News Highlight
The coup in Myanmar and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made people refugees and forced them to flee their homes and seek refuge in other countries.
Key Takeaway
- The global theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against GenderBased Violence is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”.
What does Refugee mean?
- A refugee is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and cannot or is unwilling to return home due to a well-founded fear of persecution.
Refugees in India
- There are over 2,12,000 refugees in India.
Causes of refugee influx
- Open Borders
- This is not a direct factor, but it facilitates movement towards India. For example, many people from Myanmar could enter India due to the open border.
- State Persecution
- Rohingyas are a sect of Muslims who claim they are the original inhibitors of the Rakhine, a state in Myanmar.
- However, Myanmar considers them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has withdrawn citizenship rights from the Rohingyas.
- This has forced Rohingyas to flee to other countries.
- Inadequate implementation
- The government’s order to curb the refugee influx from Myanmar was not implemented effectively, as the Assam Rifles couldn’t effectively monitor the border with just three battalions.
- Unstable Neighbourhood countries
- India’s neighbouring countries have been facing one or other problems since their formation.
- For example, the Civil war was now followed by Human Rights Violation in Sri Lanka. Similarly, the Bangladesh liberation war was later followed by military rule, etc.
- Climate Change
- Low-lying island nations are threatened by rising sea levels and forced to leave their countries.
- Such refugees are known as Environmental refugees.
Challenges and issues with the refugees
- Social consequences
- Refugees might create an identity crisis for the indigenous people.
- For example, the refugees from Bangladesh currently in Assam and Arunachal threaten to overtake the region’s indigenous population.
- Increased financial responsibility of the state
- According to the UNHCR report, in 2014, there were more than 200,000 refugees in India.
- There are millions of illegal immigrants in India. India currently has no financial capacity to satisfy all its basic needs.
- Decreases wage level and replaces the native people
- Since illegal immigrants and refugees require food and shelter, they also work at meagre wages in their settling areas. It impacts the lives of locals, as they don’t get adequate jobs.
- Issue of illegal voting
- The illegal migrants, to avail the benefits, procure illegal national identity cards such as voter id. By procuring that, they also vote in elections and influence the outcome.
Legislative Framework in India to Handle Refugees
- The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA)
- It seeks to provide citizenship only to Hindu, Christian, Jain, Parsi, Sikh, and Buddhist immigrants persecuted in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
- Citizenship Act, 1955
- It provided provisions for renunciation, termination, and deprivation of citizenship.
- Foreigners Act of 1946
- Under Section 3, the Central government is empowered to detect, detain and deport illegal foreign nationals.
- Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920
- Under Section 5, authorities can remove an illegal foreigner by force under Article 258(1) of the Constitution of India.
Refugee Convention 1951
- About
- The UN Refugee Convention is an important document that defines refugees and related matters.
- It was adopted in 1951 and entered into force in 1954.
- India
- India has not yet signed the convention and its 1967 protocol.
The reasons India not Signing the 1951 Refugee Convention
- The issue with the Definition of Refugee
- According to the 1951 convention, refugees are eurocentric, primarily deprived of their civil and political rights but not economic ones.
- Eurocentrism
- India feels the 1951 convention is mostly eurocentric and does not bother about the South Asian countries. But, also it will also affect India’s safety and home laws.
India’s policy on refugees
- Principle of non-refoulement
- While India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, 1951, India has followed the principle of non-refoulment whenever helpless asylum seekers have knocked on its doors.
- Internal matter
- India has not signed the 1967 Protocol and has always maintained it as its internal matter.
- The Convention requires the signatory nation to accord a minimum standard of hospitality and housing towards those it accepts as refugees.
Way Forward
- Comprehensive refugee policy
- India should put in place a comprehensive refugee policy to avoid ad-hoc measures in line with the UN convention.
- Equitable and Effective Registration Procedure
- Procedures for determining status should be more equitable and effective while enhancing or maintaining standards in registration and identification.
- Strengthening the borders
- India also needs to strengthen the border areas as the borders are porous and the neighbourhood countries are facing political vulnerabilities constantly.
- India can improve border surveillance, by exploring the options of border fencing and smart walls, etc.
- Improving Basic Facilities
- These include improving access to education, bolstering programmes for those with special needs, and maintaining health facilities.
- Awareness to Local Residents
- Ensuring Community participation through awareness programmes in providing shelter to refugees and improving their self-reliance capacity by providing them with temporary livelihood.
- Ensuring the Safety of Women and Children
- Protection of women and child refugees from violence and harassment by authorities or residents following Fundamental Duty enshrined in our Constitution.
Content Source: The Hindu