Who are refugees?

Refugees are people who have been forced to flee their home country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. The main difference between a refugee and immigrant is that refugees did not chose to leave their home. Several major crises around the world have contributed to the rising number of refugees, including:
  • on-going conflict in Syria
  • insecurity and violence in Afghanistan -- 80 percent of newly displaced Afghans are women and children
  • conflict and natural disaster in South Sudan
  • on-going discrimination against ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

The term is used in lay discourse to refer to anyone seeking refuge, however, under international law, our common definition of a refugee is not how the term is employed. ​
 "REFUGEE" in International law
Under international law, our common definition of a refugee is not how the term is employed. ​In fact, the standard against which someone's case is evaluated is a codified definition that is interpreted by the UNHCR.  The definition for who counts as a refugee is a definition that is fraught and controversial — not for who it includes, but for who it has overlooked. Nonetheless, a refugee is defined as:
One who has 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 or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.
​— 1951 Refugee Convention
What stands out in this standard?
  • A refugee has a "well-founded fear of persecution."
  • This fear of persecution is based on that person's immutable traits: race, religion, nationality, membership with a particular social group or political opinion. 
  • This person is outside the country of his or her nationality. 
  • This person is unable or, owing to such a fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself to the protection of the protection of that country.
  • Climate refugees are not included.

Can you name these famous refugee women?

Anne Frank is a German-born diarist, as a child she fled from Nazi Germany to the Netherlands.
Madeleine Albright is former U. S. Secretary of State, refugee from Prague.
Michaëlle Jean is a refugee from Haiti and was Governor-General of Canada from 2005 to 2010.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a former Dutch politician, fled from Somalia.
British rapper M.I.A. fled from Sri Lanka aged nine, after her primary school was destroyed in a government raid due to civil war in 1983.
Mila Kunis left Soviet Ukraine and came to the US in 1991 on a religious-refugee visa.
Supermodel Iman Abdulmajid fled Somalia with her family back in 1972 after dangerous government coup.
Singer Rita Ora, born to Albanian parents in Yugoslavia (now Kosovo), fled the country for the UK when she was just a year old.
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is a journalist and author, Ugandan refugee.
Shingai Shoniwa is the lead singer of the Noisettes. British-born daughter of Zimbabwean refugees.
Ilhan Omar is the first Somali-American ever elected to the U.S. Congress. Born in Mogadishu, she arrived in the U.S. as a refugee when she was 12.
Zohra Daoud is a former Afghani actress and model, now settled in Malibu, California.

Fast Facts & Stats

  • ​​​68% of those displaced across borders come from just five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.
  • Less than 1% of all refugees are ever able to resettle and find a new life in safety and security.
  • Omaha is home to the largest population of South Sudan refugees in the U.S.
  • Nebraska is among the top ten states per capita for refugees resettled — triple the national rate.
  • Refugees boost our economy. Employing refugees have a twofold benefit: generating tax revenue and economic activity, while also allowing refugees to gain financial stability. Plus, refugees fill critical gaps that help local industries prosper.
  • Number of refugees resettling in the U.S. annually? See graph below. 

Terms to Know

Asylum seeker - an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and might have fled their home country because of war or other factors harming them or their family. If their case is accepted, they become considered a refugee. The terms asylum seeker and refugee are often confused. 

Internally displaced person or IDP - someone who has been forced to flee their home but remains within home country's border. Countries with some the largest internally displaced populations are Colombia, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Yemen.

Immigrant - someone who moves out of their home country in order to resettle as permanent resident or naturalized citizen.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - The refugee agency of the United Nations mandated to to designate people as refugees. They also coordinate international action to protect refugees, attempt to resolve refugee problems worldwide, and safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. Since their formation in 1950, they have helped over 50 million refugees. 

1951 Refugee Convention  -  The 1951 Geneva Convention is the main international instrument of refugee law. The Convention spells out who a refugee is and the kind of legal protection, other assistance and social rights he or she should receive from the countries who have signed the document. The Convention also defines a refugee’s obligations to host governments and certain categories or people, such as war criminals, who do not qualify for refugee status. The Convention was limited to protecting mainly European refugees in the aftermath of World War II, but another document, the 1967 Protocol, expanded the scope of the Convention as the problem of displacement spread around the world. 


​RWR serves refugee women in Omaha because..

  • Refugee women are underserved and we have a moral responsibility to our sisters.
  • We believe in women’s empowerment.
  • Our resources allow us to amplify access for refugee women.
  • We can strengthen the whole community by assisting those who are most vulnerable (due to crippling factors e.g. birth circumstance, education, poverty-levels)

How can you help refugees?

Local Refugee Resources

3902 Davenport Street ​Omaha, Nebraska, USA 68131
​(on the beautiful grounds of Joslyn Castle)
Email: ​bensonrefugeetf@gmail.com