Refugee camp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A refugee camp is a temporary camp built up by governments or NGOs (such as the ICRC) to receive refugees. Thousands of people may live in a camp.
Since refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu fashion, and designed to meet basic human needs for a short time, when the return of refugees, is prevented by, usually, civil war, a humanitarian crisis can result. Some refugee camps, such as Ein el-Helweh have continued in a temporary manner, for decades, which has major implications for human rights.
People may stay in these camps, receiving emergency food and medical aid, until it is safe to return to their homes. In some cases, often after several years, other countries decide it will never be safe to return these people, and they are resettled in "third countries," away from the border the crossed.
Facilities of a refugee camp can include the following:
- Sleeping accommodations (tents)
- Hygiene facilities (cleaning and toilets)
- Medical supplies
- Communication equipment (e.g. radio)
Globally, about 17 countries (Australia, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States) regularly accept "quota refugees" from refugee camps. Refugee camps are typically used to describe settlements of people who have escaped war. In recent years, most quota refugees have come from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia, and Sudan, which have been in various wars and revolutions, and the former Yugoslavia, due to the Yugoslav wars.
Examples of refugee camps:
- Nabatieh camp
- Four camps near Tindouf
- Buduburam refugee camp, home to 40,000 Liberians
- Camps in the east of Chad, hosting approximately 250,000 refugees from the Darfur region in Sudan
- Camps in the south of Chad, hosting approximately 50,000 refugees from Central African Republic
[edit] See also
- Tent city
- Transitional shelter
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
