On World Refugee Day, each year on June 20th, Brigidine Sisters join others around the world to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. This year, World Refugee Day also marks a key moment for all to show support for families forced to flee.
Did you know that every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror and that there are several different types of forcibly displaced persons:
Refugees: A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.
Asylum Seekers: Asylum seekers say they are refugees and have fled their homes as refugees do, but their claim to refugee status is not yet definitively evaluated in the country to which they fled.
Internally Displaced Persons: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who have not crossed an international border but have moved to a different region than the one they call home within their own country.
Stateless Persons: Stateless persons do not have a recognized nationality and do not belong to any country. Statelessness situations are usually caused by discrimination against certain groups. Their lack of identification — a citizenship certificate — can exclude them from access to important government services, including health care, education or employment.
(UN World Refugee Day)
Brigidine Sisters are engaged in education and awareness raising, advocacy and action offering various forms of practical support for refugees and asylum seekers. Our inspiration comes from the words of Jesus: “I was a stranger and you welcomes me”. (Matthew 25:43).
If you would like to support us in this work please contact a local Brigidine Community or go to https://basp.org.au/
