WEBVTT

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Around the globe,

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there are approximately 60 million people
who have been forced to leave their homes

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to escape war, violence, and persecution.

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The majority of them have become
internally displaced persons,

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which means they have fled their homes
but are still within their own countries.

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Others have crossed a border and sought
shelter outside of their own countries.

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They are commonly referred to as refugees.

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But what exactly does that term mean?

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The world has known refugees 
for millennia,

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but the modern definition was drafted
in the UN's 1951 Convention

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relating to the status of refugees

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in response to mass persecutions
and displacements of the Second World War.

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It defines a refugee as someone who is
outside their country of nationality,

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and is unable to return 
to their home country

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because of well-founded fears
of being persecuted.

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That persecution may be due to their race,
religion, nationality,

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membership in a particular social group,
or political opinion,

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and is often related to war and violence.

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Today, roughly half the world's refugees
are children,

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some of them unaccompanied by an adult,

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a situation that makes them especially
vulnerable to child labor

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or sexual exploitation.

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Each refugee's story is different,

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and many must undergo dangerous
journeys with uncertain outcomes.

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But before we get 
to what their journeys involve,

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let's clear one thing up.

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There's a lot of confusion regarding
the difference between the terms

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"migrant" and "refugee."

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"Migrants" usually refers to people 
who leave their country

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for reasons not related to persecution,

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such as searching 
for better economic opportunities

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or leaving drought-stricken areas
in search of better circumstances.

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There are many people around the world
who have been displaced

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because of natural disasters,

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food insecurities,

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and other hardships,

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but international law, rightly or wrongly,

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only recognizes those fleeing
conflict and violence as refugees.

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So what happens when someone
flees their country?

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Most refugee journeys 
are long and perilous

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with limited access to shelter,
water, or food.

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Since the departure can be sudden
and unexpected,

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belongings might be left behind,

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and people who are evading conflict
often do not have the required documents,

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like visas, to board airplanes
and legally enter other countries.

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Financial and political factors can also
prevent them from traveling

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by standard routes.

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This means they can usually only travel
by land or sea,

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and may need to entrust their lives
to smugglers

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to help them cross borders.

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Whereas some people seek safety
with their families,

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others attempt passage alone
and leave their loved ones behind

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with the hopes of being reunited later.

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This separation can be traumatic
and unbearably long.

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While more than half the world's refugees
are in cities,

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sometimes the first stop for a person
fleeing conflict is a refugee camp,

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usually run by the United Nations
Refugee Agency or local governments.

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Refugee camps are intended 
to be temporary structures,

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offering short-term shelter until 
inhabitants can safely return home,

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be integrated to the host country,

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or resettle in another country.

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But resettlement and long-term 
integration options are often limited.

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So many refugees are left with no choice
but to remain in camps for years

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and sometimes even decades.

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Once in a new country, the first legal
step for a displaced person

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is to apply for asylum.

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At this point, they are an asylum seeker

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and not officially recognized as a refugee
until the application has been accepted.

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While countries by and large agree
on one definition of refugee,

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every host country is responsible
for examining all requests for asylum

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and deciding whether applicants can be
granted the status of refugee.

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Different countries guidelines 
can vary substantially.

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Host countries have several duties

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towards people they have 
recognized as refugees,

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like the guarantee of a minimum standard
of treatment and non-discrimination.

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The most basic obligation towards refugees
is non-refoulement,

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a principle preventing a nation from
sending an individual

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to a country where their life and freedom
are threatened.

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In reality, however, refugees are
frequently the victims

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of inconsistent 
and discriminatory treatment.

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They're increasingly obliged to rebuild
their lives in the face of xenophobia

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and racism.

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And all too often, they aren't permitted
to enter the work force

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and are fully dependent 
on humanitarian aid.

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In addition, far too many refugee children
are out of school

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due to lack of funding 
for education programs.

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If you go back in your own family history,

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chances are you will discover that
at a certain point,

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your ancestors were forced 
from their homes,

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either escaping a war
or fleeing discrimination and persecution.

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It would be good of us to remember
their stories

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when we hear of refugees 
currently displaced,

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searching for a new home.