The following are examples of circumstances which may lead to a person being deemed a refugee:
- A human rights activist who is persecuted by the state for her criticism of government abuses
- A union leader who is threatened with violence by businesses who enjoy tacit support from the government
- A gay man or lesbian who is beaten up by gangs of homophobic hooligans in a country that outlaws homosexual acts
- A member of a religion that is being suppressed by the government
- A woman who is subjected to repeated physical abuse by her husband in a country where conjugal violence is condoned
- A member of an ethnic group that is persecuted by the state
- A teacher in a country where intellectuals are denounced as traitors of the people
- A person who openly criticizes a rebel group in a country where the government cannot protect its citizens against rebel attack
- A person who is persecuted because he is suspected of opposing the government, even though he is not politically active
- The child of an imprisoned political leader who is viewed as a threat by the current regime
- The witness of a massacre committed by the military that the government wants to cover up
- A student activist after the government has suppressed a student movement
