Refugees and Refugee Reintegration

A refugee is a person who has been forced to flee his or her country due to persecution, war, violence, or environmental disasters. Human conflicts and other life-threatening incidents force people into becoming refugees. In the chaos of war, including contemporary conflicts, violations of human rights are common: civilians are often the targets of mass displacement, sexual violence, abduction, ethnic cleansing, or genocide, carried out by both state and nonstate actors. Once displaced to a host country, they are often powerless to control the conditions in which they live. This entry focuses on several areas of concern [Page 1447]regarding the displacement of persons during times of crisis and reintegration and on support provided by the international community.