People claim asylum because they have been persecuted in their home country and have a fear of being persecuted if they returned home. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, (UNHCR) the top ten refugee producing countries in 2009 all have poor human rights records or ongoing conflict. Similarly, the available statistics from UNHCR illustrates that most refugees flee to neighbouring countries.
Here are the top 10 refugee producing countries:
1. Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has produced the highest number of refugees for the last three decades. One out of four refugees in the world is from Afghanistan and 96% of them are being hosted in Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran alone (UNHCR). In 2009 there was close to 2.9 million Afghan refugees.
2. Iraq
In 2009 1.8 million Iraqis sought refuge, predominantly in neighbouring countries.
3. Somalia
In 2009 humanitarian conditions in Somalia continued to steadily deteriorate and the crisis was further compounded by severe drought, poverty and heavy flooding in some regions of the country. Consequently, Somalia was the third largest refugee producing nation in 2009, with 678,000 refugees. Most of these people sought asylum in Kenya.
4. Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the fourth largest refugee producing country in 2009 with 455,000 refugees. The largest proportion of these individuals fled to Sudan and Uganda.
5. Myanmar
Myanmar, a southeast Asian country that was formerly known as Burma, has been under military rule in one form or another since 1962. Human rights abuses and internal conflict caused 400,000 people to make their way into Southern China or Thailand.
6. Colombia
Colombia’s 40-year internal conflict between paramilitaries and guerilla groups has resulted in massive numbers of people being forced to flee their homes. According to Refugees International, individuals are fleeing Colombia at the rate of more than 380,000 per year.
7. Sudan
Conflict between North and South Sudan began escalating again in 2009 and, consequently, refugee numbers, that had been decreasing, escalated again. In 2009, according to UNHCR, there were 368,000 individuals forced to flee their homes.
8. Vietnam
The Vietnamese government's suppression of religious freedom is the predominant reason for families to leave Vietnam. In 2009 there were 330,000 refugees from Vietnam, most of whom fled to China.
9. Eritrea
Increasing numbers of Eritreans are fleeing the national military service that is imposed by the Eritrean government. According to Human Rights Watch, any attempts to flee the country can result in imprisonment and torture. Despite this, there were 209,000 refugees from Eritrea in 2009, mainly seeking assistance from Ethiopia.
10. Serbia
Serbia’s refugee crisis began almost two decades ago with the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. In 2009 there were 190,000 refugees from Serbia.
Political unrest and humanitarian crises displaced millions of people in 2009. It is important to be sensitive to asylum seekers that we may come across in our towns and cities, whilst being aware of the good work of refugee organisations.
Sources:
- Human Rights Watch. Information retrieved 21st November 2010
- Refugees International. Information retrieved 22nd November 2010
- The Refugee Council. Information retrieved 23rd November 2010
- The United Nations Refugee Agency. Information retrieved 24th November 2010
- Whittaker, D (2005) Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Contemporary World. London & New York: Routledge.
You may also like to find out more about how the UK helps asylum seekers and refugees.
Linda Smallwood - Hi my name is Linda Smallwood. I am married with two sons aged 13 and 11 and live in North Wales. After 18 years working for The ...
