What is the difference between Refugee and Asylum?

Refugee and asylum are two words that are often confused with one another and used in the same context. However, there are vast differences between the two. A person is described as a refugee if they flee their country and go to another country. They choose to escape from their home country in cases of being oppressed, being in peril, or a natural disaster occurring. Asylum is the safe place for the refugee. An example of this is the Christian Church. There are many churches who act as a safe haven for people that fall under being a felon or a desperado.

A Refugee is a person who flees from their country of origin to another to escape peril, oppression, or natural catastrophe. Asylum is safeguarding for the refugee and is given by the country, providing sanctuary for the refugee.

Asylum is usually civil in nature; however, the Christian Church has given asylum to felons and desperadoes. Also, refuge may perhaps be offered to someone whose extradition is sought after by a distant government.

Although asylum began as a spiritual commitment, however, when the importance of separating church and state emerged, the power to grant asylum transferred to nations and states.

During the 20th-century, giving refuge was identified as an individual human right with the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It is understandable to think both Refugee and Asylum are the same; this is because both are often used interchangeably. But the truth is there are some differences between the two words. Both words are used for someone who leaves his/her country and enters into another in a bid to escape from unfortunate happenings like war, disease outbreak, political crisis, etc.

While both words may look the same way, the major difference between them is the legality of the two statuses for anybody living in another country. An asylum seeker is someone who moves from his/her country to another country due to problems like war, political crisis, but he/she is yet to be fully granted the opportunity or the right to live just like other citizens of the country.

A refugee, on the other hand, is someone who flees from his/her country to another, and he/she has successfully been granted permission to live and enjoy the various rights under this provision.

A Refugee is a person who flees from one country to another to escape danger, persecution, or natural disaster. Asylum is protection for the refugee and is granted by the country, providing shelter for the refugee. Asylum is usually political in nature; however, the Christian Church has given asylum to criminals and outlaws. Also, refuge may perhaps be afforded to someone whose extradition is sought after by a foreign government.

Although asylum began as a religious obligation, however, when the importance of separating church and state appeared, the power to grant asylum shifted to nations and states. During the 20th-century, giving refuge was recognized as an individual human right with the inception of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.