Tag: Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

The U.N. refugee agency warns populist politics and fear-mongering about immigration are eroding international protection for refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. Conflict, persecution and violence have displaced a record 68.5 million people around the world. But U.N. Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk says this right is slipping away. He says being able to flee and be recognized as a refugee can be a matter of life and death. He says they often have rejected extremism and been targeted, forcing them to flee for their lives. He says it is unjust to deny security to people who need it most. “I think both in the global North and the global South, I have to say, it is our observation, that the dehumanization of refugees, of migrants, of IDP’s, of stateless individuals has become a worrying trend," said Turk. "It results from inappropriate language, misinformation, deterrence, detention, separation of families and children, and ‘warehousing." Turk says xenophobia, racism, and bigotry often are driven by fear, anger and anxiety within communities. He says they must be confronted and addressed.