MikeLigalig.com

Migrant vs. refugee: What's the difference?

By Michael Martinez, CNN
September 8, 2015

Refugees are forced to flee their home countries because of armed conflict or persecution

Migrants are people who choose to resettle to another country in search of a better life

(CNN)The difference between a migrant and a refugee marks a crucial distinction for European countries receiving new arrivals.

Refugees, as defined under the 1951 Refugee Convention, are entitled to basic rights under international law, including the right not to be immediately deported and sent back into harm's way.

"The practice of granting asylum to people fleeing persecution in foreign lands is one of the earliest hallmarks of civilization," according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "References to it have been found in texts written 3,500 years ago, during the blossoming of the great early empires in the Middle East such as the Hittites, Babylonians, Assyrians and ancient Egyptians."



Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=81007.0

A migrant is someone who chooses to resettle to another country in search of a better life.

For example, those fleeing poverty in Nigeria, looking for work in Europe, would not have refugee status and would be considered migrants.

Not all migrants then are refugees, but refugees can fall under the migrant umbrella. One of the major differences between the two designations is that while migrants may seek to escape harsh conditions of their own, refugees could face imprisonment, deprivation of basic rights, physical injury or worse.



Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=81007.0

from a recent past, somewhere else in the world:


Tamil refugees attempting to escape the fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers in 2009 EPA/Sri Lankan Army media unit

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=81007.0