Noi culturi, noi antropologii - Humanitas

the part of the state to facilitate the integration of recognized
refugees…“ 156 ; „Until year 2000 – 2001 there were no
fundamental laws for refugees. No one knew where to ask
for your rights. After 2004 things have started to change,
they move slowly but they move in the right direction.“ 157
The first wave of refugees in Romania was in both UN-
HCR and the refugees’ opinions a wave which beneficiated
by „the least favorable regime of rights to recognized refugees.“
This period was characterized by the lack of legislation
in this field. According to UNHCR, between 1991 and
1999 there was „no separate default regime of rights and no
favorable residency status from which they could draw such
rights“ 158 . According to UNHCR, instead of a coherent legislation
regarding the status and integration of refugees in
Romania, the Romanian Refugee Law was constituted by an
exhaustive list which comprised specific rights of refugees.
The UNHCR’s study argued that between 1991 and 1999
in Romania one can find „Special Problems Related to an
Inadequate Residency or Refugee Status“. They referred to
the fact that the refugee status in Romania was limited to
a period of three years (with a possible, and in theory, final
extension of another two years on the same conditions as
the initial refugee status) after which the refugee automatically
fell under the aliens’ regime in Romania. To become eligible
for the Foreigners regime and settlement in Romania,
a refugee had to satisfy special requirements applied only to
foreigners: a residence permit, demonstrating financial capacity,
secured accommodation, travel documents, and an
original and clean criminal record from the home country.
The requirement to provide a criminal record from the
country of origin in order to achieve the aliens’ status represented
another obstacle toward the refugees’ integration
in Romania. This situation was also encountered in other
countries such as Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland (because
156. UNHCR. (2000) Integration Rights and Practices with Regard to
Recognized Refugees in the Central European Countries, Geneva, p. 56.
157. D, Refugee from Cameroon, 43 years old.
158. UNHCR. (2000) Integration Rights and Practices with Regard to
Recognized Refugees in the Central European Countries, Geneva, p. 5.
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