define refugee

this is part 1 of what i imagine might be many blogs to come about refugees. recent events in our city have fueled the fire in me to share and educate others about the subject of refugees- people who i believe need to be understood. key word: people. this is not a word study, it's a people study.

let's define refugee to begin.

1) Websters:

Main Entry: ref·u·gee
Pronunciation: \ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē, ˈre-fyu̇-ˌ\
Function: noun
Etymology: French réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge, from Middle French refugier, from Latin refugium
Date: 1685
: one that flees; especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution

2) The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (found at unhcr.org):

A REFUGEE IS SOMEONE WHO “OWING TO A 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 TO OR, OWING TO SUCH FEAR, IS UNWILLING TO AVAIL HIMSELF OF THE PROTECTION OF THAT COUNTRY...”

Click here for a great resource: http://www.unhcr.org/basics/BASICS/4034b6a34.pdf

3) US Citizenship and Immigration Services:

Under U.S. law, a refugee is a person who has fled his or her country of origin because of past persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based upon race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or a membership in a particular social group. If the person is not in the United States, he or she may apply overseas for inclusion within the U.S. refugee program. If the person is already within the United States, he or she may apply for the U.S. asylum program.

This definition of a refugee does not include those people who have left their homes only to seek a more prosperous life. Such people are commonly referred to as "economic migrants," and are not refugees. People fleeing civil wars and natural disasters also may be ineligible for refugee resettlement under U.S. law, although they may fall within the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Other terms and their defintions as defined by the UNHCR:

Asylum seekers = Someone who has made a claim that he or she is a refugee, and is waiting for that claim to be accepted or rejected. The term contains no presumption either way - it simply describes the fact that someone has lodged the claim.
Stateless people = Someone who is not considered as a national by ANY state; or possibly someone who does not enjoy fundamental rights enjoyed by other nationals in their home state. Statelessness can be a personal disaster
IDPS = Internally Displaced Person = Someone who has been forced to move from his or her home - because of conflict, persecution (i.e. refugee-like reasons); or because of a natural disaster or some other unusual circumstance of this type. Unlike refugees, however, IDPs remain inside their own country.

The UNHCR uses the term "people of concern" to include refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, returned refugees, stateless people, and some others.

Economic immigrants are different, yet be cautious before judging this category. That can be in another entry, but here is the defintion = someone who leaves their country of origin for financial reasons, rather than for refugee ones.

Illegal immigrants are not included or discussed in this entry & I probably will not venture to that subject for my own lack of understanding.