Security concerns overtaking rights in global asylum systems, says UN official

The top protection official with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today warned that in more and more countries, the rights of individuals are being trumped by security concerns which are impacting the functioning of asylum systems.

“The world of borders is particularly shadowy, with interception, turn-arounds and refoulement taking place outside the frame of any proper scrutiny,” Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Erika Feller told the annual meeting of the agency’s 72-nation Executive Committee.

Citing the findings of UNHCR’s annual report on international protection, she stated that “security is driving the operation of asylum systems in an increasing number of countries, contributing to the growth of a culture of thinking where rights are becoming peripheral.”

Particularly worrying is arbitrary detention, including of children, and the privatization of detention “which in some countries has turned into an industry,” she said.

Ms. Feller added that in some regions, asylum is a “lottery,” with the inconsistent application of the 1951 Refugee Convention among States.

“The widely divergent refugee recognition rate among States is a telling indicator, with research showing, for example, that persons from Iraq, Sri Lanka or Somalia have very different prospects of finding protection depending on where their claim is lodged,” she told the gathering.

While the report contained some positive news such as 700,000 refugees being able to return home in 2006, UNHCR was concerned about the growth of a class of “untouchables” deemed undesirable for resettlement, including politically sensitive ethnic groups, elderly persons, large families or refugees with low educational levels.