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Around the globe, there are approximately 60 million people who have been forced to leave their homes to escape war, violence, and persecution.
全世界约有6千万人被迫离开他们的家园，为了躲避战争、暴力和迫害。
The majority of them have become internally displaced persons,
他们中的大多数人都在本国内流离失所，
which means they have fled their homes but are still within their own countries.
也就是说他们虽然逃离了自己的家乡，但仍然在自己的国家里。
Others have crossed a border and sought shelter outside of their own countries.
而其他人则跨越了国境，去往别的国家避难。
They are commonly referred to as refugees.
这些人通常被称为难民。
But what exactly does that term mean?
但是难民这个词究竟意味着什么？
The world has known refugees for millennia,
难民已经存在千年之久，
but the modern definition was drafted in the UN's 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees
1951年的联合国大会根据难民的不同情况对其起草了新的定义，
in response to mass persecutions and displacements of the Second World War.
以应对第二次世界大战后大量受到迫害和流离失所的人。
It defines a refugee as someone who is outside their country of nationality,
新的定义认为难民是离开了自己国籍所在地，
and is unable to return to their home country because of well-founded fears of being persecuted.
并且再也回不去的那些人，由于害怕受到迫害。
That persecution may be due to their race, religion, nationality,
迫害可能源自他们的种族、宗教信仰、国籍，
membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, and is often related to war and violence.
在特定社会团体的身份或者政治意见，并且通常和战争及暴力相关。
Today, roughly half the world's refugees are children, some of them unaccompanied by an adult,
如今，世界上半数的难民是儿童，很多都没有成人陪伴，
a situation that makes them especially vulnerable to child labor or sexual exploitation.
因此他们极有可能沦为童工或者是未成年性奴。
Each refugee's story is different, and many must undergo dangerous journeys with uncertain outcomes.
每个难民都有自己的故事，很多人都历经了难以想象的艰险，且不知未来如何。
But before we get to what their journeys involve, let's clear one thing up.
在尝试了解他们的经历之前必须说明一件事。
There's a lot of confusion regarding the difference between the terms 'migrant' and 'refugee.'
很多人会混淆“移民”和“难民”这两个词，
'Migrants' usually refers to people who leave their country for reasons not related to persecution,
“移民”是指那些并非出于迫害而离开自己国家的人，
such as searching for better economic opportunities or leaving drought-stricken areas in search of better circumstances.
如为了寻求更好的经济机遇，或者选择离开让自己感觉压抑和受限的环境以寻求更好的境遇。
There are many people around the world who have been displaced because of natural disasters, food insecurities, and other hardships,
世界上有很多人离开自己的家园出于自然灾害、缺乏食物保障以及其它的一些困苦，
but international law, rightly or wrongly, only recognizes those fleeing conflict and violence as refugees.
但是按照国际法，不论对错与否，只承认那些因冲突和暴力流离失所的人为难民。
So what happens when someone flees their country?
那么当一个人逃离自己的国家时会发生什么？
Most refugee journeys are long and perilous with limited access to shelter, water, or food.
大多数难民的流亡之路是漫长且艰险的，缺乏保障的避难住所、水和食物。
Since the departure can be sudden and unexpected, belongings might be left behind,
他们离开时往往十分突然，无法随身带够所需的物品，
and people who are evading conflict often do not have the required documents,
而那些急于躲避冲突的人往往来不及带上他们所需的文件，
like visas, to board airplanes and legally enter other countries.
如用于登机和进入他国的签证。
Financial and political factors can also prevent them from traveling by standard routes.
经济状况和政治因素也可能使他们无法通过一般的途径离开自己的国家。
This means they can usually only travel by land or sea,
因此他们通常只能走陆路和水路，
and may need to entrust their lives to smugglers to help them cross borders.
将自己的性命交付给走私犯以穿越国境。
Whereas some people seek safety with their families,
有些人带着家人一起寻求安全，
others attempt passage alone and leave their loved ones behind with the hopes of being reunited later.
有些人则只身离去，怀着将来能重聚的憧憬留下所爱的人。
This separation can be traumatic and unbearably long.
分离总是十分痛苦且漫长地无法忍受。
While more than half the world's refugees are in cities,
世界上一半的难民会流亡到城市里，
sometimes the first stop for a person fleeing conflict is a refugee camp,
逃离冲突的难民有时会进入难民营作为他们的第一站，
usually run by the United Nations Refugee Agency or local governments.
这些难民营一般由联合国难民署或者当地政府负责运营。
Refugee camps are intended to be temporary structures, offering short-term shelter
难民营通常是临时设施，为难民提供短期避难所用，
until inhabitants can safely return home, be integrated to the host country, or resettle in another country.
直到他们可以安全回国，融入难民接收国家，或是在另外的国家安身。
But resettlement and long-term integration options are often limited.
然而在他国安身或是通过较长的时间融入他国的机会十分有限。
So many refugees are left with no choice but to remain in camps for years and sometimes even decades.
大量的难民没有选择，最终只能年复一年住在难民营里，有的甚至住上几十年。
Once in a new country, the first legal step for a displaced person is to apply for asylum.
难民进入新的国家，依照法律，首先需要申请避难。
At this point, they are an asylum seeker and not officially recognized as a refugee until the application has been accepted.
此时，他们是寻求避难者，并非官方认可的难民，直到他们的申请通过。
While countries by and large agree on one definition of refugee,
尽管大多数国家对于难民的定义都是一致的，
every host country is responsible for examining all requests for asylum
但每个接收国都需要自己负责审查避难申请，
and deciding whether applicants can be granted the status of refugee.
并且决定是否给予申请人难民身份。
Different countries guidelines can vary substantially.
不同国家之间的参照标准大相径庭。
Host countries have several duties towards people they have recognized as refugees,
作为接收国，对于被他们认可的难民有应尽的义务，
like the guarantee of a minimum standard of treatment and non-discrimination.
如最低标准的待遇和无歧视保障。
The most basic obligation towards refugees is non-refoulement,
对待难民的最基本原则是不遣返，
a principle preventing a nation from sending an individual to a country where their life and freedom are threatened.
防止国家将个人送至他们生命和自由无法得到保证的国土。
In reality, however, refugees are frequently the victims of inconsistent and discriminatory treatment.
现实中，难民常常沦为缺乏持续保障及备受歧视的受害者。
They're increasingly obliged to rebuild their lives in the face of xenophobia and racism.
他们被迫在种族歧视和排外仇恨中重建他们的生活。
And all too often, they aren't permitted to enter the work force and are fully dependent on humanitarian aid.
同时，难民也常常被工作机会拒之门外，只能完全依赖人道主义援助。
In addition, far too many refugee children are out of school due to lack of funding for education programs.
不仅如此，大量的难民孩子都没法上学，因为缺乏教育类资金援助。
If you go back in your own family history, chances are you will discover that at a certain point,
如果你们回去查找家族历史，很有可能会发现
your ancestors were forced from their homes, either escaping a war or fleeing discrimination and persecution.
你们的祖先曾经被迫离开自己的家乡，为了躲避战乱、歧视或者迫害。
It would be good of us to remember their stories when we hear of refugees currently displaced, searching for a new home.
请记住这些故事，因为它们能让我们更好地看待那些流离失所、正在寻找新家的难民们。
