9/15/16

 

Refugees have always been an issue so long as war exists; we see that in WWI and WWII. However, recently more conflicts, such as in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, and Syria, have caused a multitude of refugees in the world. In that time, we have dealt with refugees more formally: starting with the League of Nations, to the Nansen Passport, to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. The large international framework for refugees is found under the 1951 Convention, which was a response to people fleeing Europe prior to 1951. Today, the UN has adopted the 1967 Protocol, which expands its statements to a global scope with an unlimited time frame. Not everyone who flees a country is considered a refugee in the eyes of the international law; in order to qualify as a refugee, you must have a "well-founded fear" that you will be harmed in your country on the basis of race, religion, political group, etc. Sur place is when someone is visiting another country and then something happens in their home country which places them at risk for persecution at home--they can become refugees. Prima facie is a term used in the OAU Conventions (Africa) and the Cartagena Convention (Latin America) to describe a situation where a country within a civil war has mass groups of refugees. Before someone can become a refugee, they must first seek asylum. When they claim asylum, the refugee status determination (RSD) process begins. 

 

9/22/16

 

There are more than 4.7 billion Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and one million have applied for asylum in Europe. Half of the nations pre-war population has either been killed or been forced to flee. The crisis began in March 2011, amidst the Arab Spring, with anti-government demonstrations. After the government cracked down on the peaceful protesters, the rebels began fighting back. The civil war has killed 250,000 people, half of who are presumed to be Syrians. The UN also estimates that 6.6 million people are internally displaced. Many refugees are living in Lebanon and Jordan. Syrians have also escaped into northern Iraq. Many are also fleeing into Turkey, which has caused a great amount of tension. The number of refugees has been growing exponentially since the initial Arab Spring demonstration.

 

9/29 /16

 

People Living "in Sheer Terror" Around Lake Chad

 

In the Lake Chad area, there are large amounts of people fleeing because of Boko Haram, violence in their own countries and outside, and acts committed by various military governments. There are few health facilities, some have been closed because a lack of drugs and equipment or people personnel had to flee. Many who have fled are in vulnerable living conditions. Because people cannot farm their land, food prices have also increased dramatically. The MSF (Doctors Without Borders) has provided assistance in Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, and Niger. However because there are places where they cannot go, it is difficult to get the full extent of the need. The people are unsafe and unwilling to return to their homes.

 

Exodus: South Sudan

 

Since South Sudan declared its independence of North Sudan (mainly because of differences between ethnic groups), there has been conflict in South Sudan. South Sudan hit a crisis by December 2013: violence, epidemics, and malnutrition are common yet the healthcare system cannot cover the most basic needs. Failure to delimitate the border means there is still unrest--several territorial disputes remains unsolved. Many of these refugees were able to register with the UNHCR. Salva Kiir became the president in South Sudan with Riek Machar as his VP. However, when Machar was fired from office, he led rebel forces against the government--this is why there was a crisis and violence has erupted in South Sudan. Markets, hospitals, and public spaces were under fire soon. This conflict affected all main ethnic groups, forcing 1.7 million people from their homes.

 

10/3/16

 

Detained, Deceived, and Deported: Experiences of Recently Deported Central American Families

 

This article includes stories of 8 Central American women who went to the US for refuge however, they were deported. The Northern Triangle of Central America is one of the most dangerous regions in the world. In these three countries, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, organized crime groups compete for control over the territories. The escalation of violence in these areas has made many people flee these countries. However, when they arrived at the US they were placed into Family Detention Facilities and sent back to their countries. Upon returning to their countries, they were forced to live in hiding to protect themselves. They cannot rely on the government to protection them so they must find other ways to stay safe, like paying private security to keep them safe. These people feel hopeless because they cannot count on their police to keep them safe and because the US won't take them in. They live in fear, unable to go outside or work for fear of being found out. They live limited lives because of their circumstances.

 

Uganda: A Widowed Father's Troubles

 

This video is about a man named Gabriel and his family who fled violence and came to an UN compound in Bor. However in 2015, an armed mob attacked the compound and killed his wife. They fled again to Uganda. The children, ranging from two months old to fourteen-years-old, are unable to attend school. He hopes that when he is resettled, his children will have access to education. The UN is doing all they can by providing his youngest child with milk and a mattress, but he worries about not having enough for all his children. 

 

10/6/16

 

One Family's Story from the Dem. Republic of Congo

 

The Congo gov't hasn't been good because of multiple wars. According to the culture, women do not have any voice. Girls aren't supported to go to school before boys. They worked in a non-profit organization that worked for the human rights of girls and women. Women are marginalized, victims of HIV, and are poor. They work to give them homes and make them self-sufficient. In Congo, there are four different languages--with French as the official language. In 2007 in December, some women went to the market and came back to be arrested by the army. Their possessions were taken and they were raped. They tried to open a case but it was difficult because the army is the "superpower" of the country. However, they kept trying to find justice for those women. Eventually, the police came to their house, raped Aline, while her husband could not do a thing. After that, they realized it was time to leave.

 

How a Liberian Refugee is Liberating Child Soldiers at Scale

 

This is the story of Sheikh A. Turay who is the founder of Liberation Chocolate. In 1989, a war drove him and his family to a refugee camp. He was 10 years old when this happened. He remained there until the UN opened schools there. Many warring factions emerged during that time--all of which were recruiting child soldiers. He explains that children don't know what to do because they are not mature. Because they were child soldiers, they could not go to school and were therefore not professionally equipped as adults. In 2004, he came to Liberia and decided to use overgrown cocoa farms to give child soldiers work opportunities and revive farms and help owners come out of poverty.