INSPIRE / October 2016
Asylum Seeker & Refugee FACTS
Sources: The Refugee Council of Australia, ABC Factcheck and the CIA World Factbook
From the 14.4 million refugees of concern to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) around the world, less than 1% are handled by UNHCR’s resettlement program.
Australia is not being swamped by refugees and isn’t particularly generous with its refugee intake. In fact, 21 countries accept a greater number of refugees in contrast to Australia and 27 take more per capita.
Lebanon who has the population of 6.2 million, hosts 1.5 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Most refugees are being hosted by poor nations such as Jordan, Lebanon and Pakistan.
Famous asylum seekers who crossed borders to flee to safety included: Jesus Christ, the Von Trapp Family (Sound of Music) and Frank Lowy, the founder of Westfield.
It’s not illegal to seek asylum, as Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution in other countries.
17