World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day 20 June 

• It is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe.
• Historical Linkages:  first time on 20 June 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. 
• Importance:  It shines a light on the rights, needs, and dreams of refugees, helping to mobilize political will and resources so refugees can not only survive but also thrive. 
• Refugees: A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. 
• Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.
• Asylum Seekers: When people flee their own country and seek sanctuary in another country, they apply for asylum – the right to be recognized as a refugee and receive legal protection and material assistance.
• An asylum seeker must demonstrate that his or her fear of persecution in his or her home country is well-founded.

Challenges 

• Myriad of obstacles, such as legal recognition and challenges in obtaining government-issued documents, which hinder their access to essential services, including financial support and health care. 
• Global conflicts which include the ongoing wars in Ukraine, Myanmar and Sudan among others, and the protracted situations in Afghanistan, and Somalia present an unprecedented challenge. 

International Protection 

• 1951 UN Refugee Convention:  
• The convention is grounded in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 which states that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries. 
• The 1951 convention originally only applied to people who fled due to events that occurred before January 1, 1951, and within Europe. 
• An amendment in the form of a 1967 Protocol removed these limitations and made the Refugee Convention applicable globally.
• The Global Compact on Refugees: Responsibility extends to each one of us including individuals, the private sector, non-government organisations and community-based organisations.
• It also recognises that the Global South is disproportionately affected and that host communities need assistance.

India’s Stand on Refugees

• India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol. 
• All foreign undocumented nationals are governed as per the provisions of The Foreigners Act, of 1946, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, of 1920 and The Citizenship Act, of 1955.
• India is an executive committee member of the UNHCR and cooperates with its work in India.
• India has historically prided itself on being a land of refuge- from Zoroastrians or Parsis since the 12th century, or persecuted Christians or Jews in the world war etc. 
• Even today, India is home to some 250,000 forcibly displaced persons including
  • Tibetans fleeing Chinese control since the 1950s
  • Sri Lankan refugees since the 1980s 
  • Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban rule in 1996,2021 
  • Myanmar democracy activists, Chin ethnicities and other groups since the 1990s.
  • Rohingya refugees that came in in 2012 were relocated to various states, including Jammu Kashmir, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh etc.

Practice Questions for Prelims

Consider the following statements regarding Refugees in India:
1. Kuki-Chin refugees found in Mizoram cross over from Bangladesh’s Chittagong hill tracts.
2. India is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
3. India does not have a national law on refugees as of now.

Choose the CORRECT answer using the codes given below:
a) 1 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3 only

Ans. b

Mains Practice Question

What is the 1951 UN Refugee Convention? Why won’t India sign the Convention or the Protocol?

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