Refugees and Stateless Individuals: Who Wins and Who Loses?

Duraisingam, Tamara Joan (2010) Refugees and Stateless Individuals: Who Wins and Who Loses? INTI Journal. pp. 45-54. ISSN 1675-0284

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Abstract

Upon arrival in a particular country, one may provisionally be categorized by immigration officers, in unsavory ways. These include so-called “asylum seekers” as they are perceived to be. The terms refugees, undocumented persons, illegal immigrants or stateless individuals are categorically more specific terms that may be used to describe such people. These terms, however, have a central underlying theme which one may neglect while discharging his or her duties at particular checkpoints, and that is this: they are dealing with human beings in desperate circumstances. Individuals with improper travel papers enter a particular state with the hope of securing at least one of these unsavory designations, to a greater or lesser degree. One may prefer to be declared a refugee rather than a stateless individual. This is due to the fact that being termed a refugee may safeguard one’s rights more effectively than being stateless. In the course of my paper I will attempt to distinguish between the refugee and the stateless individual. I will then probe into the treaties which provide for rights to these sets of individuals and determine who ends up with a better deal. I will conclude by looking at whether there is a possibility for the lesser privileged group to gain access to rights allocated to the more privileged group of undocumented persons.

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