Human Rights Article Fourteen: The Right to Seek Asylum

Everyone has the right to seek safety in another country when they are being persecuted.

• Sometimes staying home is no longer safe.
• War, political persecution, religious violence, ethnic conflict, threats, imprisonment or abuse can force people to leave everything behind.
• Article Fourteen recognizes a basic human reality:
• When your life or freedom is in danger, you should be able to seek protection.

What is happening?

• Around the world, millions of people are being forced from their homes.
• Some flee war.
• Some flee political persecution.
• Some are targeted because of their religion, ethnicity, gender, beliefs or identity.
• Others are threatened because they are journalists, activists, human rights defenders or members of opposition movements.
• When they reach another country, they may ask for asylum — legal protection that allows them to stay because returning home would place them in danger.
• But asylum systems can be slow, confusing and overwhelmed.
• People may spend months or years waiting for decisions.
• Families may be separated.
• Some asylum seekers are detained.
• Others are turned away or forced back toward places where they may still face danger.
• Seeking safety can become another dangerous journey.

Why is it happening?

• The number of people needing protection grows when conflict, repression and instability increase.
• But asylum systems were often designed for smaller numbers of people and can struggle during large humanitarian crises.
• Governments also face political pressure around immigration and border security.
• Fear and misinformation can cause refugees and asylum seekers to be portrayed as threats rather than people seeking protection.
• Countries may argue over who should take responsibility.
• And when nations focus only on controlling borders without addressing the reasons people are fleeing, the crisis continues.
• The deeper problem begins before someone reaches a border.
• People usually do not leave safe and stable lives without a reason.

Who is affected?

People seeking asylum can include:

• Families escaping war.
• Political dissidents.
• Journalists.
• Human rights defenders.
• Religious or ethnic minorities.
• People fleeing persecution or violence.
• Children traveling with families — or sometimes alone.
• People who have been tortured or imprisoned.
• Refugees who cannot safely return home.
• The effects also reach the communities receiving them.
• Schools, healthcare systems, housing and local services may need additional resources.

When communities are supported and newcomers are able to work and participate, however, refugees and asylum seekers can also bring skills, knowledge, businesses, culture and new relationships.

Who is already creating solutions?

• People and organizations around the world are helping people find safety.
• Refugee organizations provide shelter, food, healthcare and emergency assistance.
• Legal aid organizations help asylum seekers understand complicated immigration systems and present their cases.
• Human rights organizations document persecution and advocate for governments to respect international protections.
• Community groups and faith organizations help newcomers find housing, education, employment and social support.
• Local governments and resettlement organizations help families rebuild their lives.
• And many ordinary citizens volunteer as mentors, teachers, sponsors, translators and neighbors.
• Some of the most effective solutions happen when communities stop seeing refugees only as people who need help and begin seeing them as people who can participate and contribute.

What can we do?

• Understand why people flee. Look beyond the border and ask what conditions forced people to leave home.
• Protect the right to apply for asylum. People should have a fair opportunity to explain why returning home would put them in danger.
• Support legal assistance. Complicated procedures should not determine whether someone lives in safety or is sent back into danger.
• Keep families together. Children should not suffer additional trauma because they sought protection.
• Support communities receiving refugees. Housing, schools, healthcare and local organizations need resources to welcome newcomers successfully.
• Challenge misinformation. Learn the difference between refugees, asylum seekers and other forms of migration.
• Help people rebuild. Language training, education, employment and community connections help newcomers become participants rather than permanent dependents.
• Address the causes of displacement. Peacebuilding, human rights protection, accountable government and economic stability can reduce the need for people to flee in the first place.

The systems-change question

Instead of asking:

“How do we stop people from arriving?”

Ask:

“Why are people being forced to flee — and how can we create both safe pathways and conditions that allow people to live securely at home?”

Article Fourteen is ultimately about refuge.

• When someone runs from danger, humanity should not simply close the door.
• Borders matter.
• Laws matter.
• But human life matters too.
• No one should be forced to choose between persecution at home and rejection everywhere else.
• When people need protection, they deserve the chance to find safety.

Seeking refuge is a human right.