Refugee
Short answer
A refugee is someone who has crossed an international border and cannot return home owing to a well founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. Refugee status carries specific protections under international law.
The wording it comes from
Owing to well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951, Article 1A(2)
In plain terms
- Two things must be true. The person is outside their own country, and they cannot safely rely on that country for protection.
- Regional instruments in Africa and Latin America widen the definition to include people fleeing generalised violence and public disorder.
- Refugee status is recognised rather than created by a decision, which is why registration data exists and why refugee counts are firmer than internal displacement counts.
Commonly confused with
Asylum seeker
An asylum seeker has made a claim that has not yet been decided. A refugee is someone whose need for protection has been recognised, or who is recognised on a group basis.
Internally displaced person
The border is the difference. Internally displaced people have not crossed one.
Why the distinction matters
- Refugee status triggers the principle of non refoulement, which prohibits return to a place where a person faces serious harm.
- Because refugees are registered, refugee data is generally the most complete part of any displacement dataset.
- Terminology matters in reporting, since describing refugees as migrants removes the legal protection the word carries.