Refugee ethics

Owen, David (2025) Refugee ethics. In, Niederberger, Andreas, Okeja, Uchenna and Gördemann, Johanna (eds.) Handbook of Migration Ethics. 1 ed. Springer Cham.

Abstract

This article examines the ethical issues surrounding the modern refugee, in particular the definition of a refugee and the moral obligations which follow. It also considers the allocation of refugee responsibilities among states, the link to reparations for past injustices, and concepts of burden-sharing based on state capacity and historical responsibility. Once refugees are accepted, the question arises as to whether they have the right to become members of their host countries. Refugee ethics mainly focuses on the duties of host societies, but some also discuss whether refugees themselves have any duties, including the controversial question of whether they have a duty to seek refuge in the first safe country they reach. Following the comprehensive overview of the ethical challenges associated with the global refugee regime, this article suggests further research aimed at new refugee protection policies characterised by greater international cooperation.

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Contributors

Author: David Owen

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