Many media sources are misusing the term migrant. It may be ignorance, lack of education, inadequate world events experience or just plain laziness, but it is doing the refugees no justice.
The Law defining Refugee
International law defines a refugee as someone fleeing for safety from armed conflict or persecution - often without warning and is outside their normal habitual residence or country of origin. Refugees travel light with very few belongings or nothing at all, and the quest is often fraught with danger and great hardship. Many risk their lives crossing borders. They leave family and friends without saying goodbye and are unable (if ever) to return home until conditions in their native lands improve.
The United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR said in its definition of refugees, "Their situation is often so perilous and intolerable that they [must] cross national borders to seek safety in nearby countries", and once they are recognised as such, these people are protected under international law and can receive humanitarian assistance.
The Migrant (a conscious decision)
A smaller proportion of those crossing from countries where there is no ongoing conflict and where they have not been persecuted are people known as migrants, or economic migrants. According to the International Rescue Committee, a New York-based humanitarian organization migrants —unlike refugees— are people who make a conscious decision to leave their countries to seek a better life elsewhere. They do not emigrate because of a direct threat of persecution or death, but rather seek to work, study abroad or reunite with family. Before they leave their countries, migrants are able to research their destinations, explore employment opportunities, and study the language of the country where they plan to live. Migrants can plan their travel in advance and pack belongings; most importantly, they are free to return home whenever they choose.
Today, many of those attempting to travel through Turkey and Greece are refugees, having fled violence and oppression across the Middle East. One of the biggest groups of refugees are Syrians who've fled the country's grinding civil war and ISIS' campaign of violence. However, some of the people travelling across the Mediterranean Sea from northern Africa, as well as some of those staying in camps in the French port of Calais, may fall into the migrant category.
Key Difference
The key difference is that if migrants chose to return home, they would likely continue to receive the protection of their government — unlike refugees.
Conflating refugees and migrants can have serious consequences for the lives ...
Why is the distinction important?
According to the UNHCR, conflating refugees and migrants by Western governments and media organisations can have serious consequences for the lives and safety of refugees. Blurring distinctions of the two terms detracts attention from the specific legal protections refugees require and can undermine public support for refugees and the institution of asylum at a time when refugees need such protection more than ever before. However, being mindful to treat all human beings with respect and dignity ensuring that the human rights of migrants are respected while at the same time providing an appropriate legal response for refugees, because of their particular predicament.
What term to use?
The UNHCR refers to movements of people by sea or in other circumstances where thought of both groups may be present — boat movements in South East Asia are another example as 'refugees and migrants'. The term 'refugees' on its own when meaning people fleeing war or persecution across an international border and 'migrants' when meaning people moving for reasons not included in the legal definition of a refugee.
Referring to refugees as migrants is a disservice to both categories. Choices about words do matter.
I hope others will give thought to doing the same.
