The refugee institution, created to save the lives of civilians in military conflicts, is causing more and more debate in the modern world. Both political and public figures are trying to determine the most clear criteria for granting asylum in order to, on the one hand, help potential victims of conflicts and, on the other, to take into account the possibilities of host countries.
Instruction manual
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Refugees have existed since the outbreak of military conflicts. Gradually, with the complication of bureaucratic procedures and the tightening of border controls, it became necessary to create a special status for people who are looking for salvation from persecution in another country. Even before World War II, some states of the world issued special visas to Jews who were threatened with being sent to concentration camps in Nazi Germany. However, a single system and international obligations on the issue of refugees did not exist. Only in the fifties did the UN adopt a refugee convention, according to which a person who left his country because of persecution or life threat and was recognized as a refugee cannot be returned to the country from which he fled.
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The current situation shows that refugee status is becoming an increasingly vague category. They become refugees not only for political reasons, but also for economic and even climatic reasons. At the same time, developed countries are increasingly faced with the situation of illegal migration disguised as refugees - more and more people from developed countries, unable to come to their desired country in another way, get there illegally or on a tourist visa and apply for refugee status, even if they and there is no real danger in the homeland.
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The fight against such migration is carried out by various methods. A number of countries are tightening the criteria for refugees - they need to provide more evidence that their lives were truly at risk.
Other states, such as France, are trying to expedite the processing of refugee documents. The fact is that the provision of those fleeing the persecution most often falls on the shoulders of the country that accepts them. Therefore, a faster review of securities can help the state save money, and will also contribute to faster integration of real refugees.
The third way is using buffer countries. For example, in 2013, Australia entered into an agreement with neighboring Papua New Guinea that all refugees who arrived in Australia would go there and seek refuge directly in New Guinea.
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Along with the problem of fake refugees, there is also the problem of growing numbers of people who are truly at risk in their countries. Therefore, to solve the refugee problem, the UN is conducting peacekeeping efforts, trying to normalize the situation in countries in which military conflicts are being waged. However, we can conclude that a real decrease in the number of refugees can be expected only with an increase in living standards in the poorest countries and with the departure of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes.
