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Asylum Access Realizing Refugee Rights in Africa, Asia & Latin America |
Asylum Access addresses a critical unmet need in the world's most vulnerable population. Refugees fearing persecution or fleeing civil war usually land first in a country near their own -- in today's world, primarily somewhere in Africa, Asia or Latin America.
Traumatized by what they have already endured, often unable to speak the local language, and sometimes possessing nothing but the clothes they wear, refugees who have just fled are especially vulnerable to violations of their legal rights. Many face immediate deportation directly into the hands of a government that threatens to torture, imprison or kill them. Many more are summarily imprisoned in the country to which they have fled.
Without assistance, most of these refugees are in no position to assert their internationally-recognized rights to a safe haven, basic fairness, and a chance to rebuild their lives.