Basic terms on the topic
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„Migrants“, „refugees“or „asylum seekers“
In 2015, the issue of migration became the focus of political and social debate. Many people use terms such as „migrants“, „refugees“ or „asylum seekers“ without really thinking about their exact definition. In the context of the „refugee crisis“ they have often been mentioned and some have established themselves as commonly used and generally valid terms for people who have come to Germany from other countries.
From a legal and political point of view, however, there are clear distinctions that a person should know if they, like you, wish to support people. Therefore, you will find below an overview of important basic terms from the context of migration. Perhaps you already know some of them very well.
Definitions
- Migration refers to the long-term relocation of the center of one’s life over a long distance. There is still no universal definition of how long the distance and time must be for human movement to be classified as migration.
- The United Nations provides a guideline: residence must be changed across national borders and must be accompanied by a duration of more than three months (short-term migration) or more than one year (permanent migration).
- of importance is also the general motivation of a person to change his/her place of residence for a longer period of time.
- The following types are distinguished: Labor migration Family migration Educational migration Refugee migration Lifestyle Migration
- Many use this term as a generally valid term for all people who have come to Germany out of need. From a legal point of view, however, only those persons who fall under the so-called Geneva Convention are considered refugees.
- A refugee has the right to security and protection in another country because there is a well-founded fear of persecution in his own country. He/she knows that it is no longer possible to stay or return to his/her home country.
- Refugees are therefore forced to leave the country due to external circumstances.
- Reasons for this may be the following: religion, nationality, political opinions, ethnicity, group membership.
- The term migrant is much more general and refers to persons who move across national or state borders to another place.
- This is often done out of one’s own free will and the desire to improve one’s own living conditions. Strictly speaking, however, refugees also count as migrants.
- Asylum seekers are persons who are currently undergoing an asylum procedure. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees is responsible for the individual processing of applications.