Asylum Seekers: The Search for Basic Human Right to Healthcare in Industrial Countries

Authors

Marlaina Wright

Abstract

An important right afforded to all persons as part of their international human rights includes the right to access healthcare. Asylum seekers, however, are a population that struggles to enjoy a designated right due to countries having varying interpretations of what it means to provide healthcare services. When seeking asylum, many asylees believe that going to developed, industrial countries is the best route for achieving safety, educational opportunities, and a higher standard of living. However, when it comes to providing access to healthcare for asylum seekers specifically, countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland do not fully adhere to international human right agreements. Issues among the countries can be credited to their different forms of government, their take on asylum policies and procedures, and having their own distinctive domestic problems when it comes to the treatment of asylum seekers. A proposed agreement must be made to encourage nations to shift current policies and procedures to push towards awareness and providing information, satisfactory health services, avoiding discriminatory acts, and respecting the basic standards of human decency.

Recommended Citation

Marlaina Wright, Asylum Seekers: The Search for Basic Human Right to Healthcare in Industrial Countries, 35 Emory Int'l L. Rev. 135 (2021).
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/eilr/vol35/iss1/5