Flight describes fleeing from a life situation that is perceived as unpleasant or threatening, in which protection or refuge is sought (cf. Wahrig 2011, 534).
Geneva Refugee Convention
International law distinguishes between people who are forced to flee due to defined external influences and people who leave their home country of their own accord in search of better prospects in life. According to Article 1A of the Geneva Refugee Convention, a person is considered a refugee „who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country“ (UNHCR 2017, 2). Well over 120 states recognize this definition of the Convention as applicable international law.
War and persecution
People leave their homes for a wide variety of reasons. War and persecution can be cited as the main cause of flight. Most of these are internal civil wars, in which power-political conflicts between central governments and the armed opposition or rival militias are violently fought out. In recent decades, millions of people worldwide have fled such wars or been displaced as ethnic minorities. These wars are different from traditional wars. New wars are fought between population groups within a state. Unlike wars that pursue the defeat of the opposing army, New Wars target civilians directly. „Although in these […] only one state is affected, they often cause cross-border refugee flows“ (Heintze 1999, 59).
Poverty and hunger as a cause of flight
Furthermore, poverty, especially mass poverty, is considered a structural cause of flight. In this context, hunger plays a major role. Although there is enough food worldwide to feed the entire population, more and more people are dying of nutrition-related diseases. Poverty refugees are those people „who flee or set out in search of better living conditions due to the economic decline of states or regions“ (Eid 1999, 70). As a rule, the flight from poverty takes place in several stages. First, people leave their ancestral homes, which no longer offer them any or any lack of living opportunities. Then they move to the nearest city in their own country. Then they move on to neighboring cities, neighboring states and other regions of the South. If no life-securing prospects are offered, they seek refuge in the countries of the North in search of work and financial livelihood (cf. Eid 1999, 70).
Population growth as a cause of flight
Another cause of flight is the worldwide population growth, which leads to a deterioration of living conditions. Even though some Western industrialized countries have a higher population density than some developing countries, population growth poses a major challenge, especially to developing countries. Compared to their population density, they have far too few resources to live in dignity (see Eid 1999, 76).
Violation of human rights
Universal human rights include the right to respect for life, the prohibition of servitude, slavery and torture, protection against arbitrary deprivation of liberty and the prohibition of discrimination on racial and religious grounds (see Maier-Borst 1999, 97). Violation of these human rights often leads people to seek safety in other areas.
Environmental refugees
In addition to war and persecution, hunger and poverty, and human rights violations, environmental degradation is also considered a cause of flight. Excessive environmental degradation can cause affected areas to become unworkable or even uninhabitable. The now largely abandoned area surrounding the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine is the best-known example. But pesticide residues or the deposition of pollutants can also make a land uninhabitable. Far more environmental refugees are created by the creeping degradation of the environment, which is accompanied by a prevention of the use of natural resources. Man-made natural disasters such as climate change can also make areas uninhabitable, so that flight is often the only solution (cf. Biermann 1999, 87 ff.).
Literature
Biermann, Frank (1999): Stirbt die Natur, flieht der Mensch. Environmental destruction as a cause of flight. In: Hutter, Franz-Joseph/ Mihr, Anja/ Tessmar, Carsten (eds.): Menschen auf der Flucht. Opladen: Leske + Budrich, 87-95.
Eid, Uschi (1999): Poverty, hunger, overpopulation. In: Hutter, Franz-Joseph/ Mihr, Anja/ Tessmar, Carsten (eds.): People on the run. Opladen: Leske + Budrich, 69-86.
Heintze, Hans-Joachim (1999): Kriege, Flucht Vertreibung. In: Hutter, Franz-Joseph/ Mihr, Anja/ Tessmar, Carsten (eds.): people on the run. Opladen: Leske + Budrich, 59-68.
Maier-Borst, Michael (1999): Human rights violations as a cause of flight. In: Hutter, Franz- Joseph/ Mihr, Anja/ Tessmar, Carsten (eds.): People on the run. Opladen: Leske + Budrich, 97-112.
UNHCR (2017): 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees of 31 January 1967: https://www.uno- fluechtlingshilfe.de/uploads/media/GFK_Pocket_2015_01.pdf [26.03.2020].
Wahrig, Gerhard (2011): Wahrig German Dictionary. 9th ed. Gütersloh/ Munich: Wissen Media.