Do the Needs of Refugees Make Border Protection a Futile Undertaking? (Australia)
Synopsis
The number of displaced persons has been steadily increasing over the last fifteen years. In large part this is because of civil wars in African and Middle Eastern countries, as well as military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The essay will argue that the needs of refugees do make border protection a futile undertaking, as asylum seeker’s desperation to reach a safe haven ensures that they will ultimately find a way. It will discuss the conditions refugees encounter in countries of first asylum. Additionally, it will examine the evidence of obstacles to ‘legal’ entry pathways. Furthermore, it will address the largest criticism of refugees that enter host countries in an irregular manner, which is the threat to state sovereignty. Finally, it will enter into a well-supported argument that there is no evidence to support this claim, and it therefore does not constitute sufficient reason to shirk a nation’s responsibilities under international law, the Refugee Convention, or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2011 Global Trends report shows that forced displacement is increasing. This is mostly attributed to civil wars in African and Middle Eastern countries, and the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the Asia Pacific region, countries of origin of displaced persons include Sri-Lanka and Burma (Myanmar), which have respectively seen civil war and political unrest in recent years. Article 1 of the Refugee Convention defines a refugee as a person fleeing persecution of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a social group. Reasons for becoming refugees are not confined to persecution alone. They also include war, environmental disasters and famine, but in its current state the Refugee Convention does not provide legal protection to displaced persons that fall into these categories. The needs of refugees are essentially protection and
The number of displaced persons has been steadily increasing over the last fifteen years. In large part this is because of civil wars in African and Middle Eastern countries, as well as military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The essay will argue that the needs of refugees do make border protection a futile undertaking, as asylum seeker’s desperation to reach a safe haven ensures that they will ultimately find a way. It will discuss the conditions refugees encounter in countries of first asylum. Additionally, it will examine the evidence of obstacles to ‘legal’ entry pathways. Furthermore, it will address the largest criticism of refugees that enter host countries in an irregular manner, which is the threat to state sovereignty. Finally, it will enter into a well-supported argument that there is no evidence to support this claim, and it therefore does not constitute sufficient reason to shirk a nation’s responsibilities under international law, the Refugee Convention, or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2011 Global Trends report shows that forced displacement is increasing. This is mostly attributed to civil wars in African and Middle Eastern countries, and the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the Asia Pacific region, countries of origin of displaced persons include Sri-Lanka and Burma (Myanmar), which have respectively seen civil war and political unrest in recent years. Article 1 of the Refugee Convention defines a refugee as a person fleeing persecution of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a social group. Reasons for becoming refugees are not confined to persecution alone. They also include war, environmental disasters and famine, but in its current state the Refugee Convention does not provide legal protection to displaced persons that fall into these categories. The needs of refugees are essentially protection and