UNHCR - Unit plan for ages 15-18 in Human Rights and Refugees: The Right to Asylum

A small and little known group, The Old Believers, en route from northern China to new homes in Brazil in the wake of World War II. © UNHCR

Teaching About Refugees

Unit plan for ages 15-18 in Human Rights and Refugees: The Right to Asylum

UNIT OBJECTIVES

Knowledge

To introduce the concept of asylum
To realise that the right to asylum is a basic human right
To understand the limits of asylum - who is excluded?
To understand the political and economic forces which affect asylum-granting practices
To understand the meanings and possible sources of stereotypes, prejudice, racism and discrimination

Values

To encourage empathy
To avoid stereotyping and excluding people from "our" communities
To appreciate the importance of open-mindedness and respect for others, particularly people different from oneself
To reflect upon fundamental human rights - those rights to which all human beings are entitled by virtue of their common humanity

Skills

To practise sensitive enquiry and reasoning skills
To recognise prejudice in oneself and others
To identify means by which refugees may integrate in their host countries
To articulate contrasting feelings
To strengthen discussion skills

At the height of the Cold War, East Europeans were still welcome in the West. Between 1956-57, some 200,000 Hungarians fled after the anti-Soviet revolt in their country, many settling permanently in Europe. 1956. © UNHCR/J.Becket

LESSONS 1 and 2: Asylum

CONTENT	TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES
Asylum - a basic human right The history of the institution of asylum	Introduction: Students are asked for their impressions of the meaning of the term asylum Development: Exploration of the meaning of asylum, through discussion of article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students read the article "Safeguarding asylum" and answer comprehension and discussion questions.
RESOURCES
Students' Resource Sheet: Chapter 2, "Safeguarding asylum", from The State of the World's Refugees: Human Displacement in the New Millennium.. Suggested readings for the teacher: UNHCR, The State of the World’s Refugees 1997-98: A Humanitarian Agenda (Oxford, OUP, 1997), Chapter 5: The Asylum Dilemma, pp. 183-223 UNHCR, Protecting Refugees: Questions & Answers Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [PDF] (1950). Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees [PDF] (1951).

Iraqi refugees try to earn a living in the Sayyida Zeinab market in Damascus. January 2007. © UNHCR/J.Wreford

LESSON 3: Refugees' Experiences in Countries of Asylum: "What's in a name"?

CONTENT	TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES
Prejudice, Stereotyping, Racism In the country of asylum, refugees may be safe from the persecution that they suffered in their own countries, but they face the huge problem of not being thoroughly accepted in their new country.	Using the UNHCR poster What's the Difference? as a springboard for exchange of ideas, students are asked to consider the possible problems of prejudice and stereotyping which refugees at times have to endure in their countries of asylum.
RESOURCES
UNHCR Lego poster entitled What's the Difference?

1951 Refugee Convention: Questions & Answers
The most frequently asked questions about this key treaty. [PDF, 1.6Mb]

Estimated Number of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Other of Concern to UNHCR, 1st Jan 2007
Asia	14,910,900
Africa	9,752,600
Europe	3,426,700
Latin America & Caribbean	3,542,500
Northern America	1,143,100
Oceania	85,700
TOTAL	32,861,500

Protecting Refugees – Questions & Answers
Answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about refugees themselves and how the agency attempts to help them. [PDF, 3Mb]

Gallery of Prominent Refugees
Featuring refugees or former refugees who have achieved special status within a community because of their achievements, or because they have overcome hardship to build a new life.

Pictorial history of UNHCR
More than 50 turbulent years in pictures - UNHCR's role in refugee crises and the struggle for survival of one of the world's most vulnerable groups.

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