The Main Causes of Refugees - Term Paper Example

Causes of Refugees By [Name] [Course] [Professor’s Name] [Institution] [Location of the School] [Date] Table of Contents 1.Introduction 3 2.The Main Causes of Refugees 4 2.1The Threat of Violence 4 2.2Ethnic Causes 5 2.3Environmental Factors 6 2.4Freedom and Political Factors 7 2.5Economic Factors 7 3.Conclusion 8 List of References 10 Causes of Refugees 1. Introduction People become refugees due to a variety of risks existing in their home countries. They are the individuals who flee dangerous situations arising from warfare, famine, political persecution, natural disasters, and economic crises among others. These factors cause people to be outside their home countries since there is the inability or unwillingness to avail themselves to their respective states for protection. They usually fear being persecuted on the basis of membership to particular social groups, dissenting political opinions, religion, and race (Betts & Loescher 2011, 85). It follows that people are considered to be refugees only if the happen to be outside their home countries. They may be classified as refugees even if they have not been persecuted yet. This is when there is likelihood of future persecution. Some refugees happen to be in danger when because the governments in their home countries cannot protect them from rogue groups. In some cases, people at risk of being persecuted are not accorded the refugee status. Such cases include when the concerned individuals are suspected of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity (Postmus 2012, 404). 2. The Main Causes of Refugees 2.1 The Threat of Violence The pattern of granting individuals the status of refugees is among the earliest characteristics of civilization. People have always been fleeing their homelands as a result of persecution, or threat of being persecuted. Many parts of the world have experienced violence at one time or the other. Most of the violence has been as a result of the need for political conquest by the invading armies (Hedman 2008, 126). During such instances, defenseless civilians feel threatened by the warring parties, a situation which prompts them to run away from their home countries in search of refuge in the neighboring states. In cases where the number of refugees exceeds the capacity of their host, UNHCR organizes for their relocation to third countries (Mogire & Mogire 2011, 48) As it has already been indicated, protecting refugees has become among the most important mandates assigned to the United Nations refugees’ agency. The agency was, in fact, established to cater for the affairs of refugees, specifically those who were waiting to go back to their countries of origin following the Second World War. Since the establishment of UNHCR, millions of asylum seekers have been offered assistance and protection from harm. This has always been done as the concerned parties seek to find lasting solutions to violence within the concerned territories. The most common examples of refugees who flee as a result of violence include the Somalis, Iraqis, and Afghans (Mogire & Mogire 2011, 112). 2.2 Ethnic Causes There is a significant number of refugees who flee their homes upon being persecuted based on their ethnicity. This is usually the case when the persecutors feel as if they are the indigenous ethnic group within a certain territory. Such a belief causes them to isolate, persecute, or even wage war on their victims with impunity. Ethnicity has actually caused genocide in some parts of the world including Rwanda, the Kurdish region of Iraq, East Timor, and Sri Lanka (Lake & Rothchild 1998, 107). Most of these conflicts are resolved through the intervention of the international community. The international community mediates between the factions so that all sides enjoy peace and self-determination like most other societies in the world. Ethnicity refers to the affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties. This means that it is impossible for individuals to denounce their identity, especially at a time when their tormentors are trailing them (Mills 2008, 63). According to the above discussion, ethnic strive means that the victims are in dire need of assistance in form of healthcare, shelter, and food. Local and international organizations have been on the fore-front with the provision of such assistance. The organizations avail housing to the refugees in specially-designed camps. In case it becomes evident that the refugees may not return to their home countries, the organizations facilitate their resettlement in the host or third country. Nevertheless, there have been instances when refugees have remained in camps for several years even when their concerns for safety are proven (Salehyan & Gleditsch 2006, 335). 2.3 Environmental Factors A number of environmental factors drive people into seeking protection from their countries. Environmental adversities such as floods, extreme famine, and extreme cold cause a lot of challenges to human beings as well as other forms of life. Many people seek refuge as a result of low or high ranges of radiation, temperature, acidity, pressure, alkalinity, sugar, salt, petroleum, and carbon dioxide. Some of these factors originate from human action. Even so, it reaches a point where continued inhabitancy threatens people’s lives (Hartmann 2010, 233). When people seek refuge from environmental adversities, they do so in hope of returning to their homes once the threat has been mitigated. Environmentalists have been campaigning for conservation, especially with the increasing need for food items. The global population has been increasing at a significant rate. This means that when people migrate from their homes, they end up straining the resources in other regions. Therefore, governments and organizations have been working tirelessly to mitigate the challenges resulting from extreme environmental conditions. Until the challenges are completely mitigated, people will continue seeking refuge in areas with favorable conditions (Bates 2002, 46). Some economic factors cause permanent challenges to the local communities. For instance, there are cases when volcanic eruptions destroy habitats completely. Another example is when a series of landslides cause steep slopes meaning that people can no longer live in their homes. In such cases, authorities are forced to secure other locations where people can reconstruct their homes and other social amenities. Before that has been achieved, the victims are forced to seek refuge in other safer grounds. As such, they remain to be refugees until further arrangements are made for them (Westra 2009, 13). 2.4 Freedom and Political Factors Many people around the world seek refuge in countries other than their own when they feel that their freedom of expression is threatened by state agencies or other groups. An individual’s urge to express his/her views comes automatically. This means that in countries where dissent is discouraged, antagonists live in constant threat of being harmed or persecuted. The threat prompts them to consider leaving their home countries in search of refuge where the authorities provide democratic space (Mylonas 2013, 23). Migration due to freedom and political factors pose logistical challenges to the authorities in the host countries. This is especially due to the risk of the victims’ assassinations. Assassinations of people seeking refuge in foreign countries have taken place in the past. This is especially when authorities and groups feel threatened by the refugees. In most cases, political refugees have evidence of violation of human rights, torture, and crimes against humanity. In that case, there are those who feel threatened by their very existence. Such facts mean that the host countries have to implement adequate measures to secure their lives adequately (Mylonas 2013, 23). 2.5 Economic Factors Research studies have concluded that the complexity of the global migration patterns have been increasing significantly. The complexity is compounded by the movements of a high number of economic migrants. Economic migrants opt to move from their home countries in an attempt to enhance their future financial prospects as well as those of their families. Most migrants are economic migrants. Refugees seeking economic prospects have been increasing day-by-day (Foster 2007, 110). The European nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea have been struggling with the refugee crisis for quite some time. Many people of African descent have been risking their lives while crossing the Mediterranean waters by boat. Several of them have died at sea, and this does not deter others from seeking better lives in Europe. There are those who risk travelling through Egypt’s Sinai region into Israel before progressing to other parts of Europe. While many die along the way, the challenge is yet to be resolved. Australia has also been attracting many refugees in search of enhanced economic prospects (Jacobsen 2005, 70-71). 3. Conclusion This paper has outlined the major factors which drive people into seeking refuge. It has been explained how threats to individuals or communities causes them to move from their homes into other areas where they feel safe. Since the root causes of strives explicated in this paper are numerous and diverse, the problem of refugees is complex. In this regard, it requires a significant amount of time and effort to resolve (Taylor 2005, 39). The paper has outlined factors of varied natures including threat of violence, ethnicity, adverse environmental conditions, political, as well as economic. The fact that the factors are diverse means that challenges ought to be handled on a case-by-case basis. Indeed a single solution cannot fit in every situation. As such, there is need to undertake more focused research in the future as well as implement solutions more attentively (Salehyan 2008, 787). List of References Bates, DC 2002, ‘Environmental Refugees? Classifying Human Migrations Caused by Environmental Change’, Population and Environment, Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 465-467 Betts, A & Loescher, G 2011, Refugees in International Relations, New York: Oxford University Press, 85-88 Foster, M 2007, International Refugee Law and Socio-Economic Rights: refuge from Deprivation. New York: Cambridge University Press, 110-11 Hartmann, B 2010, ‘Rethinking Climate Refugees and Climate Conflict: Rhetoric, Reality and the Politics of Policy Discourse’, Journal of International Development J. Int. Dev. 22, pp. 233–238 Hedman, EE 2008, Conflict, Violence, and Displacement in Indonesia, Washington: SEAP Publications, 126-129 Jacobsen, K 2005, The Economic Life of Refugees, Sterling, Virginia: Kumarian Press, 70-71 Lake, DA & Rothchild, DS 1998, The International Spread of Ethnic Conflict: Fear, Diffusion, and Escalation, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 107 Mills, J 2008, Racing to Refuge: Ethnicity, Gendered Violence, and Somali Youth in San Diego, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America: ProQuest, 63-66 Mogire, E & Mogire, EO 2011, Victims as Security Threats: refugee Impact on Host State Security in Africa, Farnham, Surrey, United Kingdom: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, 48-52 Mylonas, H 2013, The politics of Nation-Building: Making Co-Nationals, Refugees, and Minorities, New York: Cambridge University Press, 23-28 Postmus, J 2012, Sexual Violence and Abuse: An Encyclopedia of Prevention, Impacts, and Recovery, Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 404-406 Salehyan, I 2008, ‘The Externalities of Civil Strife: Refugees as a Source of International Conflict’, American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 787–801 Salehyan, I& Gleditsch, KS 2006, ‘Refugees and the Spread of Civil War’, International Organization, Volume 60, Issue 02, pp 335 – 366 Taylor, S 2005, Nationality, Refugee Status and State Protection: Explorations of the Gap Between Man and Citizen, Annandale NSW: Australia: Federation Press, 39-41 Westra, L 2009, Environmental Justice and the Rights of Ecological Refugees, London: Earthscan, 13-18 Read More