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Part 2–Seeking Safety: What Refugee Rights Really Mean
Updated: Sep 19, 2025
Who are Asylum Seekers?
When someone first flees and applies for protection, they become an asylum seeker. They go through a process called Refugee Status Determination (RSD), which can be long and painful:
Multiple interviews where they must retell traumatic experiences
Sometimes conducted in a language they don’t fully speak, without good interpretation
Proving a “well-founded fear of persecution,” often without documents
Waiting months or even years for a decision
Labels like ‘refugee’ are necessary for legal protection, but they can also feel limiting. They risk reducing people to paperwork instead of honoring their full humanity. The word refugee carries weight in the lives of those who bear it. Ior Syrian women in Lebanon, for instance, “the term ‘refugee’ did not define only their present experiences of exile. Rather, it was also a reminder of the tragic events” that forced them to flee (Gissi, 2019).
Simply put: for many, being called a “refugee” carries the memory of the violence and fear that made leaving necessary.
Who Helps?
This is where the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) steps in. UNHCR works globally to:
Protect refugees and asylum seekers
Support governments in asylum decisions
Provide emergency aid like food, water, shelter, and medical care–often overseeing refugee camps themselves.
Working towards a long-term solution: safe return, integration, or resettlement.
Is Asylum Really a Right?
Yes. Seeking asylum is not ‘illegal’–it’s a human right.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 14): Everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution.
1951 Refugee Convention & 1967 Protocol: 148 countries have committed to protecting refugees.
Non-refoulement (French for “no forced return”): People cannot be sent back to a country where their life or freedom is at risk, even if the country hasn’t signed the Convention.
So when you hear claims that refugees are “breaking the law” by seeking asylum–the truth is the opposite: international law protects their right to ask for asylum.
Why Words Matter
Words carry power.
Mislabelling refugees as migrants can blur legal protections
Calling asylum seekers illegal denies their rights
Headlines framing refugees as a threat shapes public perception and policy
Behind the headlines are real people. They’re people like those Warsan Shire describes, who didn’t leave home lightly. Conversations about refugees often bring up strong feelings about safety, resources, or fairness. Those concerns matter, but starting with clarity and compassion allows for better, more humane responses.
Practical Takeaways to Remember
Refuges are first and foremost people seeking safety.
Seeking asylum isn’t illegal — it’s a human right. What is illegal under international law is when governments turn people away to places where they risk persecution or violence (the principle of non-refoulement is the cornerstone of refugee protection. It simply says: if someone’s life or freedom would be at risk, you cannot make them go back — no matter what.)
Labels are important for legal protection but never capture the full humanity of the person behind them.
Curious to Learn More?
If this blog sparked your curiosity and you want to dig deeper, here’s a small toolkit of resources to explore refugee experiences, law, and scholarship. Some I’ve cited here, others have shaped my thinking behind the scenes.
🎥 Videos to Watch
📘 Academic & Legal Resources
UNHCR's Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status
A comprehensive guide detailing the criteria and procedures for determining refugee status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol.
Gissi, A. (2019). “What Does the Term Refugee Mean to You?”: Perspectives from Syrian Refugee Women in Lebanon. Journal of Refugee Studies, 32(4), 539–561. Read here.
Offers first-hand insight into how refugees experience exile and how the word “refugee” carries both current challenges and memories of the events that forced them to flee.
Malkki, L. H. (1996). Speechless Emissaries: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and Dehistoricization. Cultural Anthropology, 11(3), 377–404. Read here
Explores how refugees are often depicted as passive victims rather than as people with histories, politics, and identities.
Ongoing Conversations & Podcasts
Refugee Law Initiative Podcast – thoughtful discussions on refugee law, protection, and policy. Listen on Spotify
Think of these as starting points if you want to explore refugee experiences beyond headlines and statistics, and engage more deeply with the human stories and legal frameworks behind displacement. And of course, continue following along for more resources I’ll share in the future.
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