| Title | Refugee Rights Are Human Right |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Sandra Schiller(author) |
| Djenana Jalovcic (author) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0479.02 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0479/chapters/10.11647/obp.0479.02 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Sandra Schiller; Djenana Jalovcic; |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2025-09-09 |
| Long abstract | By focusing on the interconnectedness between the rights of persons with refugee experience and human rights, this chapter emphasizes the relevance of a human-rights-based perspective in the developing field of refugee health. The refugee context is constantly changing; therefore, the frameworks used in refugee health should be frequently reviewed and reflected upon to protect the welfare of persons with refugee experience. In light of this, a fundamental cornerstone in refugee health is the role of health professionals who recognise that patients with refugee experience possess the inherent right for their unique health needs to be addressed in the most effective way. This chapter examines the concept of international protection for refugees as it emerged from the 1951 Refugee Convention. This is followed by a description of the characteristics of forced migration today, illustrated through the personal example of a health care professional who fled from Afghanistan in 2021. The next subsection outlines the increasing influence of human rights legislation and global human rights scholarship. This influence is particularly relevant to the human right to health, which is then described as a fundamental guideline for quality refugee health care. The chapter concludes with links to recent health research that warns of the dangers of violating the human rights of persons with refugee experience. |
| Page range | pp. 49–73 |
| Print length | 25 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
Sandra Schiller is a lecturer and honorary professor specialising in Health Humanities at the Faculty of Social Work and Health, HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen (Germany). She completed her studies in Medieval and Modern History, English Literature and Linguistics. Her doctoral research explored the influence of political and cultural discourses on the formation of national identity in the context of the United Kingdom. Since 2008, she has led various (interprofessional) projects supporting health promotion, well-being and health literacy among persons with refugee experience in Hildesheim. She was a founding member of the Occupational Therapy Europe Interest Group on Displaced Persons and currently leads the German Occupational Therapy Association’s Working Group on Community Development, responsible for developing occupational therapy services for persons with refugee experience outside the traditional healthcare sector.
Djenana Jalovcic, EdD, MPA, MSc, is an Associate Professor at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, where she teaches in the master’s program in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation. A dedicated educator, inclusive development practitioner, researcher, and human rights advocate, she brings decades of experience in international interprofessional education and continuing professional development. Her work focuses on disability and rehabilitation, refugee and migrant health, health equity, and ageing. She coordinated the Erasmus+ Persons with Refugee Experiences Education Project - Interprofessional, fostering interprofessional collaboration in refugee and migrant health. She serves as an Education Professional Adviser at World Physiotherapy.