A right is the power or liberty to which a person or a group is justly entitled or a thing to which they have a moral or legal claim. The specific enumeration of rights accorded to citizens has historically differed greatly from one century to the next, and from one regime to another, but nowadays is normally addressed by the constitutions of the respective nations. Rights serve as rules of interaction between people and groups, and, as such, they place constraints or positive obligations on individuals, groups, institutions, and governments.
These rights are variously interpreted. For example, in a given country, a right to free speech may merely mean that the government may not actively engage in censorship, and may apply only to speech that the courts of that country deem political, not, for example, sexually related speech, even in realms that such as a discussion of birth control that other countries might deem political. But, in any case, a right to free speech is generally not interpreted to mean that anyone else has a right to facilitate one's speech. In A.J. Liebling's words, "Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one." On the other hand, an individual right to healthcare implies an obligation on others to provide that healthcare. Thus, an individual having a right places responsibilities, either negative or positive, on others. (See negative and positive rights and three generations of human rights) Though rights usually refers to individual rights, in certain societies there may be group rights, where all members of a group have certain rights by virtue of being in that group. Contrast with license.
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Immigration :: Issues
Warfare and Conflict :: Issues
Refugees :: Organizations

BBC: Road to Refuge - Interviews, testimonials, audio, slide show, and articles about people seeking refuge from war, persecution or disaster.
Asylum - Legal directory and search engine - legislation, case-law, journals, law reform, by country and subject.
Meta Description: [ Legal directory and search engine - legislation, case-law, journals, law reform, by country and subject. ]
African Hope School - Details efforts of Austin College to raise funds for the African Hope School for Sudanese Refugees in Cairo, Egypt.
Asylum Rights in the 21st Century: A critical resource - Provides links to news, information and other sources of refugee and asylum rights.
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Cambridgeshire Against Refugee Detention - Campaigns against British government's policy of imprisoning asylum-seekers while their claims are processed.
Meta Description: [ CARD campaigns against the UK government's policy of imprisoning asylum seekers while their claims are processed, and against the Oakington detention centre. ]
Comparisons: Seeking Asylum in Australia and Canada - Allows users to actively explore the refugee experience from the time of arrival to the point of decision and to compare the processing models used in Australia and Canada.
Danish Refugee Council - Independent humanitarian organization whose aim is to protect refugees in the world and Denmark through relief work, documentation, counseling, integration, language schools, repatriation and voluntary work.
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El Rescate Legal Services - Non-profit organization providing free legal representation and advice for the Central American community in Los Angeles.
EU Networks on Integration of Refugees - Provides information and ideas on refugee integration themes such as education, language, health and voluntary return.
Eurasylum - Company providing policy research, evaluation and consulting services dedicated to issues of immigration control and asylum policy.
Meta Description: [ Eurasylum provides fully independent information, research, evaluation and consulting services dedicated solely to issues of immigration control and asylum policy in Europe and internationally. ]
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Forced Migration Online - Provides access to a wide variety of online resources dealing with the situation of forced migrants worldwide.
Meta Description: [ Forced Migration Online (FMO) provides instant access to a wide variety of online resources dealing with the situation of forced migrants worldwide. ]
Forced Migration Review - Published three times a year in English, Spanish and Arabic by the Refugee Studies Programme, University of Oxford. FMR enables academics, practitioners, refugees, and IDPs to share information and experience.
Meta Description: [ Forced Migration Review is the world's most widely read magazine on refugee, internal displacement and statelessness issues ]
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Guardian Special Report - Refugees - A series of articles on refugees, asylum and immigration politics. Including latest news, analysis and external links.
Human Rights Watch - World Report 2002 - Annual report on refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and internally displaced persons
Meta Description: [ Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons: Overview of Human Rights Developments in 2001 - (from Human Rights Watch World Report 2002) ]
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights - Provides information on immigrant and refugee related policies in Illinois and on a national level. Reports, newsletters, links, action alerts and other resources are posted.
Konrad Weiss: The Right of Asylum. - Speech in the German Bundestag on the occasion of proposed changes to German asylum law, April 30, 1992.
Meta Description: [ Speech in the German Bundestag, April 30, 1992 ]
Law Library Resource Xchange (LLRX) - A Guide to International Refugee Law Resources on the Web.
Meta Description: [ Elisa Mason's updated guide directs readers to some of the key texts and resources available on the Web that can help shed light on, and provide a context for, many of the issues currently being deliberated in the refugee law arena. ]
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights - Networking organization on immigrant and refugee issues in the United States.
New Zealand Refugee Law website (RefNZ) - Site dedicated to New Zealand refugee law. Provides full text search in Refugee Status decisions, Appeals and High Court decisions, Statistics, etc.
No Border Network - Group of grass-roots organizations that support free migration and abolishment of borders and deportations.
Meta Description: [ the noborder network is a european network of antiracist groups that are working together against exclusion and criminalisation of migrants and for the free movement of everyone ]
Organization for Aid to Refugees - Based in Prague, the Organization for Aid to Refugees (OPU) provides social counseling and legal counseling to asylum seekers and recognized refugees staying on the territory of the Czech Republic.
Meta Description: [ Mambo - the dynamic portal engine and content management system ]
Refugee Camps - Find out how 39 million people are forced to live today by learning about the basic needs in a refugee camp and hearing the personal stories of refugees and relief workers.
Refugees: The Real Story - Information regarding current issues of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia.
Religion and Politics in Conflict: The Question of Sanctuary - Since 1980 thousands fleeing oppression have sought protection from deportation in sanctuary though they lack residency permits.
Meta Description: [ Since 1980 thousands fleeing oppression have sought protection from deportation in sanctuary though they lack residency permits. Information from academic research on this homepage. ]
RSDWatch.org - An independent source of information about the way the UN refugee agency decides refugee cases.
Meta Description: [ An independent source of information about the way the UN refugee agency decides refugee cases. ]
Save North Korean Refugees - Non-profit organization formed to raise funding for, and awareness of North Korean refugees who have escaped the political oppression and depression of Communist North Korea. Online petition.
Meta Description: [ North Korean refugee efforts by a non-profit organization (SNKR) Save North Korean Refugees, formed to raise funding for, and awareness of, North Korean refugees who have escaped the political oppression and depression of Communist North Korea. ]
Scattered People - Australian stories and songs by refugees about the odyssey of refugees.
Meta Description: [ Scattered People is part of Brisbane Stories - a collection of related community web sites guided by Brisbane City Council Community Arts Officers, Design and Production: ToadShow ]
The Palestine Right To Return Coalition - UK - Organization that supports the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
Meta Description: [ Al Awda, News, Welcome to our website,Mambo - the dynamic portal engine and content management system ]
UK Asylum Support Information - News, publications, resources, support and links for those seeking asylum in the UK.
US Committee for Refugees - Defends the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced persons worldwide.
Meta Description: [ Celebrate World Refugee Day by learning about refugees, immigrants, and refugee warehousing. Explore refugee camps, find services, find visa information, & more ]
USA for UNHCR - Organization promoting United States support for the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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