Uncertain Refuge

In this document, Human Rights Watch seeks to raise concerns about some disturbing trends in the protection of refugees it has observed in the course of researching human rights abuses. While Human Rights Watch focuses here on protection issues arising from voluntary repatriation settings, we will also address the implementation of UNHCR's 1991 Guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women and its 1994 Refugee Children-Guidelines on Protection and Care with the view that such protection measures should be integral to any discussion of refugee protection, especially as women and children comprise some 80 percent of the total refugee population worldwide. As States are ultimately responsible for refugee protection, we note the major trends in the international community's retreat from its protection obligations as well.