Daily Telegraph: Isis Sexual Slavery – British Yazidi Teen Fighting to Save Her Friends

The Daily Telegraph newspaper has published a very timely article highlighting the work of a Yazidi teenager now living in Britain in attempting to help the more than 3,000 Yazidi women and girls who have been subjected to sexual slavery by Isil.

Yazidi Rozin Khalil Hanjool is petitioning the Government to rescue kidnapped Yazidi women Photo: Rozin Khalil Hanjool

Rozin Khalil Hanjool has created an online petition urging the UK government to help these Yazidi women and girls and to highlight their plight to the Western world.  The Yazidi community is a Kurdish ethnic community in Northern Iraq and reports estimate that between 5,000 and 7,000 wome were taken by Isil last year alone.

Full details of the article are available on the Daily Telegraph website at: Isis Sexual Slavery: British Yazidi Teen Fighting to Save Her Friends” by Radhika Sanghani.

Full details of the online petition is available online here:  Help the Yazidi women and girls kidnapped by ISIS

Further information can also be found in The Daily Telegraph article Yazidi girls as young as eight raped as Isil sex slaves, finds report

New resource: IRAQ BEFORE THE WAR

You may find this of interest to individuals concerned about this area of the world.

Consider “IRAQ BEFORE THE WAR” published in eight volumes.  The author is James Leon Mouradian.

These volumes are a rare source of original photography throughout Iraq prior to the most recent wars.

For years, inclusive of this photography, policies of the United States and Iraq allowed only very limited access with very restrictive censorship, which severely limited availability of information.

Since then, the two wars, ongoing violence, and displacement of the population have destroyed much of the visible records.

These volumes preserve the history and present a unique view of Iraq for future reference.

Availability is in two forms: e-Book and Hardcover Print.

See this link for detailed information:  www.LIBTW.com

The e-Books are most affordable from either Amazon.com (Kindle Store) or Apple iTunes (iBooks Store) – each source available internationally.

The Hardcover Canvas Books with Dust Jackets are available from Blurb.com (the Blurb Bookstore) – a high-quality print book source.

Title:       IRAQ BEFORE THE WAR

Author:    James Leon Mouradian

Website:   www.LIBTW.com

Re-blog: Is Iraq Entitled to the ‘Jewish Archive? – The Jewish Press

From The Jewish Press:

Is Iraq Entitled to the ‘Jewish Archive?

General Maude’s entry into Baghdad, March 11, 1917. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Ben Cohen has a dream: in a JNS article – already re-published in the Arabic press – he wishes he could take his family to visit the National Archives Museum in Baghdad to see the ‘Jewish archive’along with Iraqi schoolchildren. However, he recognises that so deep is Iraq’s hatred for Jews that his dream will never be realized. My dream is more ambitious: that Iraqi schoolchildren should be allowed to see the archive in the Babylonian Heritage Center in Israel where most Iraqi Jews now live. A few years ago, in response to a Palestinian critic who made a disparaging remark about the fact that I don’t speak Arabic, I felt compelled to write an article explaining why that is the case. I said that under different circumstances, I could have been born in an Arab country and grown up speaking Arabic. My father’s family had been settled in Iraq for generations, but they fled to England in 1941, the same year that Baghdad’s Jews were convulsed by a June pogrom known as the farhud, presaging a much larger exodus of Iraqi Jews over the next decade.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/blogs/guest-blog/is-iraq-entitled-to-the-jewish-archive/2013/09/24/

Publication: Report on Human Rights in Iraq: July – December 2012

Reblogged from Reliefweb – Report on Human Rights in Iraq: July – December 2012

Iraq’s human rights progress in question as violence takes its toll: UN Report

BAGHDAD / GENEVA (27 June 2013) – “Despite some progress, human rights in Iraq are under further threat from mounting violence”, says the UN on the release of its latest Report on Human Rights in Iraq.

The report, published by the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in cooperation with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), provides an overview of the human rights situation in Iraq from 1 July to 31 December 2012. Of primary concern is the upturn in armed violence. At least 3,238 civilians were killed and 10,379 injured in 2012 in a worrying reversal of the trend that had seen violence decline in recent years.

“The return to high casualty figures means that much more needs to be done to protect civilians,” said Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq. “We have consistently urged Iraqi leaders to engage in dialogue and develop policies that address the root causes of the problem. Too many innocent lives have been lost,” he added.

Iraq is also yet to respond to UN and international calls for a moratorium on the death penalty. “Weaknesses in the criminal justice system mean that the death sentence is often handed down under questionable circumstances in Iraq,” said Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “With 123 prisoners executed in 2012, there is a great risk that the worst miscarriages of justice imaginable are taking place here,” said Ms. Pillay.

The UN welcomed progress made to implement the National Action Plan on Human Rights, and a number of laws passed by the Council of Representatives. It called for further efforts to empower the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights and to reduce interference by political blocs.

“Women, minorities, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups in Iraq continue to suffer from discrimination, economic and social barriers, and targeted attacks,” said Ms. Pillay. “I urge the Government of Iraq to do everything possible to implement the recommendations made in this report. Strengthening human rights institutions should be a top priority.”

“Iraqi citizens look to their leaders for protection,” concluded Mr. Kobler. “The human rights of all Iraqis should be of paramount concern for all members of the Iraqi Government.”

[Download Full Report]

See Also –Mounting violence in Iraq erodes progress on human rights – UN report

See Also – Iraq’s human rights progress in question as violence takes its toll: UN Report

ENDS

For further information and interview requests, please contact:

In Baghdad: Eliane Nabaa, Chief of Public Information Office, United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (+964 79 01 101 989 / Email: nabaa@un.org)

In Geneva: Mr. Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office – (+41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org); Liz Throssell (+ 41 22 917 9434 / ethrossell@ohchr.org) or Cécile Pouilly (+41 22 917 9310 or +41 79 618 3430 / cpouilly@ohchr.org).

 

New Regional Publications on Syria; Iraq; and Africa

New Regional Publications on Syria

Childhood Under Fire: the impact of two years of conflict in Syria.
By Save the Children.

From the very beginning of the crisis in Syria, children have been its forgotten victims – facing death, trauma and suffering, and deprived of basic humanitarian aid. Save the Children estimates that nearly 2 million children are in need of assistance in Syria…

This report shows how the conflict is affecting all aspects of children’s lives. Families are struggling to find a safe place to stay, as nearly 3 million buildings have been damaged or destroyed. The lines of fighting move almost daily, so families often do not know if the place they’ve settled in today will be safe tomorrow. Most displaced families share overcrowded apartments and houses, but an estimated 80,000 internally displaced people are sleeping out in caves, parks or barns.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: Docubase]

New Regional Publications on Iraq

Iraq: A Decade of Abuses
by Amnesty International.

Ten years after the US-led invasion that toppled the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, Iraq remains mired in human rights abuses. Thousands of Iraqis are detained without trial or serving prison sentences imposed after unfair trials, torture remains rife and continues to be committed with impunity, and the new Iraq is one of the world’s leading executioners. The government hanged 129 prisoners in 2012, while hundreds more languished on death row. Yet, when he launched the campaign of “shock and awe” in March 2003, that swept away Saddam Hussein’s regime within just four weeks, then US President George W Bush justified the military intervention partly on human rights grounds, pointing to the many grave crimes committed under the Iraqi leader. The decade since, however, as this report shows, has brought only limited change although tens of thousands of Iraqis’ lives have been lost, mostly during the political and sectarian violence that succeeded the armed conflict and continues to this day. As the record shows, in the years when they held sway, the US-dominated coalition of occupying forces created their own legacies of human rights abuse, for which there is yet to be full accountability, and failed to implement new standards that fundamentally challenged the mould of repression set under Saddam Hussein. Today, assuredly, many Iraqis enjoy greater rights and freedom than existed under the ousted dictator but the margin of improvement is far less than it should be, and the country remains wracked by political, religious and other divisions and serious abuses of human rights.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: Docubase)

 

New Regional Publications on Africa

“I can’t be a citizen if I am still a refugee.”: Former Burundian Refugees Struggle to Assert their newTanzanian Citizenship
By the International Refugee Rights Initiative.
[Download Full Report]

Architects of Atrocity: The Sudanese Government’s War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and Torture in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.
By the Enough Project.
[Download Full Report]

 

 

Call for Papers: Iraq, 10 Years On

*** Apologies for Cross Posting ***

Call for Papers: Iraq – 10 years on: Conflicts – Migrations – Futures Cairo, Egypt, 3-4 June 2013

Hosted by the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) at the American University in Cairo and sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences

Deadline for submission of abstracts: **31 January 2013.**

March 19, 2003 was one of the signal moments of the early 21st century. Invasion of Iraq, followed by regime change” and transformation of the political system, was to have profound consequences – locally, regionally and at the global level. These have seldom been examined systematically: with partial withdrawal of occupying armies the Iraq crisis is often declared to be “over”, its impacts largely ignored by politicians and media outside the country.

A decade after the events of 2003, this conference considers how invasion, occupation and reconstruction have affected Iraq, Iraqis, and regional and international politics. It addresses four key issues:

– political and economic change

– outcomes for regional/international politics

– migration in and from Iraq

– cultural impacts in Iraq and the diaspora

A full announcement for this conference is available on the conference’s website: http://iraq10years.info/

For more information, email: iraq10years@yahoo.com

 

Call for Papers: Iraq – 10 years on

Iraq – 10 years on
conflicts – migrations – futures
a multi-disciplinary conference at The American University in Cairo(Tahrir Campus)
3-4 June 2013

CALL FOR PAPERS
March 19 2003 was one of the signal moments of the early 21^st century. Invasion of Iraq, followed by “regime change” and transformation of the political system, was to have profound consequences – locally, regionally and at the global level. These have seldom been examined systematically: with partial withdrawal of occupying armies the Iraq crisis is often declared to be “over”, its impacts largely ignored by politicians and media outside the country.

A decade after the events of 2003, this conference considers how invasion, occupation and reconstruction have affected Iraq, Iraqis, and regional and international politics. It addresses four key issues:

　political and economic change    　outcomes for regional/ international　politics
　migration in and from Iraq        　cultural impacts in Iraq and the diaspora

Iraq and the region
Few societies have undergone such rapid and controversial change as that experienced in Iraq since 2003. The political order has been radically reshaped, a new economic agenda has been emplaced and Kurdish regional authorities have assumed a governmental role. Iraq has meanwhile become one of the world’s largest source countries for refugees; almost equal numbers of Iraqis have been “internally” displaced.

People formerly excluded from Iraqi politics have secured new positions of authority, while some who enjoyed privileged status have been marginalised. Inequalities have become more pronounced: a minority has been enriched, while millions of Iraqis have for the first time been classified as “urban poor”. Similar changes are evident in a diaspora that has increased greatly in size and extent – some refugees have prospered while most face economic disadvantage and general insecurity.

There have been significant impacts in the Arab region. Protests over invasion and occupation of Iraq have contributed to grassroots activism – especially in Egypt, where they are seen retrospectively as markers of change that finally brought revolution in 2011. The idea of “regime change” by means of external intervention continues to influence debates on political transformation, notably in the cases of Libya and Syria. At the same time, Iraqis – now widely dispersed across the Arab region – have been largely excluded from public discussion about events which profoundly changed their lives.

Papers and publications
Iraq – 10 Years On will take place on 3 and 4 June 2013 at the Tahrir Campus of The American University in Cairo. It will be hosted by AUC’s Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS), School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP), and sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.The organisers invite papers, including joint contributions and panels, from across the academic disciplines and especially from social scientists, historians and others who have recently conducted research on Iraq and Iraqis. We also invite participation from writers, artists, film-makers and others involved in cultural activity. Key papers will be published in one or more volumes which will break new ground by reflecting on the long-term outcomes of 2003 for Iraq and its people, and the impact of recent events upon Arab society.

There will be limited funding available to support travel and accommodation in Cairo: priority will be given to Iraqi scholars and researchers, and to young academics. Please send an abstract of not more than 300 words to the Organising Committee, email: iraq10years@yahoo.com by 31 January 2013.

The Organising Committee is convened by: Prof Keiko Sakai (Chiba University, Japan),
Prof Ibrahim Awad (The American University in Cairo), Prof Dawn Chatty (University of Oxford),
Prof Raymond Hinnebusch (University of St Andrews), Prof. Mahmoud al-Qaysi (University of Baghdad)
and Prof Philip Marfleet (University of East London)

New Publications on State of Arab Cities; Cote d’Ivoire; Iraq; EASO; European Agency for Fundamental Rights; Work Issues

EASO Annual Report

The State of Arab Cities 2012: Challenges of Urban Transition.
A new report published by UN-Habitat.

From ALNAP:

The State of Arab Cities Report 2012 is the first report in the UN-Habitat series on the state of cities to focus on the Arab world. It presents a collective picture of urban conditions and trends in each of four Arab regions (Maghreb, Mashreq, Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) and Southern Tier), and provides a discussion of the similarities, differences and linkages between these countries in the context of a larger
Arab region.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: ALNAP).

Save the Children’s Emergency Response to Post-Electoral Violence in Cote d’Ivoire.
Produced by Save the Children.
[Download Full Report and Executive Summary]
(Source: ALNAP).

Improving security for minorities in Iraq.
A new briefing report written for Minority Rights Group International by Chris Chapman.
[Download Here]
See Also – Improving Security for Minorities in Iraq.
(Source: Minority Rights Group International).

2011 Annual report on the Situation of Asylum in the European Union and on

FRA Annual Report

the Activities of the European Asylum Support Office.
New annual report produced by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has been published.
[The press release and report can be downloaded here (.zip).]
(Source: EASO Monitor)

‘Fundamental rights: challenges and achievements 2011’: The 2011 Annual Report of the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
Produced by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
[Download Full Report]

(Source: EASO Monitor)

“Comments on ‘Determinants of Labor Market Participation and Wages of North Korean Female Refugees in South Korea’,” Asian Economic Policy Review, vol. 7, no. 1 (June 2012) [free full-text: comment 1; comment 2]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

“Encouraging Self-Reliance,” UNHCR Global Report 2011 (UNHCR, June 2012) [text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Refugee Employment in Health Policy Paper (AHHA & AMES, May 2012) [text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

“Social Networks and the Dynamics of Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from Refugees Resettled in the U.S.,” Review of Economic Studies, vol. 79, no. 1 (2012) [free full-text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Updates from Geneva: UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Touts the Right to Work (Refugees and the Right to Work Blog, July 2012) [text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

New Publications on Libya; Children and Destitution; Iran and UNHCR

In War's Wake: The Struggle for Post-Qadhafi Libya

In War’s Wake: The Struggle for Post-Qadhafi Libya.
By Jason Pack and Barak Barfi and published by the Washington Institute on Near East Policy.
[Download Full Report]
(Source: DocuBase)

I don’t feel human: Experiences of destitution among young refugees and migrants.   A new report by The Children’s Society reveals alarming levels of destitution among refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children and young people.
[Download Full Report]
Further Information:
Children’s Society – Report: Shocking destitution among asylum-seeking and migrant children
Refugee Council – Child refugees being forced into destitution, report shows: Refugee Council response

“We are ordered to crush you”: Expanding Repression of Dissent in Iran.   A new report published by Amnesty International which:

details how, in the wake of protests called by opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi in February 2011, the Iranian authorities have steadily cranked up repression of dissent in law and practice, launching a wave of arrests in recent months.

[Download Full Report]
(Source: Amnesty International – Iran: New report finds surge in repression of dissent).

UNHCR has begun issuing “Guidelines on Statelessness.” The first is “The Definition of ‘Stateless Person’ in Article 1(1) of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.” The aim is to “provide interpretive legal guidance for governments, NGOs, legal practitioners, decision-makers and the judiciary, as well as for UNHCR staff and other UN agencies involved in addressing statelessness.”
[Download Full Report]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

New OECD Migration Report and Further Publications

International Migration Outlook 2011

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD), have just released the latest edition of their annual publication entitled, `The International Migration Outlook 2011.‘  According to the OECD,

This publication provides an analysis of recent developments in migration movements and policies in OECD countries and two analytical chapters, covering migrant entrepreneurship and international migration to Israel.

Further information on this publication and a Free preview  can be found on the OECD website here :  [access page]
A Guardian newspaper article is also available, entitled : International migration: where do people go and where from?

A new report published by Human Rights Watch and entitled, `Dead Men Walking : Convict Porters on the Front Lines in Eastern Burma.’  Details from the Human Rights Watch website state that :

This 70-page report details abuses against convict

Dead Men Walking by Human Rights Watch

porters including summary executions, torture, and the use of the convicts as “human shields.” The military should stop forcibly recruiting prisoners as porters and mistreating them, and those responsible for ordering or participating in suchtreatment should be prosecuted, Human Rights Watch and the Karen Human Rights Group said.

The link to this document is here : http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2011/07/12/dead-men-walking-0

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, (UNPO), has published a report entitled, `Special report on violence against indigenous Jumma in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.’   The press release states that,

`JusticeMakers Bangladesh Trust (JMBangladesh), along with Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), The Hague, The Netherlands have [provided a report of their recent] fact finding investigation into the arson attacks against minority Jumma communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh, which occurred in February and April of 2011.’

The full report, in PDF format, is available to download – [here] ;
The press release is also available online – [here].

New IDMC report entitled, `Occupied Palestinian Terrortory : No end to the internal displacement.’  Read the report in [HTML] or [PDF] format.  The relevant IDMC country page is also available – [here].

New IDMC briefing paper entitled, `Iraq : IDPs and their prospects for durable solutions.’  This briefing paper is available for download in PDF format – [here].  The IDMC Iraq country page is also available.

New report from the UK Home Office science website.  A new report entitled, `Family Migration:  evidence and analysis.’  This can be downloaded in PDF format – [here].