Introduction + Research Question

Anyone who has been forced to flee their own country due to persecution, war, or violence is called a refugee. A refugee is afraid of being persecuted because of their ethnicity, religion, nationality, political views, or participation in a particular social group. A lot of them are unable to return home because their living environment is destroyed in the war. Some of them are afraid of going back. Over 60% of refugees are from Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Venezuela.

Refugees leave horrible living conditions behind and are afraid of losing their lives. They enter a new country in hopes of being able to restart their lives or even just survive. Hopes are shattered once again. They face challenges like language barrier, employment difficulties, no educational support, housing, healthcare access, and discrimination which they must face traumatized and alone. The new circumstances make this ” safe haven” hell for them.

Should refugees be given equal rights as the citizens of the place they reach?

Its significance

The amount of people becoming refugees and getting displaced due to civil conflict and natural disasters is increasing.

The issue with refugees is that they lose support from their home country, and they become stateless. Their lives are put at risk every day even after reaching a theoretically safe country. The challenges they face are not given importance by the new government and the citizens of that place. How are they coping in the new country? Be grateful for any country to have to accept you. They don’t care if you survive or not. Why did they become refugees in the first place? The refugees should not be blamed for the conditions that cause them to leave their homes. Some white-dominated countries that refuse to accept them are the ones that are a huge reason there are so many refugees.

The impact refugees have on the host countries is not understood and is very controversial. It is very controversial how the refugees impact the host’s economy. It is believed that refugees are helpless and dependent on food aid. They are just lazy and are taking unconditional support from the host. New studies disclose that refugees are actively involved with host-country economies in an attempt to improve their conditions. Yet there are not enough studies or evidence to support or criticize the impact of refugees on host countries. Despite the lack of studies and evidence. There is a prejudgment of refugees being a burden.

Could the lack of importance given to refugees be a reason why there isn’t enough research on them?

What do we know so far?

How some host countries treat refugees and the support they provide for the refugees and what it suggests is as follows:
Australia: They have been criticized for dumping refugees on islands like Nauru, Manus, and Christmas Island. The Government calls it a remote site for “offshore processing” for those who ask for shelter and protection.

It is a permanent government policy that no human being who reaches the country by boat seeking asylum is ever settled in Australia. No genuine resettlement ever takes place for these people. They created the camps on these islands to be punitive and are extensively advertised as a deterrent to discourage anybody from seeking sanctuary in Australia. The Australian government has also made it illegal for anyone to speak publicly about the conditions inside the camps and refused journalists. This suggests that Australia and its people are unwelcoming and refuse to provide asylum and protection to refugees even based on humanity. Their cruel and inhumane arrangements have caused more trauma and abused refugees than their own country would have. Do the refugees not deserve human-like treatment? Why aren’t they given rights and proper protection even after the host takes huge funds from the UNHCR?

The United States of America: Former president Donald Trump build a wall to prevent Mexicans to enter the states. These Mexicans may be fleeing due to civil conflicts and violence which makes them refugees. He has also redefined refugees so no one will qualify for asylum. They blocked asylum seekers from reaching ports of entry and held them in custody without any form of access to counsel. They are also made to wait in Mexico which is dangerous. They may even be sent to a third country to seek asylum instead. Some don’t even get the chance of having a hearing and get expelled. This clearly shows that the states refuse refugees. They will not be treated well even if they go through the challenges and enter the country.

Hong Kong: Refugees in Hong Kong are also detained upon arrival but often get to enter the city with support. The support they receive is minimal. They only get $40 for meals each day. Hong Kong is a very expensive place to live. A normal fast-food meal is over 40$, yet the government expects the refugees to have 3 meals for only $40. They are also not allowed to work so they are unable to provide for themselves. Some are forced to work in illegal and unsafe environments since the support from the government is not enough. The HK government seems welcoming and accepts refugees but in reality, the refugees have a hard time surviving in HK. It discourages others who seek asylum and protection to come to HK for it.

Reference:
M Alloush, E Gonzalez, A Gupta, IR Rojas, JE Taylor, Economic life in a refugee camp. Available at migrationcluster.ucdavis.edu/events/seminars_2015-2016/alloush/paper_alloush.pdf.

Rescued asylum seekers on board the MV Tampa, north of Christmas Island, in August 2001. The Norwegian freighter was denied entry to Australian waters in a standoff that led to the establishment of offshore detention camps on Nauru and Manus Island. Photograph: Wilhelmsen Group/EPA