Asylum

Patricia falls in love with women. She is gay. But in the country where Patricia lives, gay people are persecuted. Several of her friends have been imprisoned, others have been abused. Being gay is dangerous where Patricia lives, and she feels she can no longer live there.

She needs to escape to protect herself, and to live the way she wants. But that is not an easy decision to make. Where should she go? Will she be able to make a living? Is there any country that will receive her?

Patricia has a lot on her mind, and so far she has no answer to her questions. The first thing she needs to do is to reach another country. When she has done this, she can appeal to the authorities to get protection. Patricia applies for political asylum. People fleeing for their lives has occurred throughout human history.

This happened in particularly large numbers during and after the second world war. When the war ended in 1945, many millions of people were refugees, in Europe, Asia and Africa. After the war, the states of the world gathered in an attempt to prevent catastrophes like war and large refugee flows. They founded the United Nations, UN. In 1950 The UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR was founded.

In 1951, Denmark was the first country to sign a document which describes the rights of a refugee. This is the Refugee convention of the UN. There you can read that: A refugee has been forced to leave his or her country, due to persecution or danger to his or her life, and does not get protection in their homeland. A refugee can be persecuted because of their skin colour, nationality, sexual orientation or for their opinions. A refugee has the right to seek protection, asylum, in another country.

But it is the receiving country that decides if the asylum seeker may stay. A receiving country must not deport a refugee back to a country where there is large risk that they will be persecuted, tortured or killed. More and more countries signed the document. And today more than three quarters of the countries of the world have signed. So Patricia has the right to seek asylum in the country she arrives at - if that state has signed the refugee convention.

But this does not mean she has the right to stay, that she is granted asylum. This is now something the authorities of the country will decide. Patricia meets other refugees who have come here to seek asylum. Tao Wing has protested against his country's government. He felt forced to flee when he was persecuted and harassed by the police.

Issa has escaped war and violence in his home country. These three, and all the others who filed their application for asylum are hoping to get to stay. They want their asylum application approved. And the application arrives here, to the immigration office. Here is David, who reads the applications.

He and his co-workers will now sort out if the asylum seeker really has reason to seek protection. Do they have a cause for protection? Are gay people really persecuted in Patricia's home country? Do the police harass the citizens of Tao Wing’s country? Is the violence that prevalent in Issa’s country?

These questions are often difficult to find answers to. The situation is different for different individuals. Sometimes it varies from one part of a country to another. The investigations often take a long time. Meanwhile Patricia studies the new language.

She wants to learn as fast as possible, as she is hoping to stay. After six months Patricia gets the verdict. She has a cause for protection and is granted asylum. It is a great relief. Moreover, she has met Eva.

Patrica is ready to start her new life.