The Refugee Movement: An Overview

Abstract

While international migration has often furthered human rights, led to enhancement of human dignity, relieved population pressures, helped in development and enrichment of receiving nations and facilitated cultural interchange, hindrances to such international move? ment have just as often led to social injustice and demeaning of various peoples at various points in history. In fact, to impede migratory movement is a violation of human rights which can lead to uncircumscribed human suffering such as that which existed during Nazi hegemony over Europe, when escape routes were blocked. The right to leave one's country is a basic human right. Socrates regarded it as an attribute of personal liberty. The Magna Carta incorporated it for first time into national law. The French Constitu? tion of 1791 provided for same guarantee, and an act of U.S. Congress in 1868 declared that the right of expatriation is a natural and inherent right of all people, indispensable to enjoyment of rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Frequently, this right to leave, is associated with refugees and necessity to seek asylum beyond borders of one's native land. As such, it must be noted, that there exist situations (e.g. in both hemispheres) where some people, within their native country, or nationality, are oppressed and uprooted, or impeded from living in accordance with their cultural and religious customs which are distinctive from those of majority culture. Such negative conditions, constituting push factors which might be resolved through international migration, are frequently frustrated by such governments in policies restricting emigration. Whether refugee is within an inhospitable country or elsewhere, his position is especially precarious. Paul Weiss, former director of Legal Division of United Nations High Commission for Refugees, noted: