Origins of Refugees: Countries of Origin of Colorado Refugee and Asylee Arrivals

Origins of Refugees: Countries of Origin of Colorado Refugee and Asylee Arrivals

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres "We are witnessing a paradigm change, an unchecked slide into an era in which the scale of global forced displacement as well as the response required is now clearly dwarfing anything seen before.

Wars, conflict and persecution have forced more people than at any other time since records began to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere.

A refugee is someone who has fled from his or her home country and cannot return because he or she has a well-founded fear of persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

Refugee Statistics for 2014 13.9 million people became newly displaced four times the number of the previous year Officially, there are 19.5 million refugees worldwide (up from 16.7 million in 2013) Half the world's refugees are children Syria is the world's biggest producer of both internally displaced people (7.6 million) and refugees (3.88 million at the end of 2014) UNHCR refers only about 1 percent of all refugees for resettlement in a third country.

Colorado welcomed 2287 refugees in 2014: Afghanistan: 124 Burma: 445 Democratic Republic of Congo: 176 Eritrea: 94 Ethiopia: 66 Iraq: 516 Nepal (Bhutan): 243 Somalia: 400

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What are POLITICAL RIGHTS and CIVIL LIBERTIES?

Political Rights Electoral Process Political Pluralism and Participation Functioning of Government

Civil Liberties Freedom of Expression and Belief Associational and Organizational Rights Rule of Law Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights

Freedom in the World 2015: Numerical ratings range from 1 to 7, with 1 representing the most free and 7 the least free. The average of a country s political rights and civil liberties ratings determines whether it is Free, Partly Free, or Not Free. Country PR Score CL Score Status Afghanistan 6 6 Not Free Burma 6 6 Not Free DRC 6 6 Not Free Eritrea 7 7 Not Free Ethiopia 6 6 Not Free Iraq 6 6 Not Free Nepal (Bhutan) 3 (3) 4 (4) Partly Free Bhutan 1992 7 6 Not Free Somalia 7 7 Not Free

Political Rights: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 6 Civil Liberties: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 6 STATUS: NOT FREE Iraq: Situation in Country Iraq was also ranked Not Free before the U.S. invasion and during most of the years Saddam Hussein was in power, made the Worst of the Worst list. Iraq received its highest score of 5.5 in 2006 and again from 2010-2014. Iraq s political rights rating declined from 5 to 6 due to the Islamic State militant group s attempts to destroy Christian, Shiite, Yazidi, and other communities under its control, as well as attacks on Sunnis by state-sponsored Shiite militias.

Iraq Sub-Scores Political Rights Score Civil Liberties Score Electoral Process 8/12 Freedom of Expression and Belief Political Pluralism and Participation Functioning of Government Discretionary Political Rights Question 5/16 Associational and Organizational Rights 5/16 4/12 1 /12 Rule of Law 0/16-3/0 Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights 4/16 Totals 11/40 13/60

Burma: Situation in Camps Refugees begin arriving in Thailand in the 1980s and 30 years later, it remains one of the most protracted refugee situations. Approximately 150,000 registered refugees live in 9 designated camps in Thailand along the Thai-Burmese border Harsh restrictions on refugees freedom of movement, residents prohibited from leaving the camps, earning income, or obtaining quality education for their children. Camps are overcrowded, located in remote mountain locations, often distant from hospitals and towns, accessible only by dirt roads Camp residents experience domestic abuse, depression, and other social and mental health problems, including abuse by other refugees.

Political Rights: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 6 Civil Liberties: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 6 STATUS: NOT FREE Burma: Situation in Country For many years, Burma, or Myanmar, was among the Worst of the Worst, ranking at the very bottom of FH s rating system. It has been Not Free every year since 1972. Traditionally, one of three standing country resolutions at the UNGA (along with DPRK, and Iran). Syria has been added in recent years. Civil liberties rating declined in 2014 from 5 to 6 due to restrictions on media freedom, including the arrest and imprisonment of a number of journalists.

Burma Sub-Scores Political Rights Score Civil Liberties Score Electoral Process 3/12 Freedom of Expression and Belief Political Pluralism and Participation Functioning of Government Discretionary Political Rights Question 6/16 Associational and Organizational Rights 6/16 4/12 3/12 Rule of Law 1/16-3/0 Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights 5/16 Totals 9 / 40 16 / 60

Political Rights: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 7 Civil Liberties: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 7 STATUS: NOT FREE Somalia: Situation in Country For almost every year since 1977, Somalia has been ranked among the Worst of the Worst, ranking at the very bottom of FH s rating system. It has been Not Free every year since 1972. It s ambassador to Geneva, Yusef Bari Bari, was killed earlier this year in a terrorist attack in Mogadishu, as were five MPs. The Shabaab, an extremist group that once controlled most of southern Somalia, remained an active presence in the country despite significant gains made by the joint Somali National Army African Union mission against it.

Somalia Sub-Scores Political Rights Score Civil Liberties Score Electoral Process 0/12 Freedom of Expression and Belief Political Pluralism and Participation Functioning of Government 0/16 Associational and Organizational Rights 1/16 0/12 0/12 Rule of Law 0/16 Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights 1/16 Totals 0/40 2/60

1992 Political Rights: 7 Civil Liberties: 6 STATUS: NOT FREE Bhutan: Situation in Country During the 1990s, the Bhutan government sponsored an ethnic cleansing campaign that removed between 80,000 and 100,000 people, one-sixth of Bhutan s population. By the mid-1980s, the government increasingly viewed the country's more populous Nepali-speakers as a threat. After a census revealed Southern Bhutanese to be in the majority in five southern districts, authorities began to apply a discriminatory citizenship act arbitrarily to strip thousands of Southern Bhutanese of their citizenship. Between 1990 and 1992, soldiers raped and beat Southern Bhutanese villagers, and forcibly expelled tens of thousands.

Political Rights: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 7 Civil Liberties: (1=BEST, 7=WORST) 7 STATUS: NOT FREE Syria: Situation in Country Syria has been ranked Not Free since 1981 and has been ranked among the Worst of the Worst, ranking at the very bottom of FH s rating system since the civil war began in 2012. It recently surpassed North Korea in achieving the lowest levels of freedom in the world. Civilians are subjected to both massive violations of human rights by the regime, particularly though a surrender or starve policy, as well as violations of humanitarian law by both the state and Islamic Insurgents. Syria is the world's biggest producer of both internally displaced people (7.6 million) and refugees (3.88 million at the end of 2014)

Syria Sub-Scores Political Rights Score Civil Liberties Score Electoral Process 0/12 Freedom of Expression and Belief Political Pluralism and Participation Functioning of Government Discretionary Political Rights Question 0/16 Associational and Organizational Rights 2/16 0/12 0/12 Rule of Law 0/16-3/0 Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights 0/16 Totals -3/40 2/60

THE SPECTRUM

Worst of the Worst Which countries received the worst possible ratings (7 on the scale of 1-7) for both Political Rights and Civil Liberties?

Worst of the Worst PR: 7, CL: 7 Central African Republic Equatorial Guinea Eritrea North Korea Saudi Arabia Somalia Sudan Syria Turkmenistan Uzbekistan

Can the World Do More? - YES Between 340,000 450,000 asylum seekers to Europe since January for an overall EU population of about 500 million. (Less than.075% of Europe s population) U.S. with 41 million foreign born residents (13% of our population) has more than twice the population of non-eu foreign born people in Europe. Studies repeatedly show that immigrants, including refugees contribute to economic development far beyond the social benefits they take and with native born populations in both the EU and the U.S. reproducing below replacement levels, immigrants are critical to future economic growth to sustain otherwise aging populations.

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