Reframing the refugee crisis: from rescue to interconnection

In this paper I argue that we should not frame the debate over whether or not we have duties to help refugees in terms of duties of rescue. This way of framing the issue, where Western states are depicted as rescuing refugees from harms unconnected to them, does not adequately represent the reality...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethics & global politics 2020-01, Vol.13 (1), p.21-32
Main Author: Parekh, Serena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
asylum seekers
Camps
Frame analysis
Human dignity
Human rights
Inappropriateness
Obligations
Political asylum
Refuge
Refugee camps
Refugees
resettlement
structural injustice
Violations
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Summary:In this paper I argue that we should not frame the debate over whether or not we have duties to help refugees in terms of duties of rescue. This way of framing the issue, where Western states are depicted as rescuing refugees from harms unconnected to them, does not adequately represent the reality experienced by refugees in the 21 st century. I suggest that we need a framework that includes the secondary harms experienced by refugees as they try to seek refuge in camps, urban spaces and via asylum. These secondary harms constitute serious violations of human rights and prevent refugees from accessing the minimum conditions of human dignity. As a result, the rescue metaphor is inappropriate and, perhaps more importantly, prevents us from having a proper debate about the obligations of states in general, and Western states in particular, to refugees.
ISSN:1654-4951
1654-6369
DOI:10.1080/16544951.2020.1735013