One of the main problems, in terms of population and globally, is the issue of refugees. The concept of refugee was regulated by the United Nations through the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, held in 1951 and adopted in 1954.
According to the UN, in the convention in question, to be considered a refugee, a person must declare that they feel persecuted by the State of their nationality for reasons of race, religion, nationality, social group or opinions policies; that he left his country under these terms or that he does not obtain protection from the public authorities for the same reasons.
However, it is worth noting that a person is no longer considered a refugee if the conditions of persecution or fear reverse or become unjustified as a result of political changes or if, voluntarily, the refugee returns to the country to which his nationality belongs for the purposes of residence. Those refugees who acquire a new nationality, enjoying its protection, will also no longer be officially considered as such.
There are several types of refugees in the world, some due to conditions of political persecution, others due to the existence of armed conflicts and guerrillas, in addition to those who suffer from hunger, racial, social or religious discrimination and even environmental refugees, among many others types.
The data released by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) reveal a growing drama: in Due to national conflicts in various parts of the world, the number of refugees is increasing exponentially. In 2014, that number reached an incredible 59.5 million people, about 22 million more compared to the previous decade. Another alarming fact is that more than half of these refugees are underage.
The main current conflicts that increase the number of refugees are in Africa and Asia, the Middle East standing out in the latter. Among these conflicts, we can list:
Africa – eight conflicts: Côte d'Ivoire, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Northern Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Burundi;
Middle East – four conflicts: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen;
Europe – a conflict: Ukraine;
Asia – three conflicts: Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Pakistan.
Syrian refugees moving out of the country on the border with Turkey in 2011*
Importantly, virtually all countries produce refugees every year. The cases listed above are the main ones and are related to conflicts that generate many victims and a series of direct and indirect social impacts. Therefore, these areas are the ones that generate the most concern not only because of the population's evasion, but also because of the series of human rights violations that occur there.
A striking feature of the issue of refugees around the world is the fact that most of them – around 86% – move in towards the emerging countries of the south, and not towards Europe and the United States, the main migratory destinations of the present. The reason for this is the greater permissiveness that less developed countries have and also the high protectionism of developed countries, mainly in the European Union, which imposes heavy measures of restrictions on illegal immigrants and also to refugees.
Brazil receives a high number of refugees, a figure that reached 7,700 people in 2015, according to Conare (National Committee for Refugees). Of this total, it is estimated that 25% are women and, in terms of nationality, most are Syrians, with about 23% of the total, due to the conflict between rebel forces and dictator Bashar Al-Assad in the country. In addition, Colombians, Angolans, Haitians and Congolese also stand out. In constitutional terms, the Federal Government must take care to receive and resolve the problems related to refugee issues in Brazil, mainly in the scope of legalization.
The issue of refugees in the world takes on dramatic contours, as, in addition to the severe problems that encompass the their areas of origin, there are still the problems that these migrants encounter in the places they travel to. shift. Among these problems, cultural differences, difficulties with languages, job search stand out. and, mainly, the xenophobia (aversion to foreigners) practiced by the population residing in the areas of destiny.
* Image credits: thomas koch / Shutterstock.com
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/populacao-refugiados-no-mundo.htm