Human Rights : International Organization, Flexible Standards, And International Refugee Law

Every year, thousands of people seek refuge in Australia after being forced to flee their homes. Under the UN 1951 Refugee convention, countries are obliged to protect refugees and basic human rights must be upheld. However, Australia is violating these laws. As of August 2013, a report by the Australian Human Rights

The United Nations approach on the treatment of refugees is as follows. the Convention relating to the status of Refugees 1967 Protocol defines who a refugee is and explains what Rights countries should afford to refugees. A refugee is a person who is outside of their own country and is unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their; race, religion, nationality, membership of a group or political

Throughout the years, there have been articles about asylum seekers resorting to violence due to discontentment with the Australian government regarding the assessment of their refugee status. These are evident cries for help which sparks off debates on the government’s abilities to find a successful solution to the asylum issues. Australia has been criticized due to the requirements of compulsory immigration detention for ‘all unlawful non-citizens, (including asylum seekers)’ (Phillips & Spinks 2013, p.1). The other controversial issue of Australia regarding the asylum seekers is also the claims that it has been avoiding it’s responsibilities under the United Nations refugee conventions by making it hard for asylum seekers to claim

Has United States or Canada been more effective with implementing and abiding by refugee rules and laws? Before discussing and comparing which of these countries had been more successful, the historical context of refugees needs to be explored. Although refugees have existed throughout the course of history, the definitions of what a refuge is had shifted and evolved over time. The League of Nations in the 1920s defined refugees “by categories, specifically in relation to their country of origin.” Up until 1950s, the League of Nations, which later became the United Nations, “established and dismantled several international institutions devoted to refugees in Europe.” After World War II, creating and facilitating solutions for refugees were of high importance internationally. This is evident in the first session of United Nations General Assembly in 1946 when it adopted the principle that no refugee who had “expressed valid objections to returning to their countries [sic] of origin ... shall be compelled to return.”

Australia, among many places, has legal restrictions and conventions in reference to the captivity and treatment of asylum seekers. These are seen through the ‘1951 Refugee Convention’ and it’s 1967 protocol. Legal guidelines are also seen in significant human rights treaties.

the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty guidelines issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, including the Revised Guidelines on Applicable Criteria and Standards Relating to the Detention of Asylum

Recently, concerns have been raised by political figures and the people of Australia regarding the ‘abysmal treatment’ of asylum seekers (Claire Mallinson, 2015). The violations of their human rights in regards to the conditions they are forced to live in inside detention centers show that these centres do not operate within the humanitarian requirements Australia has agreed to abide by. The current process that handles the arrival and subsequent treatment of asylum seekers does not allow the migratory system to properly address the complications that the present circumstances impose. The Universal Declaration Human Rights (1948) (UDHR) and the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention were signed by Australia to recognize its support of these

They propose three solutions: voluntary repatriation, local integration, and resettlement (UNHCR Resettlement Handbook 28). The UNHCR adds that “The three solutions are complementary in nature and, when applied together, can form a viable and comprehensive strategy for resolving a refugee situation” (UNHCR Resettlement Handbook 28). Voluntary reparation is helping a refugee safely and proudly return to their country of origin, allowing them to resume their former lifestyle (UNHCR Resettlement Handbook 31). Local integration is attempting to grant the refugee a permanent right to stay in the host country, and possibly become a citizen (UNHCR Resettlement Handbook 34). Resettlement is transferring refugees from the original country they fled to, to another State that agreed to accept them and grant permanent settlement, and sometimes citizenship (UNHCR Resettlement Handbook 36). This book provides extensive details on policies used by the UNHCR, which will be helpful when writing the Policy

In this paper, I will argue that the United States should accept more Syrian refugees by analyzing Miller and Kukathas’ arguments to reach the conclusion that Kukathas makes a more convincing argument because the freedom of movement argument and the humanity obligations of the United States outweigh the risks of a threatened cultural identity and economic state. The Syrian refugee crisis started in March of 2011 when anti-government groups began to protest against the government. These protests quickly became violent as the government turned to armed opposition groups to quiet the rebellion. This violence has created chaos in Syria as human rights are being violated everywhere and necessities are becoming scarce. There is no sign of an end approaching as the death toll reaches over 250,000. Syrians are escaping after seeing the destruction around their homes from airstrikes and bombings, killing many friends and family members. The U.N. estimates, a potential 11 million people are displaced, fleeing to nearby countries with refugee camps or Europe in hopes to gain citizenship. The journey to escape Syria is not an easy one with the threat of snipers and kidnappings for young men to fight for either cause. The need for aid continues to grow as humanitarian organizations attempt to keep up.

Guilt that derives from the fact our country is not doing more to aide in the refugee crisis. Likewise, this article provokes me to ask the question: why are these images not shown more often in western media? I feel that currently our media is cluttered with useless information regarding inherently trivial stories, none of which compare to the struggles of not only children, but also millions of people. The refugee problem is currently one that I feel is ignored by many for various reasons. However, this article brings to light the horrors that are currently occurring and I feel it should be seen by more people, as the lives of refugees are no less than our own. Even though politicians make out refugees, and even immigrants, to be murderous extremists, the reality is most are nonviolent, normal families seeking a home, something often taken for granted by those in western cultures. The Syrian refugee crisis is, in my opinion, the most overlooked problem in recent history, and demonstrates in inherent issue in our society- we as a culture view these lives as less than our own. Overall, I feel this article does a thorough job of emotionally evoking readers and impacting their views on Syrian refugees and the lives they are forced to

Now across the other side of our globe in Middle East Syrian refugees have fled their country due to continuous attacks on them. Among those escaping the conflict, the majority have sought refuge in neighboring countries or within Syria itself. Some countries are Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. These refugees have been able to adapt to their new community (country) faster since their identity is similar to the people living in the country. But what raised awareness to all the refugee crisis is when people found a lifeless 3-year-old boy lying face down on a beach in Europe. Ever since this event people all over the world have been more aware of the identity of Syrian refugees. People have noticed that Syrian refugees are the citizen like the rest of us, but they have not been treated like it, instead, they have been called as `terrorists`, and elsewhere ‘a burden on economy’. All over the world citizens from different countries including Canada have been donating food, clothes, and other necessities. As a community, we can respect and stand up for other identities and together we can create an enabling environment for them in the

There are also legal reasons why countries such as the United States of America should accept more refugees. The article “Armed Conflict and Forced Migration: A Systemic Approach to International Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law, and Human Rights Law” by Vincent Chetail states that “humanitarian law and refugee law appear to be relatively indifferent to the specific needs of refugees in war, from war and in post war contexts.” Due to this lack in the ability of humanitarian law and refugee law to provide what is necessary for refugees fleeing conflict, international human rights law must instead pick up the slack and therefore must be respected and known by lawyers assisting refugees. Despite the differences between the different types of law,

One of the key areas beneficial to the role of a United Nations Representative in relations to refugees in detention is to understand Australia’s current stance on children in mandatory detention, and how Australian law is inconsistent with their international obligations. The Australian Government has continually justified the detention of asylum seekers and refugees as necessary in deterring future asylum seekers and refugees from attempting to entering Australia by boat. This justification, however, has been consistently challenged by literature that argues children are not a proven deterrent for future asylum seekers and there is no evidence to support this claim, therefore, there is no legitimate reason for children to be detained in mandatory

This issue was chosen due to its scope. The Syrian refugee crisis is among a list of issues that will not only shape the world in 2016 but also dominate news outlets in upcoming years. Because of the despairing situation, many governments are struggling to find ways to handle the rush of individuals seeking asylum, for the fact that it seems the crisis is worsening. In addition, the media coverage on the topic sparked my interest and led me to research information because I had no idea what was occurring and the detriment of the issue.

Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in a Civil War with protestors against the government and members of the extremist group ISIS, and approximately 7.6 million people have been displaced from their homes (usnews.com 2015). As the conflict destroys more homes and livelihoods each year, an increasing number of civilians have been forced to leave Syria and try to find safety elsewhere. Already a contentious issue, the Syrian refugee crisis has awakened tensions, both economic and social as debate erupts over what to do with the refugees.In response to the crisis, while some countries like Germany have pledged to help the refugees, (New Statesman 2015 1) only 2,340 have been admitted. Clearly, more needs to be done in order to help the refugees. Although there are economic and population concerns to be considered, the humanitarian conflict that faces the refugees and solutions already available are reason enough for Europe to increase the numbers of Syrian refugees allowed in.