9781422281406

Mina is just one of millions of refugees found all over the world. Many face an uncertain future. What Is a Refugee? First and foremost, a refugee is a person who is in need of help. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a refugee as “someone who has been forced to leave a country because of war or for religious or political reasons.” The most important definition of a refugee, however, is the one set forth in the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Twenty-six governments, including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia drafted this convention, or treaty, to ensure that all human beings, including refugees, “shall enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms without discrimination.” It defines a refugee as: A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being per- secuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, mem- bership 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; or who, not having a nation- ality and being outside the country of his former habit- ual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.

At the time this convention was signed, members were con- cerned about the people who’d fled their homes during World

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Refugees