The refugees are the persons who are out of the country whose citizenship they have, because of well founded fear that they would be persecuted because of their race, creed, nationality, belonging to a social group or political opinion, and can not or do not wish to return to that country.

According to the data of the United nations High Commissariat for Refugees (UNHCR) there were 15 million refugees in the world in 1993. In the territory of the former Yugoslavia, 646.066 persons escaped to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 160.000 to Croatia, 10.240 to Slovenia, 5.000 to Macedonia. In the FR of Yugoslavia, the refugees represent 6% of the population - one refugee to 15 inhabitants; these refugees get protection and assistance.