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The Augustinian Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign ended December 31, 2011. But human trafficking is still a sad reality. These pages will continue to be available, in the hope that they will help you to be more aware of the reality of human trafficking and will encourage you to support actions which will reduce or eliminate these violations of human life and dignity.

Augustinian Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign

Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons -
But How Many Are There?

There are 43.3 million people forcibly displaced as of December, 2009, according to Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons, the statistical report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (U.N.H.C.R.) published June 15, 2010.

Global Trends Statistics

This 43.3 million figure includes 15.2 million refugees, 27.1 million persons displaced within their own country and 983,000 asylum seekers.

The Global Trends report notes that the number of persons uprooted by conflicts within their own country was up four per cent in 2009.

At the same time, the number of refugees voluntarily returning to their home countries fell to its lowest level in 20 years. In 2009, only 251,000 refugees returned to their home country. The norm during the past 10 years has been approximately 1 million refugees returning annually. Many people are living in exile for years without the prospect of a solution.

Major conflicts in places such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Palestine, Sudan, Iraq and Democratic Republic of Congo show no sign of being resolved soon, U.N.H.C.R. chief Antonio Guterres said. As a result, a majority of the world's refugees have been living as refugees for five years or more.

More than 26 million persons (10.4 million refugees and 15.6 internally displaced persons) were receiving assistance or protecton from U.N.H.C.R. in 2009. This is an increase of 1 million people since 2008.

According to the report, 80 per cent of the world's refugees are located in developing countries. The three countries hosting the largest number of refugees were Pakistan (1.7 million), Islamic Republic of Iran (1.1 million) and the Syrian Arab Republic (1.05 million).

One out of four refugees worldwide was from Afghanistan (2.9 million). They were located in 71 different host countries. The second largest refugee group was from Iraq (1.8 million).

At least 5.5 million refugees were living in a real limbo. They were in protracted situations of five years or longer. For them, there is still no prospect for an immediate solution.

U.N.H.C.R. has presented during 2009 more than 128,000 refugees for resettlement consideration by countries. Around 84,000 refugees were resettled with the help of U.N.H.C.R. Government statistics show that 19 countries reported having admitted 112,400 resettled refugees during 2009 (with or without assistance from U.N.H.C.R.) The highest number was accepted by the United States (80,000).

More than 922,000 individual claims for asylum or refugee status were registered in 2009, the report said. The largest recipients of these applications were South Africa, the United States and France. More than 18,700 applications for asylum were from unaccompanied children. This was the highest number in four years.

Approximately 6.6 million persons in 60 countries were identified by U.N.H.C.R. as stateless persons. It is thought, though, that the total number of stateless persons around the world could exceed 12 million.

Fewer than one-third of the world's refugees reside in refugee camps, with more than half residing in urban areas, the report said. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, 60 per cent of refugees reside in camps.

Women and girls represented 47 per cent of refugees and asylum-seekers, and 50 per cent of all internally displaced persons. Forty-one per cent of refugees and asylum-seekers were children under the age of 18.

Catholic Teaching

Jesus, Joseph and Mary were refugees. While Jesus was still a baby, they fled into Egypt when they learned that King Herod was searching for Jesus and wanted to kill him. They remained in Egypt as refugees for some time, returning to their home country only after the death of Herod. -- Matthew 2:13-15

Catholic moral teaching, in accord with the teaching of Jesus, upholds the dignity of all human beings. In his description of the Last Judgment, Jesus emphasizes that whatever is done regarding the needs and human dignity of those who are hungry, or thirsty, or in need of clothing, or in prison or in a strange place outside their own homeland (i.e., refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless people) is considered as being done to Jesus himself. -- Matthew 25:31-46

This is why Catholic organizations such as Catholic Charities (Opens new window), Catholic Relief Services (Opens new window), and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (Opens new window) work to meet the needs of refugees, internally displaced persons and other migrants.

This is why Augustinian friars, in many of their ministries, show special concern for the needs of refugees and others. This is why the world-wide Augustinian Order seeks to increase awareness of global realities such as refugees, human trafficking and hunger.

This is why all who wish to be followers of Jesus Christ are encouraged to reflect, pray and act in support of refugees and others in need. Both acts of charity (direct assistance to refugees, the hungry, etc.) and acts to promote justice (working to resolve the underlying conditions that cause people to be refugees, to be hungry, etc.) are necessary.

Definitions

The following definitions are provided by U.N.H.C.R. in its June 15, 2010 press release summarizing the Global Trends report.

• The terms Refugees and Asylum Seekers apply to people who flee across international borders.

• A Refugee is a person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social groups or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself to the protection of that country.

  In addition, U.N.H.C.R.'s mandate is extended to any person who is outside his or her country of origin and unable to return there owing to serious and indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or freedom resulting from generalized violence or events seriously disturbing public order.

• An Asylum Seeker is an individual who is seeking international protection.

• An Internally Displaced Person is an individual who has been forced or obliged to flee from his or her home or place of habitual residence but who has not crossed an internationally recognized state border.

• Stateless people are persons who are not considered as nationals by any state under the operation of its law, including persons whose nationality is not established.

Additional Resources

       » Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons (Opens new window)
             The complete report from U.N.H.C.R.

       » U.N.H.C.R. Chief Says 2009 ‘Worst’ Year for Voluntary Repatriation (Opens new window)
             June 15, 2010 press release summarizing Global Trends report

       » Office of U. N. High Commissioner for Refugees (Opens new window)
             International action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide

       » Refworld (Opens new window)
             Leading source of information for refugee status decisions

       » U.S.C.C.B. Migration and Refugee Services (Opens new window)
             How Catholic Church serves and advocates for refugees, asylees, and other forced migrants

       » Refugee Resettlement (Opens new window)
             How Catholic Charities helps refugees in accord with Catholic social teaching

More from the Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign

       » Augustinians Launch Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign
             Nature, extent, causes and consequences of the trafficking of people

       » Human Trafficking and Illegal Trafficking of People
             How the two differ, along with some statistics

       » Restavecs: Duplicity in the Trafficking of Children
             Illegal trafficking of children in Haiti 2010

       » No One’s Daughters - The Nameless Girls
             Trafficking of orphans in Europe (I)

       » Teens Working the Streets
             Trafficking of orphans in Europe (II)

       » Facing the Influx of Young Immigrants
             How Malta’s Millennium Chapel Ministers to Newly Arrived Youths

       » World Cup Soccer Championship and Exploitation
             The hidden reality behind a major sports event

       » Trafficking in Asia and the Pacific
             How human trafficking supports prostitution in this region of the world

       » India and the Struggle Against Human Trafficking
             How Churches are involved in protecting potential victims

       » Trafficked Person’s Right to an Effective Remedy
             Redress, Recovery and Reintegration: Three R’s of Effective Remedy

       » Human Trafficking Prayer
             Suggested ways to pray for victims of human trafficking and for an end to this injustice

This page offers one of a series of bulletins from the international Augustinian Secretariate for Justice and Peace. This page has been updated to reflect recent data from U.H.H.C.R. Refugees and internally displaced persons are particularly susceptible to human trafficking, a pervasive violation of Catholic Christian moral principles that has received little attention from news media in the United States.

Human trafficking is sin against human dignity and human life. Christians today are called to be aware of the suffering and harm that human trafficking causes, and to act in support policies and initiatives that will eliminate or reduce this evil. (See Matthew 25: 31-46) The Augustinian Secretariate, committed to assisting Augustinian friars and others in acquiring a greater awareness of the nature, extent, causes and consequences of the trafficking of people, has started a Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign for the years 2009 - 2011.