News: Conditions Rapidly Deteriorating for Children Detained in Moria Camp on Lesvos

News from ReliefWeb:

Conditions Rapidly Deteriorating for Children Detained in Moria Camp on Lesvos

Media Contact: Media@savechildren.org

FAIRFIELD, CT (April 3, 2016) — Save the Children expressed deep concern today over the deplorable conditions in Moria detention center on the Greek island of Lesvos, where more than 1,000 children, many traveling alone, are detained as part of the EU-Turkey deal.

In addition to concerns around the detention of asylum seekers, the agency is also shocked by the lack of safeguards in place for those likely to be returned to Turkey in less than 24 hours. It calls on European leaders to urgently rethink their proposal and suspend all transfers to Turkey until there is a guarantee that those in need of international protection will receive it.

“The situation inside Moria detention center is deteriorating rapidly,” said Simona Mortolini, Save the Children Team Leader in Greece. “We have spoken to families and children who are sleeping outside on the cold ground on thin blankets because there is nowhere else for them to sleep in the overcrowded accommodation facilities. The camp was initially designed to host a few hundred people transiting through within a day. It now hosts 3,300 people, many have been trapped there for more than a week.”

“People continue to arrive to the island and the number of families detained in the center continues to increase by the day. It is extremely dangerous for children and we are worried about their physical and mental well-being, especially those children travelling alone.”

“There are reports of protests and people have told us they will commit suicide if they are sent back to Turkey. Some said they will jump off the boats. People are absolutely desperate. They have sold all their worldly possessions to pay for the journey from Turkey to Greece, they already risked their lives at sea to make the crossing. There is nothing left for them to return to – in Turkey or in their countries of origin that are marred by wars and widespread violence and insecurity.”

As part of the new EU-Turkey deal, which came into effect on 20 March, newly-arrived vulnerable children and their families, regardless of their status, have been detained in closed facilities on the Greek islands until their individual interview and assessment take place – which could take weeks or months.

Read Full Article – Conditions Rapidly Deteriorating for Children Detained in Moria Camp on Lesvos

 

New Thematic Publications on Resettlement; Children; and Statelessness

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

New Thematic Publications on Resettlement

The Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR) took place in Geneva from 1-3 July 2013. Held annually since 1995, “[t]he consultations have become an important vehicle for UNHCR’s cooperation with governments and NGOs and a mechanism to enhance partnership. They offer a forum to review progress on resettlement issues during the year, but more importantly, to re-focus and shape a joint strategy on resettlement.”  Here is the agenda.  Various operational guidance notes and assessment tools are also available.  This newsletter shares resettlement stories and notable developments; see also ICMC’s update.  Finally, here are UNHCR’s projected global resettlement needs for 2014.

Other publications:

CCR Responds to Government Announcement on Resettlement of Syrian Refugees (Canadian Council for Refugees, July 2013) [text]

The Integration of Resettled Refugees: Essentials for Establishing a Resettlement Programme and Fundamentals for Sustainable Resettlement Programmes (UNHCR, 2013) [text]

“Know Reset Project Maps Diverging Resettlement Practices and Legal Frameworks across Europe,” ECRE Weekly Bulletin (12 July 2013) [text]

New Thematic Publications on Children

“Alone and Unrepresented: A Call to Congress to Provide Counsel for Unaccompanied Minors,” Harvard Journal on Legislation, vol. 50, no. 2 (2013) [full-text]

Cash and Child Protection: How Cash Transfer Programming Can Protect Children from Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation and Violence (Save the Children, Sept. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Humanitarian Action for Children 2013 (UNICEF, July 2013) [access via UN Pulse]

L’enfant dans l’asile: prise en considération de sa vulnérabilité et de son intérêt supérieur (CBAR, June 2013) [text via Refworld]

Workshop Report – The Deportation of Unaccompanied Minors from the EU: Family Tracing and Government Accountability in the European Return Platform for Unaccompanied Minors (ERPUM) Project, Oxford, 3 May 2013 [text]

New Thematic Publications on Statelessness

Compilation of Recommendations relating to Statelessness in Outcome Documents from the 1st Cycle (1st-12th sessions) of the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UNHCR, July 2013) [text]

Compilation of Recommendations relating to Statelessness during the Second Cycle (13th – 16th sessions) of the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UNHCR, July 2013) [text]

Legally Invisible, Fighting for Health Care (ENS Blog, July 2013) [text]

“Stateless in Shangri-La: Minority Rights, Citizenship, and Belonging in Bhutan,” Stanford Journal of International Law, vol. 48, no. 2 (Summer2012) [text via SSRN]

UNHCR’s Verdict on Statelessness Activities over Last Two Years: “Unprecedented” (Statelessness Programme Blog, July 2013) [text]

 

New Thematic Publications on Children; Health; and Celebrity Advocacy

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

New Thematic Publications on Children

Child Trafficking, Child Soldiering: Exploring the Relationship between Two Worst Forms of Child Labour (Child Soldiers Initiative, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Children and Armed Conflict: Report of the Secretary-General, UN Doc. No. A/67/845–S/2013/245 (UN General Assembly and Security Council, May 2013) [text via Refworld]
– See also related UN news story.

A Girl’s Right to Say No to Marriage: Working to End Child Marriage and Keep Girls in School (Plan, May 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Helpdesk Research Report: Child-friendly Spaces for Adolescent Girls in Emergency Settings (Governance and Social Development Resource Centre, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Human Rights of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Young People in the UK: First Report (Human Rights Joint Committee, June 2013) [text]
– Visit the inquiry site for background information and submitted evidence.

“In Pursuit of a New Perspective in the Education of Children of the Refugees: Advocacy for the ‘Family’,” Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, vol. 12, no. 4 (Autumn 2012) [full-text via ERIC]

Shattered Lives: Challenges and Priorities for Syrian Children and Women in Jordan (UNICEF, June 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

New Thematic Publications on Health

Access to Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment in Dadaab Refugee Camps, Kenya (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs in Humanitarian Settings: An In-depth Look at Family Planning Services (Women’s Refugee Commission, June 2013) [access]
– Follow the link for the full report in English, Arabic, French and Spanish, as well as a summary for policy makers, accompanying annexes and beneficiary reports.

Continuation of Antiretroviral Therapy for Ivorian Refugees in Liberia during the Emergency Phase (2011-2012) (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

“Is Forced Migration a Barrier to Treatment Success? Similar HIV Treatment Outcomes among Refugees and a Surrounding Host Community in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,” AIDS and Behavior, Latest Articles, June 2013 [open access text]

“No Longer a Place of Refuge: Health Consequences of Mandatory Detention for Refugees,” Canadian Family Physician, vol. 59, no. 6 (June 2013) [free full-text]

UNHCR’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Persons of Concern: Global Review (UNHCR, June 2013) [text]

New Thematic Publications on Celebrity Advocacy

While Angelina Jolie currently reigns as the most famous “star” associated with refugees, this World Refugee Day, UNHCR has called on a wide variety of other well-known people to voice their support for refugees through video messages, photos of themselves with their “most important things”, and lots of tweets.

Several recent publications take an academic look at the role played by celebrities in human rights and humanitarian activism and charity work:

“The Celebritization of Human Trafficking,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences (forthcoming, 2013) [eprint via SSRN]
– See also related blog post.

Celebrity Humanitarianism The Ideology of Global Charity (Routledge, Oct. 2012) [info]
– See also debate, book review, and author comment.

“‘Getting in Touch with Your Inner Angelina’: Celebrity Humanitarianism and the Cultural Politics of Gendered Generosity in Volunteer Tourism,” Third World Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 3 (2013) [abstract]
– An earlier version of this paper was presented at an AAG conference session on “Celebrity, Media and Vital Causes.”

“The Long Shadow of Band Aid Humanitarianism: Revisiting the Dynamics between Famine and Celebrity,” Third World Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 3 (2013) [abstract]

 

 

New Thematic Publications on Humanitarian Assistance; Children; and Rwandan Refugees

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

New Publications on Humanitarian Assistance

A Call for Evidence-based Decision-making in Humanitarian Response (ALNAP Forum, April 2013) [text]

Hugo Slim: Legal and Ethical to Pursue Cross-Border Humanitarian Aid (Global Observatory, April 2013) [access]

“Humanitarian Workers Unprepared for Decades of Conflict, Warns UNHCR,” The Guardian, 30 April 2013 [text]

“Improving Humanitarian Coordination: Common Challenges and Lessons Learned from the Cluster Approach,” Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (April 2013) [full-text]

*International Legal Frameworks for Humanitarian Action: Topic Guide (Governance and Social Development Resource Centre, March 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

The Many Meanings of Humanitarianism (Debating Development, March 2013) [text]

*updated

New Publications on Children

Childhood under Fire: The Impact of Two Years of Conflict in Syria (Save the Children, March 2013) [text]

Children on the Move (IOM, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Fractured Childhoods: The Separation of Families by Immigration Detention (Bail for Immigration Detainees, April 2013) [text via Migrants’ Rights Network]

“The Kids before Khadr: Haitian Refugee Children on Guantanamo [A Comment on Richard J. Wilson’s Omar Khadr: Domestic and International Litigation Strategies for a Child in Armed Conflict Held at Guantanamo],” Santa Clara Journal of International Law, vol. 11, no. 1 (2012) [full-text]

Mortality among Populations of Southern and Central Somalia Affected by Severe Food Insecurity and Famine during 2010-2012 (FEWS Net, May 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]
– “Half of deaths were children under five.”

World Report on Child Labour: Economic Vulnerability, Social Protection and the Fight against Child Labour (ILO, April 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

New Publications on Rwandan Refugees

A Cessation of Choice for Rwandan Refugees (Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Dec. 2012) [text]

Contesting Refugee Status Cessation: The Rwandan Case (Oxford Human Rights Hub, March 2013) [text]

“From Urban Catastrophe to ‘Model’ City? Politics, Security and Development in Postconflict Kigali,” Urban Studies, vol. 50, no. 15 (forthcoming 2013) [eprint via LSE Research Online]

Hutu Refugees Fear Forced Return to Rwanda (AP’s The Big Story, April 2013) [text]

“Longing for Home: Pre-genocide and Post-genocide Refugees in Rwanda,” African Journal on Conflict Resolution, vol. 12, no. 3 (2012) [full-text]
– Scroll to p. 77.

Ministerial Meeting Reviews Timeline for Solving Rwandan Refugee Situation (UNHCR, April 2013) [text]
– Read also speech given by South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, and news report on the DRC’s position.

Nakivale Refugee Settlement (Lived Possibilities Blog, April 2013) [text]

Political Survival as a Motive in Decision-Making: The UNHCR and the Rwandan Refugee Crisis, Undergraduate Thesis (Univ. of Maryland, March 2013) [text]

“Recommendations of the International Conference on Rwandan Refugees, held in Brussels, Belgium, on 19 and 20 April, 2013,” Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 37 (May 2013) [full-text]

“Rwandan Refugees – Is It Safe toCome Home?,” Panel at ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting, Washington, DC, 23-27 April 2013 [info]
– Scroll to p. 68; see also a brief overview of the panel discussion in FRLAN, no. 37 (May 2013).

New Thematic Publications on Children/Education; Humanitarian Assistance; and Climate Change/Natural Disasters

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

New Publications on Children/Education

UNHCR has published a new global review, this time on displaced youth.  Here’s part of the description:

“This review explores UNHCR’s engagement with displaced youth, refugees and IDPs, by analysing the agency’s mandate in relation to youth through its policies, guidelines and strategies, institutional infrastructure, approaches to identifying and responding to the needs of displaced youth, current funding, programmes and monitoring and evaluation processes.”

It concludes: “Displaced youth may well constitute a majority within the population of concern to UNHCR, but because of the lack of clarity of concept, limited policy focus, little dedicated funding and limited comprehensive youth programming, this segment of displaced populations has become largely invisible within UNHCR.”

Other publications:

Age Assessment: A Technical Note (UNICEF, Jan. 2013) [text via Refworld]

Children First and Foremost: A Guide to Realising the Rights of Children and Families in an Irregular Migration Situation (PICUM, Feb. 2013) [text]

Immigration: mineurs non accompagnés (European Commission, Feb. 2013) [text]

Rapid Assessment of Refugee Education in Kampala: With a Focus on Access to Primary and Secondary Education amongst Congolese Refugees (Xavier Project, Oct. 2012) [text]

Refugee and Immigrant Students: Achieving Equity in Education (Information Age Publishing, 2012) [info]

New Publications on Humanitarian Assistance

Evidence & Knowledge in Humanitarian Action, Background Paper for 28th ALNAP Meeting, Washington, DC, 5-7 March 2013  (ALNAP, Feb. 2013) [text]

“Humanitarian Aid: Are Effectiveness and Sustainability Impossible Dreams?,” Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (March 2013) [full-text]

Interview with Jérémie Labbé on the Future of Humanitarianism (Global Observatory, Feb. 2013) [text]

Understanding Resilience (IRIN, March 2013) [text]
– Introduction to an in-depth analysis on “Building Resilience.”

New Publications on Climate Change/Natural Disasters

Climate Change, Migration and Security: Best Practice Policy and Operational Options for Mexico (Royal United Services Institute, Jan. 2013) [text via Oppenheimer Chair]

Climate Displacement Law Project: Towards an International Legal Standard (Displacement Solutions, March 2013) [text]

“Climate Refugees,” Entry in Climate Change: An Encyclopedia of Science and History (ABC-CLIO, Jan. 2013 [Google Books]
– Most of the entry can be previewed via Google Books; scroll to pp. 286-292.

ClimMig Conference on Human Rights, Environmental Change, Migration and Displacement, Vienna, 20-21 September 2012 [access]
– Keynote speeches and papers presented at the conference are available.

In the Neighborhood: The Growing Role of Regional Organizations in Disaster Risk Management (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, March 2013) [text]
– See also related UpFront blog post.

Natural Disasters as Threats to Peace, Special Report, no. 324 (U.S. Institute of Peace, Feb. 2013) [text]

 

 

 

New Publications on The Migrant Journey; Irregular Immigrants; Children; and Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre

Children – First and Foremost

The Migrant Journey
Third Report. Research Report 69. February 2013
Published by the UK Home Office

This third report follows on from ‘The Migrant Journey’ (Achato, Eaton and Jones, 2010) and ‘The Migrant Journey: Second Report’ (Achato, Eaton and Jones, 2011), by providing new analysis on two further cohorts of migrants granted entry clearance visas in 2005 and 2006 and migrants granted settlement in 2010 and 2011. The report also provides updated estimates for the previously published 2004 and 2009 cohorts. For the first time migrants granted visit visas have been included.

[Download Full Report]
See Also – Data tables – Migrant Journey: Third Report (Microsoft Excel file – 115kb)
(Source: The Home Office – Migrant Journey: Third Report).

Returning Irregular Immigrants: How Effective is the EU’s Response?
Briefing written by Myriam Cherti and Miklos Szilard for the Institute for Public Policy Research, (IPPR).
[Download Full Report]

Returning Irregular Immigrants: Is Deportation the UK’s Only Option?
Briefing written by Myriam Cherti and Brhmie Balaram for the Institute for Public Policy Research, (IPPR).
[Download Full Report]

Children – First and Foremost: A guide to realising the rights of children and families in an irregular migration situation.
Report produced by PICUM: the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.

This guide is the result of the “Building Strategies to Improve the Protection of UndocumentedChildren in Europe” project, which aimed to spread understanding of the challenges children in an irregular migration situation face in accessing their fundamental rights to education, healthcare and housing in Europe, and to share and develop good practices and strategies to overcome these barriers.

Equally, in a press release by the Migrants’ Rights Network, it is stated that:

Children – First and Foremost explains that undocumented children face higher risks of poverty, exploitation, social exclusion andf violence. Whilst children in general are supposed to be protected by special laws and institutions promoting their right to security, education and health services, those whose irregular immigration status, or who are a part of a family with adult members threatened with detention and removal, are often unable to obtain the benefit of this system.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: Migrants’ Rights Network – New PICUM report sets out ways to act to support the rights of undocumented children).

Report on an announced full follow-up inspection of Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre, 8 -11 October 2012
by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Tinsley House holds up to 119 male detainees, and also has an adjoining facility for families with children which can hold up to eight families. Over the previous 12 months, just over 40 families had been held in the family unit, normally for a matter of hours. At its last inspection in February 2011, the centre was performing reasonably well or better against inspectors’ four tests of a healthy establishment. This inspection found evidence of further improvement with the centre now performing well in three of the tests: safety, activities and preparation for removal and release.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: HM Inspectorate of Prisons – Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre – continued progress).

 

New Report: Parliamentary inquiry into asylum support for children and young people

News from The Children’s Society and The Refugee Council:

Parliamentary inquiry into asylum support for children and young people

Link: The Children’s Society

Based on the parliamentary hearings and the submitted evidence received, the panel released its findings as:

• an executive summary
• a full report

Read the press release about the report’s shocking findings.

Recommendations and our campaign

As a result of the shocking findings this inquiry uncovered, as well as our research and years of work providing direct assistance to young asylum-seekers, refugees and their families, we began the End Forced Destitution campaign.

The campaign’s goal is for the government to adopt recommendations made in the inquiry’s report.

Get involved in our campaign.

Evidence

The inquiry collected written evidence on specific questions from a range of perspectives. They also conducted three oral evidence sessions.

Learn more about the:

• written evidence
• oral evidence sessions

See Also: The Refugee Council –

MPs’ report shows asylum support system fails children & young people

A damning parliamentary report published today has found that the asylum support system is failing to meet the needs of many children and families, and in a worrying number of cases, putting children in unsafe situations or ones that will be harmful to their heath.

The Refugee Council submitted written evidence to the parliamentary inquiry into asylum support for children and young people, led by former children’s minister Sarah Teather MP, in December 2012. The inquiry panel comprised MPs from all three main parties, as well as a Bishop, a barrister and the Chief Executive of the Children’s Society, who supported the inquiry. The report, released today, contains evidence from many different organisations and individuals, including experts in the health and well-being of children and asylum seekers living on section 95 support (for people waiting for a decision on their claim) and section 4 support (for those who have been refused).

The full news story is available [here].

 

New Publications on Children; Innovation/ICT; and Climate Change/Disasters

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

New Publications on Children

“Hosting Strangers: Hospitality and Family Practices in Fostering Unaccompanied Refugee Young People,”Child & Family Social Work, vol. 18, no. 1 (Feb. 2013) [free full-text]

A Lot to Learn: Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Post-16 Learning (Refugee Council, Jan. 2013) [text]

Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (Child Protection Working Group, Oct. 2012) [text]
– See also related USAID blog post.

Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Asylum Support for Children and Young People (Jan. 2013) [access]

Turned Away: Summary Returns of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Adult Asylum Seekers from Italy to Greece (HRW, Jan. 2013) [text]

What Out-of-school Resources and Practices Facilitate African Refugee Students’ Educational Success in Australian Rural and Regional Settings? (Charles Sturt University, March 2012) [text]

New Publications on Innovation/ICT

Digital Education in Rural Uganda (UNICEF UK Blog, Jan. 2012) [text]

In Ecuador, a New Learning Centre Combines Garbage and Gigabytes (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]
– See photo.

Mobile and Internet Use in Crisis-affected Communities: Can I Phone a Friend? (Global Humanitarian Assistance, Nov. 2012) [text]

On a Mission to Close a Gap between UNHCR and Refugees (HCD Connect, Jan. 2013) [text]

New Publications on Climate Change/Disasters

“Bangladesh’s Climate Refugees: ‘It’s a Question of Life’ – Audio Slideshow,” The Guardian, 29 Jan. 2013 [access]

“Environmental Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region: Could We Hang Out Sometime?,” Asian Journal of International Law, vol. 3, no. 1 (Jan. 2013) [free full-text]
– Free access until 12 May 2013.

Summary Report: International Course on Law and Legal Protection in Natural Disasters, Sanremo, 3-7 December 2012 [text]

When Disasters and Conflicts Collide: Improving Links between Disaster Resilience and Conflict Prevention  (ODI, Feb. 2013) [text]

 

New Publications on Australia; Humanitarian Assistance; and Children, Education

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

New Publications on Australia

Activists Rap Australia’s Offshore Processing of Migrants (IRIN, Jan. 2013) [text]

“Collateral Damage: The Impact of Australian Asylum Seeker Policy on Christmas Islanders (2001-2011),” Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures, vol. 6, no. 2 (2012) [open access text]

Experiences of Parenting among Burmese Refugee Mothers in a Facilitated Playgroup (Edith Cowan University, Oct. 2012) [text]
– Looks at the experiences of refugee families in Australia.

“Dark Justice: Australia’s Indefinite Detention of Refugees on Security Grounds under International Human Rights Law,” Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol. 13, no. 2 (Forthcoming, Nov. 2012; posted Jan. 2013) [text via SSRN]

“‘Fair Shake of the Sauce Bottle’: Reform Options for Making ASIO Security Assessments of Refugees Fairer,” Alternative Law Journal, vol. 37, no. 4 (2012) [preprint via SSRN]

Insider Resistance: Understanding Refugee Protest against Immigration Detention in Australia 1999-2005 (Centre for Human Rights Education, Nov. 2012) [text]
– Includes link to thesis.

Released but not yet Free: Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Community after Long-term Detention (Centre for Human Rights Education, Dec. 2012) [text via BroCAP]

“UNHCR Takes Aim at Australia over Nauru Detainees ,” Town & Country Magazine, 14 Dec. 2012 [text]

New Publications on Humanitarian Assistance

Aid Worker Security Report 2012: Host States and Their Impact on Security for Humanitarian Operations (Humanitarian Outcomes, Dec. 2012) [text]

Mapping and Navigating the Humanitarian System: An Interactive Guide (Development Initiatives, Jan. 2013) [access]

“Principles and Practices of Evaluating Humanitarian Programmes,” Workshop at 10th EES Biennial Conference, Helsinki, 1-5 October 2012 [info]
– See also related ALNAP and DARA blog posts.

Protection in Practice: Food Assistance with Safety and Dignity (World Food Programme, Jan. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

The State of HR in International Humanitarian and Development Organisations 2013 (People In Aid, Jan. 2013) [text]

New Publications on Children, Education
Getting Real on Children’s Rights: Is Offshore Processing Compatible with Australia’s Legal Obligations to Child Refugee Applicants? (Oxford Human Rights Hub, Sept. 2012) [text]

“Rethinking the Guardianship of Refugee Children after the Malaysian Solution,” Sydney Law Review, vol. 34, no. 3 (Sept. 2012) [full-text]

“United by Language, Literacy and Learning: Creating Spaces in Schools to Support Refugee Literacy,” PRISM: A Journal of Regional Engagement, vol. 1, no. 2 (2012) [open access text]

What Future for Undocumented Migrant Children in the UK? (Postcards from…, Jan. 2013) [text]

“Where Have All the Teachers Gone? Why There Are Never any Teachers in Africa’s Refugee Camps and What We Can Do about It,” Chapter in Next Steps in Managing Teacher Migration: Papers of the Sixth Commonwealth Research Symposium on Teacher Mobility, Recruitment and Migration, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 8-9 June 2011 (UNESCO & Commonwealth Secretariat, 2012) [full-text]
– Scroll to p. 88.

 

New Publications on Urban Displacement and Statelessness, esp. re. Children

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

Publications on Urban Displacement

Challenges and Livelihood Strategies of Darfurian Refugees Living in Kampala, Uganda, Thesis presented to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences (University of San Francisco, Dec. 2011) [text]

Refugees: The Urban Challenge (IRIN, Jan. 2013) [text]
– Part of feature on “Aid in an Urbanizing World.”

Sanctuary in the City? Urban Displacement and Vulnerability in the Gaza Strip, HPG Working Paper (ODI, Dec. 2012) [text]

Syria: A Regional Crisis (IRC, Jan. 2013) [text]
– Notes the urgent needs of urban refugees.

Publications on Statelessness, esp. re. Children

isplacemen

Because Quality Matters – in Statelessness Determination as Well (ENS Blog, Jan. 2013) [text]

Governments Should Act in the Best Interest of Stateless Children (Human Rights Comment, Jan. 2013) [text]
– This comment from the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner was also reproduced as a guest post on the ENS blog.

Guidelines on Statelessness No. 4: Ensuring Every Child’s Right to Acquire a Nationality through Articles 1-4 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (UNHCR, Dec. 2012) [text]

“I am Kuwaiti” (Open Society Foundations, Jan. 2013) [text]
– Includes photo exhibit.

Nationality: From Genuine Connections to Tenuous Links (Oecumene Blog, Jan. 2013) [text]

Report of the Regional Workshop on Statelessness and the Rights of Women and Children, Manila, 18-19 November 2011 [text]
– See also summary from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).

UNHCR Intervention at the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Paris, 12 November 2012 [text]
– Relates to acquiring a nationality in Europe.

 

New Publications on Europe; Children; and the Americas

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

Publications on Europe

Access to Family Reunification for Beneficiaries of International Protection in Central Europe (UNHCR Central Europe, Dec. 2012) [text]

“Detained at the Eastern Border – Part 2,” IPS, 18 Dec. 2012 [text]

Greece: The End of the Road for Refugees, Asylum-seekers and Migrants (Amnesty International, Dec. 2012) [text]
– See also related news release.

Migration and Asylum in Malta and the European Union (Malta University Press, 2012) [info]

Note on Dublin Transfers to Hungary of People Who Have Transited through Serbia (UNHCR, Dec. 2012) [text]
– An update of the Oct. 2012 version.

Restrictions on Defenders of Migrants’ Rights Should Stop (Human Rights Comment, Dec. 2012) [text]

EU’s Asylum Policy: A Liberal Intergovernmental Analysis of the Common European Asylum System (Roskilde University, Dec. 2012) [text]

EU Immigration and Asylum Law in 2012: The Year of Living Ineffectually (Statewatch, Dec. 2012) [text]

“In Italy, Shantytowns of Refugees Reflect Paradox on Asylum,” New York Times, 27 Dec. 2012 [text]

“An Introduction to Frontex: Human Rights,” Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 33 (Jan. 2013) [text]

‘“Moving Forward on Asylum in the EU”: UNHCR’s Recommendations to Ireland for its EU Presidency, January-June 2013 (UNHCR, Dec. 2012) [text]
– Note: See also the Irish EU Presidency web site.

Note du Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés relative à l’évaluation des demandes d’asile introduites par des femmes (UNHCR, Dec. 2012) [text]

“Regarding Asylum Policy, Norway is Far from Being the First Class in Europe,” Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 33 (Jan. 2013) [text]

“‘Vile Liars and Truth Distorters’: Truth, Trust and the Asylum System,” Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 33 (Jan. 2013) [text]

Publications on Children

Blog Carnival to Mark the Irish Refugee Council’s 6 Month Review of the Independent Advocacy Pilot (Irish Refugee Council & Human Rights Ireland, Dec. 2012) [access]
– Compilation of blog posts on issues relating to separated children seeking asylum.

Evaluation of the Independent Advocacy Pilot: The First 6 Months (Irish Refugee Council, Dec. 2012) [text]
– The IAP aims to support separated children and “promote the young person’s integration into Irish society and his/her understanding of the asylum process.”

Children First: The Child Protection System in England (UK House of Commons, Education Committee, Oct. 2012) [text]

Guidelines on Statelessness No. 4: Ensuring Every Child’s Right to Acquire a Nationality through Articles 1-4 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (UNHCR, Dec. 2012) [text]

Jordan: Syrian Child Refugees Who Work – Culture or Coping Mechanism? (IRIN, Dec. 2012) [text]

A Milestone in Child Protection: Child Protection Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action (U.S. Dept. of State, Nov. 2012) [text]

Publications on the Americas

Canadian Compassion Towards Refugees: A Case for Open Borders (Students for Liberty, Dec. 2012) [text]

“Gang and Cartel Violence: A Reason to Grant Political Asylum from Mexico and Central America,” Yale Journal of International Law Online, vol. 38 (Fall 2012) [full-text]

Haiti: A Humanitarian Crisis in Need of a Development Solution (IDMC, Dec. 2012) [text]

IDP Registration in Haiti: Update and Analysis of the Population Remaining in IDP Sites (IOM & Govt. of Haiti, Dec. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Event after the fact:

Lessons from Haiti: Innovations in Tracking and Housing Internally Displaced Persons, Washington, DC, 13 Dec. 2012 [access]
– Audio for this event is available along with handouts and presentations.

 

New Publications on Health; Children; and Human Trafficking & Smuggling

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

Publications on Health

“Evaluating the Mental Health Training Needs of Community-based Organizations Serving Refugees,” Advances in Social Work, vol. 13, no. 2 (2012) [open access text]

Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health into Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (WHO et al., Oct. 2012) [text]

Mental Health Needs Not Being Met for Immigrants and Refugees (CERIS, Sept. 2012) [text]

“Occupational Upheaval During Resettlement and Migration: Findings of Global Ethnography With Refugees With Disabilities,” OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, vol. 32, no. 1 (Suppl.) (Winter 2012) [full-text via Creighton University]

“Refugees’ views of the Effectiveness of Support Provided by their Host Countries,” European Journal of Psychotraumatology, vol. 3 (2012) [open access text]

“A Study of Complementary Therapies and Counselling: An Integrative Model for Refugee Health Care,” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 12(Suppl 1):P368 (June 2012) [open access text]

Publications on Children

Broken Futures: Young Afghan Asylum Seekers in the UK and on Return to their Country of Origin, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 246 (UNHCR, Oct. 2012) [text]

“Children and War: How ‘Soft’ Research Can Answer the Hard Questions in Political Science,” Perspectives on Politics, vol. 10, no. 2 (June 2012) [full-text via Chris Blattman]

Child Protection Network (Community-based Child Care Center) Nepal (UNHCR, Oct. 2012) [text]
– Looks at Mentor-Mentee Program.

Child Protection Network (Early Childhood Development Center) Nepal (UNHCR, Oct. 2012) [text]

Child Protection Network (Community-based Child Care Center) Nepal (UNHCR, Aug. 2012) [text]
– Looks at Community based Child Care Center (CCCC) program.

Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors in Australia: An Overview of National Support Arrangements and Key Emerging Issues, MYAN Policy Paper (Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, Sept. 2012) [text via BroCAP]

Publications on Human Trafficking & Smuggling

Is the Immigration of Korean Sex Workers to the United States Sex Trafficking or Migrant Smuggling? (Brookings Institution, Oct. 2012) [text]

Migrant Women Trapped in Sex Trade (IPS, Oct. 2012) [text]

“Seeking Asylum for Former Child Soldiers and Victims of Human Trafficking,”Pepperdine Law Review, vol. 39, no. 2 (2012) [open access text]

Trafficking in Persons: International Dimensions and Foreign Policy Issues for Congress (U.S. Congressional Research Service, Oct. 2012) [text]

Young Refugee Council Clients Give Evidence in Child Trafficking Case (Refugee Council, Oct. 2012) [text]
– Note “witchcraft” element in this case.

 

New Publications on Climate Change/Environmental Displacement; Children; and Statelessness

Details of these new publications were originally circulated by Elisa Mason on the incredibly useful: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog.  Further details can be found on the website at:  http://fm-cab.blogspot.co.uk/

“11 Islands That Will Vanish When Sea Levels Rise,” Business Insider, 12 Oct. 2012 [access]
– Photo essay including image on the left.

*Climate Change & Migration: What is the Role for Migration Policies? Policy Brief (ICMPD, May 2012) [text via Oppenheimer Chair]

ClimMig Conference on Human Rights, Environmental Change, Migration and Displacement, Vienna, 20-21 September [access]
– Some of the presentations at this conference are beginning to be made available, including “Forced Migration Norms in the Context of Climate Change: A Case Study of Somalia” and “Constitutionalism of Climate Justice: Towards An International Legal Framework for Responding to Climate Induced Migration and Displacement.”

DS Hosts International Workshop on Land Solutions to Climate Displacement (Displacement Solutions, Oct. 2012) [info]
– Note reference to forthcoming edited volume of papers from this workshop.

“‘Environmental Refugees’: Aspects of the Law of State Responsibility,” Chapter in Migration and Climate Change (Cambridge Univ. Press, June 2011; posted Aug. 2012) [postprint]

“Sinking Islands? Formulating a Realistic Solution to Climate Change Displacement,” New York University Law Review, vol. 87, no. 4 (Oct. 2012) [full-text]

“Thematic Section: Climate Change and Migration,” Part III in Human Rights of Migrants: Note by the Secretary-General, UN Doc. No. A/67/299 (UN General Assembly, Aug. 2012) [text via Oppenheimer Chair]

What Research on Climate Change and Human Mobility Can/Should Provide for Practitioners and Policy Makers, Informal Lunch Roundtable on Climate Change and Human Mobility, Washington, DC, 26 September 2012 [meeting report]

Education Cannot Wait: Protecting Children and Youth’s Right to a Quality Education in Humanitarian Emergencies and Conflict Situations (Global Partnership for Education, Sept. 2012) [access]

Forced From Home: The Lost Boys and Girls of Central America (Women’s Refugee Commission, Oct. 2012) [access]

Protecting Children on the Move: Addressing Protection Needs through Reception, Counselling and Referral and Enhancing Cooperation in Greece, Italy and France (UNHCR et al., July 2012) [text]

Syria’s Children: A Damaged Generation (Refugees International Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Denationalisation and the Politics of Citizenship in Zimbabwe (ENS Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Finally an Important Step towards the Solution for the Legally Invisible and Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia (ENS Blog, Oct. 2012) [text]

Recommendations Relevant to Statelessness Made during the First Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (2008-2011) (UNHCR, Sept. 2012) [text]

Stateless in Burma: Rohingya Word Wars (openDemocracy, Oct. 2012) [text]

Stateless in the United States: Current Reality and a Future Prediction (SSRN, Sept. 2012) [text]

“Statelessness in Japan: Management and Challenges,” Journal of Population and Social Studies, vol. 21, no. 1 (July 2012) [full-text]

New Publications on Rethinking Integration; Greece; Food Insecurity; Human Trafficking; Halifax Public Libraries; Children; Asylum

Rethinking integration

Rethinking integration.
A new report written by Myriam Cherti and Clare McNeil for the IPPR.

IPPR has published a report setting out what they call an ‘everyday integration’ approach to bringing cultural minorities into the mainstream.

The report argues that this contrasts with the ‘group multiculturalism’ which has been advocated by academic researchers in the past, and the more recent assimulationist approaches which have been advocated in recent years by government.

[Access Full Report].
(Source: Migrants’ Rights Network).

Update report Greece/ June 2012.
Report written by Thanos Maroukis for the CLANDESTINO Project.

In a new report posted on the project’s website they have set out an alternative assessment for 2011 which suggests figure of 390,000 as representing the upper range of credible estimates. This figure is calculated on the basis of CLANDESTINO’s baseline estimate for 2007 updated to take into account apprehension data provided by the Greek authorities and other factors used by researchers to interpret data.

[Download Full Report].
(Source: Migrants’ Rights Network).

The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI).
Produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: IDS – World Food Day: What hope for a new era of global action on food security?).

First Annual Report of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking

First Annual Report of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking – Cm. 8421.
Produced by the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group (IDMG) on Human Trafficking.

Fuelled primarily by those who seek to make a profit from the misery of others, human trafficking is the vilest of crimes and equates to modern day slavery.

Men, women and children from across the world are exploited and forced into performing services or other work against their will. In some instances the exploitation can be experienced over a prolonged period of time. Those who are exploited may face years of sexual abuse, forced labour, or domestic servitude and, in many instances never fully recover from their traumatic experience.

[Access the Report]
(Source: The Metro – Trafficking misery: illegal trade of humans into Britain ‘rising every year’).

Asset Mapping at Halifax Public Libraries: A Tool for Beginning to Discover the Library’s Role with the Immigrant Community in Halifax.
Article written by Kenneth Williment and Tracey Jones-Grant and published in Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, vol. 7, no. 1 (2012).
[Download Article]
(Source: The Network E-bulletin).

Into the unknown: Children’s journeys through the asylum
process.
A new report by the Children’s Association.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: The Network E-bulletin).

Tell it like it is: the truth about asylum.
A new report by The Refugee Council.
[Access the Report]
(Source: The Network E-bulletin).

 

 

New Reports and Publications on the Subject of Children

Details of these new resources were originally found on the Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog produced by Elisa Mason.

Reports and Publications on Children:

France Terre d’Asile and its partners have published a new study on the “Right to Asylum for Unaccompanied Minors in the European Union.” Here’s part of the Introduction:

“At the time the European Union States committed to establishing a Common European Asylum System (CEAS), the adaptation of procedures and practices for unaccompanied children seeking asylum remains an important issue. In fact, this particularly vulnerable population needs standards adapted to its specific situation. Issues such as legal guardianship, support during the procedure or conditions of interview are crucial for an effective protection of these children. In this context, this study aims to analyze legislation and practices in all the 27 EU countries, in order to identify good practices, gaps and ways to improve the implementation of the right to asylum for unaccompanied children within the European Union.”

Currently, the report is only available in English, but will also be made available in French.  There are also summaries in French and in English; six other language versions will soon follow and will be posted at the link above.

Other resources:

Animated Stories of Child Refugees (Refugee Council UK, Sept. 2012) [access]

Child Safeguarding in Cash Transfer Programming: A Practical Tool (Save the Children, Sept. 2012) [text via ReliefWeb]

Educational Integration of Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children: The Situation in Bulgaria and the Experience of Other European Countries (Center for the Study of Democracy, June 2012) [text]

“Medical, Statistical, Ethical and Human Rights Considerations in the Assessment of Age in Children and Young People Subject to Immigration Control,” British Medical Bulletin, vol. 102, no. 1 (June 2012) [text via NCADC]

Protection Interviews with Refugee Children (Humanitarian Innovation Fund, Sept. 2012) [text]

State Sanctioned Child Poverty and Exclusion: The Case of Children in State Accommodation for Asylum Seekers (Irish Refugee Council, Sept. 2012) [text]
– See also related press release.

Commission Staff Working Document on the Implementation of the Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors (European Commission, Sept. 2012) [text]

Deportation, Non-deportability and Precarious Lives (Postcards from…, Oct. 2012) [text]

Educating the Refugee Child: A Resource Guide for Teachers Working with Refugee Students from Burma (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Aug. 2012) [text]

Ensuring a Fair and Effective Asylum Process for Unaccompanied Alien Children (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, Sept. 2012) [text]
– See also related blog post.

“‘I felt that I was benefiting someone’: Youth as Agents of Change in a Refugee Community Project,” Health Education Research, vol. 27, no. 5 (Oct. 2012) [open access text]

Into the Unknown: Children’s Journeys through the Asylum Process (The Children’s Society, Sept. 2012) [text]

Multimedia:

To Say Goodbye [access] [press release]
– “Through innovative animation, the film tells the story of the 4000 Basque children evacuated to the United Kingdom in 1937. Forced to bid a hurried farewell to their parents, these children were told they would only be in the UK for three months. 75 years later, some are still there, forever separated from their parents and their homeland, their families torn apart and their childhood destroyed by a brutal and bloody conflict.”