Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 65 No. 3-4, 1995.
Izlaganje sa skupa
The Situation of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe and in Croatia
Adalbert Rebić
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
In this article the author describes the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Europe and in Croatia. First, he explains the concept of a refugee and of a displaced person in the framework of the Geneva convention of 1951 and of the Protocol of 1967. According to the 1951 Convention, a refugee is a person who, »owing to well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside of country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself to the protection of that country...« A displaced person is the same person as above described but who remains in the country of his nationality, but in other part of the country, because his own home is occupied or destroyed. The refugees and displaced persons are protected by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
A short history of refugees is described (refugees in the Greek history, in the Old Testament, in Christian era, through the Medieval period...). Single individuals or whole groups, persecuted for their beliefs, or more simply for their race or nationality, had to face an unknown future, seeking exile and asylum in friendly or totally foreign countries where they did not know what would become of them.
Europe as well as the rest of the world knows of refugees and displaced persons throughout its long history, but the constant and significant increase of refugees started taking place specially after the 2nd World War, and highly increased in the last two decades (1975-1995).
At the end, the refugee and displaced persons' current situation in Croatia is presented. In Croatia there are 333.600 registered displaced persons and refugees (January 22,1995): 196.000 displaced and 187.600 refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina. About 84.000 are accommodated in the organised way (hotels, former military barracks, prefab houses, settlements...) and 199.000 are accommodated privately (in the families and in the apartments given to them temporarily by the Government). Croatian Government spends monthly 136,8 million Croatian Kuna (23,8 million US Dollars) for accommodation and food for the displaced and refugees. From international agencies (as v. g. EU ECTF program) we have received about 7.000 tones of food which is not enough, and some financial support from UNHCR (monthly 2,6 million US Dollars). Croatia has to complete the food supplies from its own reserves.
The refugees and displaced persons are the greatest victims of the Serb aggression against Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are forced to leave their country of origin against their will, often no longer being able to enjoy the most basic human rights.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
33664
URI
Datum izdavanja:
8.4.1996.
Posjeta: 1.825 *