Refoulement

Refoulement is expulsion of a refugee from a country back to their home country where they are likely to be threatened, tortured or killed. The principle of non-refoulement was addressed by international law at the 1951 Refugee Convention with the understanding that no refugee should be returned to any country where he or she is likely to face persecution or torture.' The idea of non-refoulement was specifically addressed after World War II when Jewish refugees were rejected by certain countries who did not believe they had a moral duty to accept them.

After the creation of the United Nations, more concern was given to the refugee issue. In 1946 the General Assembly passed a resolution stating that refugees should not be returned when they had valid objections. Today many refugees are protected from expulsion from countries that are signatories to the 1951 Convention or 1967 Protocol. This agreement does not work consistently, and some countries do not always adhere to the principles of international law and send some refugees back to their persecutors.