STATUS OF REFUGEES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18961, 11 March 1936, Page 12

STATUS OF REFUGEES

WORSE THAN BEFORE

ALLEVIATING THEIR LOT

(JENEVA, .Jan. 20. Tim ratification by Denmark of Urn 1 nternational Convention on tlm Status of Refugees, which is Mist announced, will bring a little much-needed encouragement. r lhe position of the. many hundreds of thousands id rolugees scattered over the world is perhaps worse to-day than it lias ever been. Not only is their economic position not improving, it, is aetuallv steadily deteriorating under the. ■•tress of economic nationalism in almost every country.

The convention was drawn up in 1933, In an attempt to remove at least some lew of the chief disabilities under which refugees sutler. It provides that- States shall issue certificates in lieu ot passports to refugees residing in their territories; shall not expel refugees except tor reasons of national security or public order; shall allow'them certain rights in respect of their legal status, and shall not apply against them in all their severity laws enacted lor the protection of national labour markets; while in ; he* eases of certain categories of refugees, such laws are suspended altogether.

LEAGUE'S WORK If generally adopted, this convention would undoubtedly do a good deal—although still not nearly as much as is needed —to alleviate the lot of this most wretched category of human beings, whose sufferings in almost every case are as unmerited as they are severe. . I nhappilv. only three countries have hitherto ratified. Denmark making the fourth. Phe matter is particularly urgent in view of the proposals recently made, and now before the League of Nations, to liquidate all the League’s work for refugees, except the single favoured category ol refugees coming from Germany. One of the recommendations made by I he committee putting forward these proposals is that, the J 933 convention should lie widely ratified. If it pomes into force in all countries then the effect of the liquidation of Nansens work will at least be mitigated : otherwise one trembles to think of what the years hold in store both for the existing refugees and the large numbers of new refugees certain to he created by future events.