Blackwell Reference Online

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Refugee movements are defined as the involuntary migration of people across international borders as a result of generalized conflict and disorder, or of more particularized threats of persecution and physical insecurity. The concept of “refugee” generally is treated as one category within a broader typology of forced migration, which includes involuntary movements both within and across international borders and encompasses other categories such as internally displaced persons, development-displaced persons, and trafficked and smuggled persons. While, in common usage, refugee may refer to people fleeing their homes due to any number of threatening situations, the prevailing international legal definition of refugee, endorsed by 145 member states of the United Nations General Assembly, is an individual 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 his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” In 1969, the Organization for African Unity adopted the UN definition but added that a refugee is also a person who has fled his or her country “owing to external aggression, occupation, foreign domination or events seriously disturbing public order.” Related to the definition of ... log in or subscribe to read full text