The UN Refugee Convention defines a refugee as an individual is qualified as a refugee on the basis that that individual has fled his or her country of origin for fear of being persecuted owing to reasons such as his or her faith, race, social or political inclination and is unable to seek or receive protection from the authorities of his or her country of origin (Refugee Council of Australia, 2009).
Therefore, victims of natural disasters, for example, those internally displaced by natural phenomena such as hurricanes, earthquakes or fires do not qualify to be labeled as refugees. Therefore, victims displaced by the hurricane Katrina would not be termed as refugees. It is because they are just victims of a natural disaster and not persecution. They can also seek and readily receive protection from their state authorities.
Zolberg (1983) reinforces the element of adverse persecution in one’s country of origin in the substantiating definition of a justified refugee. There has to be a notable act or continuous acts of malevolence against such an individual in their country of residence (Zolberg, 1983). Zolberg (1983) unequivocally states that in the process of states formation, regimes may end up consciously pursuing national policies that may be aimed at exerting a sphere of social injustices and inequalities. The pursuit of political mileage through social and political evils may end up giving birth to victim groups to whom such evil is intended (Zolberg, 1983). When such an oppressed population reach a point of courage and fearlessness, their retaliation to the oppressive regime may end up causing the rise of more victim groups of those caught up in the middle of the conflict (Zolberg, 1983). As a result, both formations of new regimes and loss of social order may end up giving rise to populations of victim groups.
References
Refugee Council of Australia. (2009). Background Information on Refugees and Asylum Seekers . Refugee Council of Australia.
Zolberg, A. R. (1983). Formation of New States as a Refugee-Generating Process. The Annals of the American Academy , 467, 24-38.
