Revista Temas de Derecho Constitucional

236 Revista Temas de Derecho Constitucional million), Sudan (1.1 million), Iran (979,435) and Lebanon (949,666). In 2018 Colombia registered an estimate 1,174,375 Venezuelan refuges, asylum seekers and persons of concern 6 . In the same year, only 15,891 people were granted asylum in the UK, of which 5,806 were refugees resettled under special agreements (not via an asylum claim) and 2,449 were granted an alternative form of protection (as a result of which they do not technically qualify as refugees) 7 . In total, by the end of 2018 there were a total of 126,720 refugees in the UK 8 . That’s around one quarter of a percent (0.26 %) of the UK’s total population, and the equivalent of 1% of the total number of the 25.9 million refugees across the world 9 . More recent official figures tell us that in 2019 the number of asylum requests granted in the UK rose to 17,304 (including asylum, humanitarian protection, and alternative forms of leave and resettlement) 10 . With a total population standing at an estimated at 67,530,172 11 , the number of refugees whose claims were granted in Britain this year so far is equivalent to less than 0.03 % of the population. THE RIGHT TO ASYLUM The concept of asylum is not new. Ancient civilisations like the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans and the Hebrews all recognised forms of asylum, which they afforded other peoples in times of need. The figure was adopted and spread across Europe during the Middle Ages thanks to the Christian church, with places of prayer becoming sanctuary to those fleeing persecution, even from the law. According to King James’ Bible, published in 1611 in England 12 , Jesus is said to have told his disciples: “… In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you”, (John 14:2) . From the Latin “manere” denoting staying or a remaining, the word mansion is a place to stay, an abode. The termwas commonly used in Middle English as “a stop or stage of a journey” 13 . In short, a place of refuge. The right to asylum in a legal sense is a relatively modern concept however, having arisen from the adoption of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (The Convention), following the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons held in Geneva from 2 to 25 July 1951. The 6 UNHCR Population Statistics - Data - Time Series. (2019). Retrieved 30 August 2019, from http://popstats. unhcr.org/en/time_series 7 How many refugees does the UK take in?. (2019). Retrieved 30 August 2019, from https://fullfact.org/ immigration/how-many-refugees-does-uk-take/ 8 Facts about refugees - Refugee Action. (2019). https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/about/facts-about- refugees/ 9 The truth about asylum - Refugee Council. (2019). https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/refugee- asylum-facts/the-truth-about-asylum/ 10 Summary of latest statistics. (2019). Retrieved 30 August 2019, from https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/summary-of-latest-statistics 11 U.K. Population (2019) - Worldometers. (2019). Retrieved 30 August 2019, from https://www.worldometers . info/world-population/uk-population / 12 King James Version | History & Background. (2019). Retrieved 25 August 2019, from https://www.britannica . com/topic/King-James-Version 13 mansion | Origin and meaning of mansion by Online Etymology Dictionary. (2019). https://www.etymonline. com/word/mansion