ABSTRACT
The term ‘refugee’ referred initially to two categories of individuals. First, those recognized as refugees by the pre-1950 legal framework.1 Secondly, any person who:
as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951, and owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.2
