Michael Hardman
04 Mar 2016, 09:52 AM
Chapters 2 › Time for new definitions?: SCROLL DOWN FOR INSTRUCTIONS View instructions Hide instructions

SCROLL DOWN FOR INSTRUCTIONS

`Start by reading this article and discuss in your journal how current official definitions of "migrants", "refugees" and "asylum seekers" are challenged by the on-going migration crisis at the South-East borders of Europe.

You can also see Unit 2.1 for more information about irregular migration in Mediterranean region, Unit 2.2 about EU norms on asylum seeking, and Unit 2.3 on the case of Syrian refugees.

Don't forget to have a look to what others have done in their journals!

Refugees and asylum-seekers

0

This passage from the article sums up the reality:

" People often move for a number of reasons that may include fear of persecution as well as wanting to find better economic opportunities, and they may move more than once, like the Syrians who initially crossed into Turkey or Jordan but are now boarding boats to Greece."

When they left Syria, it was because of a well founded fear of prosecution. They may not be at risk of such persecution in Greece, but that should not alter this basic fact. To say that the moment they move on from Greece they become a migrant rather than a refugee is as illogical as saying that a person who has a right of asylum in (say) Britain loses that right as soon as they move from the town in which they first arrived.

Your Comment

Please login to leave a comment.