What is a refugee?

As far back as we can go in history, there has been conflict. Sometimes, this conflict is justified and other times it is not, but regardless of the reasons, every conflict ends up hurting and displacing people. The silent victims of these conflicts are the refugees, the men, women, and children who face horrible conditions around the world as they try and flee violence and persecution. According to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), as of the end of 2007, there are over 67 million people in the world who are either international refugees or internally displaced as a result of war and armed conflicts or natural disasters. That is over 20% of the population of the United States. With such a large number of refugees around the world, it can seem like a problem too huge to tackle, but many organizations are working to help the plight of refugees worldwide.

It seems like in the news people are talking about "refugee crisises" all the time, but what exactly is a refugee? The current meaning of the term was officially defined at the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. They decided that a refugee would be anyone who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him/herself of the protection of that country." This definition was expanded to include people who were fleeing war or violence in their home country, or who were displaced by natural disasters making their home country unsafe to live in.

Currently, there are many conflicts causing large numbers of refugees. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, fighting in Sudan, and the current situation in Myanmar are the largest sources of refugees in the world. As Americans, we have contributed to the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine - 3 of the 5 largest sources of refugees. Even so, the aid we give to refugees is dwarfed by the amount of funding the US spends every month promoting war abroad in these places. We have an obligation to help these people return to the lives they had been leading before our soldiers or weapons or aid and support caused them to be displaced, losing their homes, safety, security, and many times, their lives. No longer can we sit by idly, while our government supports policy that is detrimental to the lives of millions abroad, mostly women and children. Before we can help though, we must understand why and how these conflicts came about, and what the United States has done to contribute to the conflicts. That is what my intention is for this blog - to spread information, raise awareness, and be a voice for the silenced.