Understanding Refugees: Definition, Causes, and International Protection

What are refugees and why do they leave their countries?

Choose the correct answer: a) People who migrate for work b) People who are forced to leave their home country c) Tourists d) Students studying abroad Final answer:

Answer:

Refugees are individuals forced to leave their countries due to war, persecution, or natural disasters, seeking asylum under international protection unlike people who migrate for work or other voluntary reasons.

Explanation: Refugees are defined as individuals who have been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. Unlike people who migrate for work, refugees do not leave their homeland by choice but are pushed out due to dire circumstances threatening their safety and survival. The international community, under the auspices of the United Nations, recognizes the plight of refugees and offers protection through legal instruments such as the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.

In recent years, major refugee crises have emerged from conflicts and disasters like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Syrian civil war, and the 2023 earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. These events led to large numbers of refugees seeking asylum in countries that often struggle with the resources to accommodate them adequately. Refugees are not tourists or students studying abroad; they are people in dire need of international protection and assistance.