Y09W20VC Theme Words — Refugees & asylum

To treat someone in a cruel and unfair way, especially because of their race, religion, nationality or political views.

Word family: persecution (n.), persecutor (n.)

Example: Under international law, those who are persecuted for their religion or ethnicity have the right to seek asylum.

Synonyms: oppress, victimise, abuse

Collocations: persecute minorities, face persecution, flee persecution

To force someone or something out of their usual or rightful position; to cause people to leave their home.

Word family: displacement (n.), displaced (adj.)

Example: Armed conflict and climate change are increasingly displacing communities from regions they have occupied for generations.

Synonyms: uproot, relocate forcibly, remove

Collocations: displace communities, forcibly displaced, internally displaced

The full power and authority of a state to govern itself without interference from outside forces.

Word family: sovereign (adj.), sovereign (n.)

Example: The debate over refugee policy often involves tension between national sovereignty and international humanitarian obligations.

Synonyms: independence, self-governance, authority

Collocations: national sovereignty, state sovereignty, exercise sovereignty

To cause something to continue indefinitely, especially something harmful or unjust.

Word Breakdown: per- (prefix meaning 'through' or 'throughout')

Word family: perpetuation (n.), perpetual (adj.)

Example: Sensationalist media coverage can perpetuate harmful stereotypes about asylum seekers and refugees.

Synonyms: maintain, sustain, keep alive

Collocations: perpetuate inequality, perpetuate stereotypes, perpetuate the cycle

To establish something so firmly and deeply that it becomes very difficult to change or remove.

Word family: entrenched (adj.), entrenchment (n.)

Example: Decades of hostile political rhetoric have entrenched negative attitudes toward asylum seekers in some communities.

Synonyms: embed, establish firmly, fix deeply

Collocations: entrench inequality, become entrenched, firmly entrenched

To strengthen or support something, making it more powerful or convincing.

Word family: reinforcement (n.)

Example: Restrictive border policies reinforce the narrative that refugees are a security threat rather than people in need of protection.

Synonyms: strengthen, support, underline

Collocations: reinforce a message, reinforce stereotypes, reinforce the point

To keep something going over a period of time; to maintain or support something continuously.

Word family: sustainable (adj.), sustainability (n.)

Example: Human rights organisations have worked to sustain public awareness of conditions in offshore detention facilities.

Synonyms: maintain, keep going, support

Collocations: sustain an argument, sustain momentum, sustain communities

To keep something in the same condition or at the same level; to argue and hold to a particular position.

Word family: maintenance (n.)

Example: The government maintains that its border protection policies comply with international law, a claim disputed by human rights groups.

Synonyms: uphold, keep, assert

Collocations: maintain a position, maintain the argument, maintain standards

Used in academic writing to attribute the ongoing existence of a harmful condition to a specific cause or agent.

Example: The framing of asylum seekers as economic migrants rather than refugees perpetuates a misunderstanding of their legal status.

Synonyms: X sustains, X reinforces, X continues

Collocations: X perpetuates the cycle, X perpetuates inequality, X perpetuates harm