, there were an estimated 9.9 million refugees. One year later, the global figure of refugees stood at 11.4 million, including 1.7 million people considered by UNHCR to be in a refugee-like situation. The global number of people affected by conflict-induced internal displacement also increased from 24.4 to 26 million.
Top 10 refugee producing countries, end of 2007 (Source: UNHCR)
| Origin | Refugees and people in refugee-like situations |
| Afghanistan | 3,057,661 |
| Iraq | 2,309,245 |
| Colombia | 551,744 |
| Sudan | 523,032 |
| Somalia | 457,356 |
| Burundi | 375,715 |
| Democratic Reublic of Congo | 370,386 |
| Palestinians | 341,237 |
| Viet Nam | 327,776 |
| Turkey | 221,939 |
Where do refugees end up?
As of the end of 2007, roughly one third of all refugees were residing in countries in the Asia and Pacific region, with 80 per cent of them being Afghans. The Middle East and North Africa region was host to a quarter of all refugees, primarily from Iraq, while Africa hosted 20 per cent. In contrast Europe was home to 14 per cent of the world’s refugees. The Americas region had the smallest share of refugees (9%), with Colombians constituting the largest number.
Within Europe, contrary to common belief, the UK does not receive an unfair share of people seeking asylum. Comparing the number of asylum applications received against a country’s population size, between 2004 and 2008 the ten European countries with the largest resource burden were Cyprus, Malta, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Greece, and Belgium. In 2008 the UKranked third after France and Italy with 30,500 applications received during the year, an increase of 8 per cent. This increase follows the 2007 figure of 28,300 new claims, the lowest number in almost 15 years. However, the 2008 figure is still far below the peak in 2002 when 103,000 individuals requested refugee status in the United Kingdom.
Countries hosting the most refugees, end of 2007 (Source: UNHCR)
| Pakistan | 2,033,100 |
| Syria | 1,503,800 |
| Iran | 963,500 |
| Germany | 578,900 |
| Jordan | 500,300 |
| Tanzania | 435,600 |
| China | 301,100 |
| United Kingdom | 299,700 |
| Chad | 294,000 |
| United States | 281,200 |
Why do people come to the UK?
In 2007 the top five asylum producing countries for the UK were Afghanistan, Iran, China, Iraq, and Eritrea. Back in 2002, the Home Office commissioned research to look at why people sought asylum in the UK. The research revealed that amongst those interviewed their main concern was leaving to reach a place of safety rather than choosing the UK as their destination.
