Forced To Flee

People in danger have received protection in communities beyond their own from the earliest times of recorded history. The causes — war, conflict, violence, persecution, natural disasters, and climate change — are as familiar to readers of the news as to students of the past. It is 70 years since nations in the wake of World War II drew up the landmark 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. People Forced to Flee marks this milestone. It is the latest in a long line of publications, stretching back to 1993, that were previously entitled The State of the World's Refugees. The book traces the historic path that led to the 1951 Convention, showing how history was made, by taking the centuries-old ideals of safety and solutions for refugees, to global practice. It maps its progress during which international protection has reached a much broader group of people than initially envisaged. It examines international responses to forced displacement within borders as well as beyond them, and the protection principles that apply to both. It reviews where they have been used with consistency and success, and where they have not. At times, the strength and resolve of the international community seems strong, yet solutions and meaningful solidarity are often elusive. Taking stock today - at this important anniversary – is all the more crucial as the world faces increasing forced displacement. Most is experienced in low- and middle-income countries and persists for generations. People forced to flee face barriers to improving their lives, contributing to the communities in which they live and realizing solutions. Everywhere, an effective response depends on the commitment to international cooperation set down in the 1951 Convention: a vision often compromised by efforts to minimize responsibilities. There is growing recognition that doing better is a global imperative. Humanitarian and development action has the potential to be transformational, especially when grounded in the local context. People Forced to Flee examines how and where increased development investments in education, health and economic inclusion are helping to improve socioeconomic opportunities both for forcibly displaced persons and their hosts. In 2018, the international community reached a Global Compact on Refugees for more equitable and sustainable responses. It is receiving deeper support. People Forced to Flee looks at whether that is enough for what could – and should – help define the next 70 years.

'The Modern Refugee Era' began with the end of World War II. An extensive literature has been created on the issue of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons during this period. While much of this has focused on refugee 'flight' and 'post-flight,' Forced to Flee uniquely looks at the 'pre-flight' environment and the factors contributing to human rights violations therein. It is due to these abuses that many people flee their homelands. Author Peter W. Van Arsdale presents first-hand fieldwork conducted over a 30-year span in six refugee homelands ranging from Sudan to Bosnia. This expert research bridges the emergent refugee and human rights regimes, while addressing theories of obligation, justice, and structural inequality. Van Arsdale also deftly tackles the difficult ideas of compassion, suffering, and evil, and introduces the concept of 'pragmatic humanitarianism.' Forced to Flee is a comprehensive study that should be of great interest to scholars and practitioners of anthropology, sociology, social work, political science, and environmental studies.

A humbling, awe-inspiring and haunting collection of over 200 works of narrative art painted by refugee and asylee youth, forced to flee violent conflict and persecution in their native land of Burma, also known as Myanmar. Each visual story is accompanied by a caption that discusses human rights issues raised by the youths' life stories. Behind-the-scenes photographs show the youth at work. In addition, water-colored maps and a two-page introductions contextualize the book's five chapters. Forced to Flee concludes with a "Bridging Divides" epilogue and "Ways to Help" appendix, which is expanded upon in the book's dedicated website, www.burmavisionsforpeace.org

Throughout human history people have been driven from their homes by wars, unjust treatment, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The reality of forced migration is not new, nor is awareness of the suffering of the displaced a recent discovery. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that at the end of 2007 there were 67 million persons in the world who had been forcibly displaced from their homes—including more than 16 million people who had to flee across an international border for fear of being persecuted due to race, religion, nationality, social group, or political opinion. Driven from Home advances the discussion on how best to protect and assist the growing number of persons who have been forced from their homes and proposes a human rights framework to guide political and policy responses to forced migration. This thought-provoking volume brings together contributors from several disciplines, including international affairs, law, ethics, economics, and theology, to advocate for better responses to protect the global community’s most vulnerable citizens.

Drawing from a deep well of Indian and Afghan knowledge, Nasiri has compiled a capitulating story of his father's escape from Afghanistan at age twelve in 1929 to India while Nadir Shah usurped Kabul throne from Habibullah Kalakani. Kalakani was illiterate and the only Tajik Amir in the history of Afghanistan. Nasiri's grandfather, Malik Zaman Nasiri of Farza, Kohdaman, was a supporter of Kalakani and was executed by Nadir Shah along with Kalakani after he lost the throne, following a nine-month hiatus. Nasiri writes a gripping story of his father suddenly waking up in the middle of the night, bullets and bombs flying all over. As if a stone was hurled at the sleeping birds' nest, they all had to fly in the dark night, ironically guided by the light of the cracking bullets and shattering of cannon fire. In 1980, walking in his father's footsteps after almost fifty years, Nasiri goes on to narrate the story of his retreat from Afghanistan to save his life and that of his young wife and eighteen-month-old son from the clutches of Marxist regime of Kabul, who overthrew the ruling republic of Mohammad Daoud in a bloody coupe in April 1978. It was an age of tumult, Nasiri writes. Nasiri lands in India with the desire and urgency to migrate to the safe haven of the United States, his lifelong dream and subject of his dissertation when graduating from master's at Aligarh University India Nasiri has written his story as an outsider looking in Afghanistan's social and political upheavals. He returned to his fatherland, fulfilling his dad's desire to start a new life in his land in 1971. He was back in India in 1980.

Author Peter W. Van Arsdale presents first-hand fieldwork conducted over a 30-year span in six refugee homelands ranging from Sudan to Bosnia. This expert research bridges the emergent refugee and human rights regimes, while addressing theories of obligation, justice, and structural violence.

There are today some 60 million people who have fled their homes because of persecution and conflict. This is the highest number ever recorded. These people suffer exile that will likely last for years and even whole lifetimes-both present and future. The unprecedented scale and duration of forced displacement provide unsettling points of departure for the 2016 edition of The State of the World's Refugees. Covering the years since 2012, this volume is the seventh in a series of flagship publications by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ('UNHCR'). This book draws upon expert analysis as well as UNHCR's direct experience to shed light on the root causes and consequences of the current humanitarian and development crisis. Its eleven chapters examine the world's evolving efforts to finance, plan, and implement basic human rights protections amidst a recent spate of complex emergencies. Updated data, maps, and case studies examine persistent challenges such as limited access to asylum abroad, protection gaps at home for internally displaced persons, the devastating consequences of statelessness, and the troubling elusiveness of durable solutions. This book also highlights the widespread impact of climate change as well as innovations in how humanitarian operations are designed and conducted. Over 65 years after UNHCR was established, A World in Turmoil reveals why its work remains more relevant and urgent than ever.

People in danger have received protection in communities beyond their own from the earliest times of recorded history. The causes — war, conflict, violence, persecution, natural disasters, and climate change — are as familiar to readers of the news as to students of the past. It is 70 years since nations in the wake of World War II drew up the landmark 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. People Forced to Flee marks this milestone. It is the latest in a long line of publications, stretching back to 1993, that were previously entitled The State of the World's Refugees. The book traces the historic path that led to the 1951 Convention, showing how history was made, by taking the centuries-old ideals of safety and solutions for refugees, to global practice. It maps its progress during which international protection has reached a much broader group of people than initially envisaged. It examines international responses to forced displacement within borders as well as beyond them, and the protection principles that apply to both. It reviews where they have been used with consistency and success, and where they have not. At times, the strength and resolve of the international community seems strong, yet solutions and meaningful solidarity are often elusive. Taking stock today - at this important anniversary – is all the more crucial as the world faces increasing forced displacement. Most is experienced in low- and middle-income countries and persists for generations. People forced to flee face barriers to improving their lives, contributing to the communities in which they live and realizing solutions. Everywhere, an effective response depends on the commitment to international cooperation set down in the 1951 Convention: a vision often compromised by efforts to minimize responsibilities. There is growing recognition that doing better is a global imperative. Humanitarian and development action has the potential to be transformational, especially when grounded in the local context. People Forced to Flee examines how and where increased development investments in education, health and economic inclusion are helping to improve socioeconomic opportunities both for forcibly displaced persons and their hosts. In 2018, the international community reached a Global Compact on Refugees for more equitable and sustainable responses. It is receiving deeper support. People Forced to Flee looks at whether that is enough for what could – and should – help define the next 70 years.