ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a sub-category of border crossers known as forced migrants, some of whom are called refugees. The chapter begins by discussing the problems with maintaining a clear and sharp distinction between forced migrants and other types of people who migrate. It then describes major patterns and trends in how forced migration is tracked and counted worldwide, and the instruments in international law that can be used to protect refugees. The chapter devotes some attention to the international agency tasked with helping refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the difficulties that arise in trying to implement international refugee protection in a world where states vary in terms of power, wealth, stability, and geographical proximity to displaced people. The chapter also provides an overview of contemporary research in the field of forced migration studies, and highlights several ongoing issues that scholars and policymakers should consider, such as the link between refugees and concerns about national security and terrorism, the ways in which climate change will affect forced migration patterns, and the increasingly creative ways in which powerful states try to prevent potential refugees from accessing protection on their soil.
