U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2004 - Peru
| Publisher | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants |
| Publication Date | 25 May 2004 |
| Cite as | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2004 - Peru , 25 May 2004, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/40b459444.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Some 3,200 Peruvians were refugees or asylum seekers abroad at the end of 2003, including about 1,300 in Canada, about 1,100 in the United States, 500 in Argentina, and about 200 in Chile, with about 1,100 filing new claims evenly divided between the United States and Canada.
Peru hosted 718 refugees and asylum seekers in 2003, 150 of them Colombians and granted 150 people asylum last year. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that about 860 Colombians fled fighting into Peru, but then soon returned. Peru is a party to the UN Refugee Convention and Protocol and revised its asylum process with UNHCR assistance.
New Developments
After fading during the 1990s after more than a decade of intense conflict with the government, new Shining Path activity, including killings and roadblocks in remote areas, was reported last year. The previous conflict displaced at least 430,000 people. Although the conflict producing their displacement ended years ago (and they are no longer counted by the U.S. Committee for Refugees as internally displaced), an estimated 60,000 people, mostly in the Lima area, have not returned to their homes. Many do not have a home to return to and suffer discrimination for being displaced persons. United Nations and local human rights officials have concluded these people need additional assistance to achieve integration into their chosen communities. The Peruvian Congress passed a law last year, which will target assistance to this population.
