A current awareness blog produced on behalf of the MA Refugee Studies course at the University of East London (UEL). Please feel free to use this site and we welcome any comments or feedback that you may have.
From the Refugee Council web site: Protection sensitive borders
Remote Controls: how UK border controls are endangering the lives of refugees [Refugee Council, 2008]
The Refugee Council is concerned that the plethora of UK border controls placed overseas and aimed at preventing irregular migration is preventing refugees fleeing from their own countries and getting to a place of safety. This study is the result of a one year research project by the Refugee Council and explores the various overseas UK border controls and their impact on refugees.
The report includes evidence gathered during a field visit to Turkey, a key country of transit for many refugees coming to the UK. The Refugee Council found that the UK’s overseas border controls may risk refugees being sent back to countries where they face persecution. The report contains recommendations as to protection safeguards the UK should put in place to ensure that refugees are not put at such risk and are able to access protection.
This will be the last blog posting on this site for 2008 as the Refugee Archive will be closed from tomorrow, Thursday 18 December, for the Christmas and New Year break and will re-open on Monday 5 January.
Can I take this opportunity to send best wishes to everyone and look forward to starting a fresh year when we get back in 2009.
The 6th Annual Forced Migration Student Conference organised by postgraduates and hosted by the Refugee Research Centre at the University of East London on Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of April.
Living a life in the margins or a marginalised life is a recurrent trope in the field of forced migration studies. Throughout the whole refugee experience from persecution and flight to settlement and integration, refugees find themselves pushed to the margins and often excluded. The marginalisation of various categories of forced migrants brings into question the effectiveness of protection regimes. Livelihood strategies of forced migrants are formulated at the very margins of society, some of whom are compelled to do so 'outside' the law. How do refugees negotiate identities that help them to combat social exclusion? Adopting a reflexive gaze, as researchers and aspiring academics we must ask ourselves how considerable and pertinent are the dialogues of practitioners and academics? Is academia to be confined to the sidelines or can it be more engaged with forced migrants? In which ways can the study of forced migration be related to wider global issues?
The conference invites papers that fit within the broad theme of the conference and forced migration more generally. We solicit papers that converge on the following sub-themes of the conference:
1) Conversations and interdisciplinary dialogues (scholarly, policy, practitioners, NGOs)
2) Sites of liminality and change (state; regional; local, trans-national; familial; individual)
3) Conversations in issue-areas (development; human rights; migration; security; post-conflict)
4) Sites of experience (gender; flight; re-settlement; camps; exclusion)
Postgraduate students (Masters/MPhil/PhD) are invited to submit abstracts for papers (no more than 250 words) and a personal profile (no more than 100 words). They should be sent, with full contact details, by 4pm on 26th January 2009 to:fmconference2009@googlemail.com
Please find below a list of updated and new publications on refugee studies and related topics.These have been accumulated from a range of online sources and links to the relevant full-text document are given where appropriate.This list will be made available on a regular basis via our Refugee Studies blog (http://refugee-archives.blogspot.com), as new resources become available.
Additional Info:The CzechRepublic will assume the Presidency of the EU on 1 January 2009. UNHCR has prepared a set of recommendations to guide its work on several important issues arising on the Union's asylum agenda during the Czech Republic's six-month term. UNHCR remains seriously concerned that current laws and practice mean that persons in need of international protection are not necessarily able to find it throughout the European Union.
Additional Info:Additional Info:Africa Briefing N°56.The inter-party negotiations that have sought to end Zimbabwe’s political, economic and now full-blown humanitarian crisis following the fraudulent June 2008 presidential election run-off are hopelessly deadlocked. Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF will not accept genuine power sharing, and Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are unwilling to join a ZANU-PF dominated administration as a junior partner, responsible for ending international isolation but without authority to implement needed reforms and emergency humanitarian relief.
Additional Info:The final report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been issued (S/2008/773). The document reports on 12 weeks of field work in the region, in particular in the North and South Kivu provinces. The report makes recommendations and has annexed many examples of evidence.
Additional Info:Available are three texts that provide guidance to attorneys working on human trafficking cases in the U.S.
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Title: Report by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, following his visit to the Republic of Cyprus on 7-10 July 2008. Issues reviewed: Asylum, Detention of Migrants and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Republic of Cyprus
Please find below a list of new and journal and newsletter releases relating to refugee studies and related topics.These have been accumulated from a range of online sources and links to the relevant full-text document are given where appropriate.Alternatively, a link will be given to the associated Table of Contents, (ToC).This list will be made available on a regular basis via our Refugee Studies blog (http://refugee-archives.blogspot.com), as new resources become available.
Jewish leaders fear anti-Semitic backlash (The Independent) - [text online] 'Thousands made slaves' in Darfur (BBC News) - [text online] Zimbabwe rivals 'should both go' (BBC News) - [text online] Aborigines win battle over mine (BBC News) - [text online] Bangladesh lifts emergency rule (BBC News) - [text online] Chinese asylum seeker held for two years despite wanting to go home (The Daily Telegraph) - [text online]
Victory at last for Zimbabwean asylum seekers following IAS’ case (immigration Advisory Service) - [text online]
Victory at last for Zimbabwean asylum seekers (The Zimbabwean) - [text online] Asylum seekers need free English classes, urges campaign (NIACE) - [text online] ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : The Humanitarian Monitor Occupied Palestinian Territory No. 31, Nov 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online] ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Timor-Leste: Humanitarian update 08 - 21 Nov 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]
Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe is now spreading to neighboring countries (ReliefWeb) - [text online]
Georgia: Victims of the South Ossetia conflict need better protection (ReliefWeb) - [text online]
Next census aims to map migrant populations (The Independent) - [text online] MigrationWatch is twisting the truth (The Guardian) - [text online]. The MigrationWatch report - [here].
Congo crisis call for help in UNHCR "Gimme Shelter" campaign (UNHCR) - [text online]
DRC: UNHCR deplores murder of Italian NGO staffer; rebels reportedly pressuring IDPs to return (UNHCR) - [text online]
Sudanese refugees depart Iraq for resettlement (UNHCR) - [text online]
UNHCR recommendations for the incoming Czech EU Presidency (UNHCR) - [text online]
Ben Affleck video unveiled for UNHCR "Gimme Shelter" campaign (UNHCR) - [text online]
UNHCR concerned about violence in North Kivu as aid worker killed (UNHCR) - [text online] LAOS: Finding alternatives to resettlement (IRIN News) - [text online] SOUTH AFRICA: Sleeping rough better than repatriation to Zimbabwe (IRIN News) - [text online] ZIMBABWE: Botswana dismisses its neighbour’s sabre rattling (IRIN News) - [text online] Piracy problem inseparable from overall Somali crisis, Ban warns (UN News) - [text online] Rebels reportedly pressuring displaced Congolese to return home – UN (UN News) - [text online] New UN report highlights challenges to ensuring food security in Timor-Leste (UN News) - [text online] Flood-stricken Papua New Guinea receives UN assistance (UN News) - [text online] Stranded Sudanese refugees leave Iraq for Romania, reports UN agency (UN News) - [text online]
Beyond Crisis Management in Eastern Congo (Enough Project) - [text online] Speaking up for young people (Institute for Race Relations) - [text online] Pioneering a new educational forum (Institute for Race Relations) - [text online] Queen's Speech brings gloom for migrants (Institute for Race Relations) - [text online] Boris Johnson aide 'deeply regrets' immigration articles (The Guardian) - [text online]
Iraqi sewed up mouth in failed bid to avoid deportation (The Guardian) - [text online] 'Asylum seekers are part of us' (The Guardian) - [text online] Unsuccessful asylum applicants 'should be given support' (The Guardian) - [text online] Scottish fishermen accused of exploiting migrant boat crew (The Observer) - [text online] Ruling frees asylum seekers to work (The Guardian) - [text online] 'Shambolic' attempt to fly Kurds home (The Guardian) - [text online] Fear and use of force on rise at migrant centre, inspector says (The Guardian) - [text online]
Democratic Republic of the Congo: the displaced urgently need assistance (ICRC) - [text online]
Sierra Leone: Seven years after peace agreement, ICRC scales back activities (ICRC) - [text online] UNHCR steps up support in Burundi as record numbers return (UNHCR) - [text online]
Number of Iraqis recommended by UNHCR for resettlement hits 50,000 (UNHCR) - [text online]
UNHCR resumes refugee returns from Kenya to South Sudan (UNHCR) - [text online]
Colombians light up to show solidarity for displaced people (UNHCR) - [text online]
DRC: Concerns at Kibati camp as transfers continue (UNHCR) - [text online]
Ecuador: Start of pilot refugee registration scheme (UNHCR) - [text online] [Comment] Sixty years on, human rights are as incomplete as ever (EU Observer) - [text online] Brazil: Supreme Court vindicates indigenous land rights (Amnesty International) - [text online] Damning report on Oakington detention centre (Refugee Council) - [text online] Refugee Council response to publication of Centre for Social Justice report 'Asylum Matters' (Refugee Council) - [text online] ASYLUM MATTERS: SCRAP POLICY THAT DRIVES ASYLUM SEEKERS UNDERGROUND AND INTO PROSTITUTION, SAYS NEW REPORT (Centre for Social Justice) - [text online] Zimbabwe cholera death toll nears 1,000, UN reports (UN News) - [text online] Top UN official pleased that Nepal and Philippines agreed to release child soldiers (UN News) - [text online] Senior UN officials urge greater protection for Afghan children’s rights (UN News) - [text online] DR Congo: UN deploys nearly all its 17,500 peacekeepers to strife-torn east (UN News) - [text online] Needs are still great for Myanmar’s cyclone victims, says UN-backed group (UN News) - [text online] European Union naval escort boosts security for UN food aid en route to Somalia (UN News) - [text online] DR Congo: UN-mandated group finds evidence Rwanda, army aiding rival rebels (UN News) - [text online] DRC-UGANDA: Anti-LRA offensive could backfire - activists (IRIN News) - [text online] IRAQ: IDPs enticed to vacate southern camp (IRIN News) - [text online]
The Refugee Archive at UEL will continue to open at the normal times listed on our web site until Wednesday 17 December, the last day of teaching for the MA in Refugee Studies course this semester.
The Archive will then be Closed for Christmas between Thursday 18 December and Sunday 04 January. The Archive will re-open at 9am on Monday 05 January 2009.
Important dates for your for your diary are therefore:
Beyond camps and forced labour: current international research on
survivors of Nazi persecution.
Third international multidisciplinary conference to be held at the
Imperial War Museum London, 7-9 January 2009
Further information and a registration form are now available at:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/BCFL <http://www.iwm.org.uk/conferenceBCFL> 2009
Around 100 speakers from all over the world will present and discuss the
latest results of their research on all groups of survivors of Nazi
persecution. These include - but are not limited to - Jews, Gypsies,
Slavonic peoples, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners of war, political
dissidents, members of underground movements, the disabled, the
so-called 'racially impure', and forced labourers.
Join us in London!
Suzanne Bardgett, Imperial War Museum, London David Cesarani, Royal
Holloway, University of London Jessica Reinisch, Birkbeck College London
Johannes-Dieter Steinert, University of Wolverhampton
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REFUGEE STUDIES CENTRE SHORT COURSES January-March 2009
NEW COURSE: STATELESSNESS 9-11 January 2009
This two and a half day course has been devised by RSC staff member
Jean-Francois Durieux, in close co-operation with the Statelessness Unit
of UNHCR. It is intended for experienced practitioners and graduate
researchers. Parliamentarians and staff, members of the judiciary and
the bar, government officials, personnel of intergovernmental and
non-governmental organisations, advocates and stateless persons are
welcome to apply, personal interest and commitment being the key
criteria for participation.
Resource persons are a mix of experts in particular disciplines; area
specialists; and staff of UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva:
Dr Brad Blitz: Reader in Political Geography, Oxford Brookes University;
Jean-François Durieux: Departmental Lecturer in International Refugee
and Human Rights Law, RSC;
Dr Matthew Gibney: Reader in Politics and Forced Migration and Elizabeth
Colson Lecturer in Forced Migration, RSC;
Stefanie Grant: Harrison Grant Solicitors, Adviser Equal Rights Trust;
Mark Manly: Head Statelessness Unit, UNHCR Geneva;
Abbas Shiblak: Research Associate, RSC; founder & first director of the
Palestinian Refugee and Diaspora Centre.
PSYCHOSOCIAL RESPONSES TO CONFLICT AND FORCED MIGRATION 7-8 February 2009
This two-day course examines mental health and psychosocial support in
emergency and protracted refugee settings. It invites practitioners and
theorists to struggle with complex intercultural issues associated with
psychosocial programming.
Instructors:
Dr Michael Wessells, Senior Advisor on Child Protection for Christian
Children's Fund, Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health at
Columbia University, and Professor of Psychology at Randolph-Macon College.
Dr Maryanne Loughry, Associate Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service
Australia, Research Associate of the Refugee Studies Centre, University
of Oxford and Visiting Scholar at Boston College. Both presenters were
members of the Psychosocial Working Group, an international academic and
practitioner group committed to the development of knowledge and best
practice in the field of psychosocial interventions in complex emergencies.
PALESTINIAN REFUGEES AND INTERNATIONAL LAW 28 February-1 March 2009 This two-day course places the Palestinian refugee case study within the
broader context of the international human rights regime. It examines,
within a human rights framework, the policies and practices of Middle
Eastern states as they impinge upon Palestinian refugees. Through a mix
of lectures, working group exercises and interactive sessions,
participants engage actively and critically with the contemporary
debates in the human rights movement and analyse the specific context of
Palestinian refugees in the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the
West Bank, Gaza and Israel) in light of the debates.
Instructors:
Dr Dawn Chatty, University Reader in Anthropology and Forced Migration
and Deputy Director of the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford.
Leila Hilal , independent researcher currently focusing on assessing
national protection frameworks in the Middle East, former Legal Adviser
on Refugees to the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department in Ramallah, West
Bank. Former Visiting Research Fellow at the RSC.
Lena El-Malak , doctoral candidate in Public International Law at the
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and a
member of the Massachusetts State Bar.
For further information, please contact:
Katherine Salahi, Outreach Programme Manager
Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford Department of International Development
University of Oxford, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 270723 Fax: +44 (0) 1865 270297
E-mail: katherine.salahi@qeh.ox.ac.uk
Please find below a list of updated and new publications on refugee studies and related topics.These have been accumulated from a range of online sources and links to the relevant full-text document are given where appropriate.This list will be made available on a regular basis via our Refugee Studies blog (http://refugee-archives.blogspot.com), as new resources become available.
Additional Info:Refugee Studies Centre Working Paper Series Number 50.
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Title:Must EU Borders Have Doors for Refugees? On the Compatibility of Schengen Visas with EU Member States’ Obligations to Provide International Protection to Refugees.
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Title:Putting the asylum seekers at the heart of a human and fair procedure: the EU Commission proposes to modify the Common European Asylum System.
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Title:Stuck in a Revolving Door: Iraqis and Other Asylum Seekers and Migrants at the Greece/Turkey Entrance to the European Union.
Authors:Development Assistance Research Associates.
Publication Date: November 2008.
Publication URL Address:http://www.hri.daraint.org/what_is_hri/overview
Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog - http://fm-cab.blogspot.com/ (Web).
Additional Info:Access.
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Title:Invisible Civilians: The Challenge of Humanitarian Access in Yemen’s Forgotten War.
Please find below a list of new and journal and newsletter releases relating to refugee studies and related topics.These have been accumulated from a range of online sources and links to the relevant full-text document are given where appropriate.Alternatively, a link will be given to the associated Table of Contents, (ToC).This list will be made available on a regular basis via our Refugee Studies blog (http://refugee-archives.blogspot.com), as new resources become available.
Cholera is 'S African disaster' (BBC News) - [text online] UN official slams Israel 'crimes' (BBC News) - [text online] UN 'accuses Rwanda and DR Congo' (BBC News) - [text online]
UN claims Rwanda is abetting Congo rebels (The Independent) - [text online] UK runs 'Guantanamo camps', says detainees (The Independent) - [text online] Ministers under pressure to hold inquiry on Iraq war within a year (The Independent) - [text online] Independent Appeal: Volunteers go to work in a ravaged country (The Independent) - [text online] ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Humanitarian Update: Regional Office for the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, Nov 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online] ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Zimbabwe: OCHA Daily Cholera Update, 09 Dec 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online] Immigrant labours lost (The Guardian) - [text online] Lecturers are not border police (The Guardian) - [text online]
Appeal for refugee funds elicits promising response from donors (UNHCR) - [text online]
UNHCR meeting seeks solutions to end long-term exile of millions of refugees (UNHCR) - [text online]
Donors pledge more than US$450 towards UNHCR programmes in 2009 (UNHCR) - [text online]
Protracted Refugee Situations: UNHCR meeting seeks solutions to end long-term exile of millions of refugees (UNHCR) - [text online]
Protracted Refugee Situations: Bangladesh camp life improves, but home is best (UNHCR) - [text online] France distances itself from Kouchner human rights remarks (EU Observer) - [text online] Democratic Republic of Congo: Every Delay Costs Lives (Amnesty International) - [text online] Government steps up the fight against extremism (Home Office Press Release) - [text online] MYANMAR: Anyo, "I don't know whether I will live or die” (IRIN News) - [text online] Seven human rights fighters receive top UN awards (UN News) - [text online] UN appeals for funds to meet health needs in cyclone-battered Myanmar (UN News) - [text online] On Human Rights Day, UN rights chief reminisces, as victim and enforcer (UN News) - [text online] DR Congo: talks between government, rebels making headway, says UN envoy (UN News) - [text online] Zimbabwe: UN calls for $6 million to fight deadly cholera epidemic (UN News) - [text online] UN transports another food shipment to displaced people in war-torn northern Sri Lanka (UN News) - [text online] Ban leads chorus of UN voices calling for action to protect human rights of vulnerable (UN News) - [text online] Cambodia, UN agree on need to strengthen court trying Khmer Rouge leaders (UN News) - [text online] UN refugee chief urges help for 6 million long-term displaced (UN News) - [text online] International Court seeks more information on arrest warrants for Darfur rebels (UN News) - [text online] SOMALIA: Human Rights Day is “just another day of suffering” (IRIN News) - [text online] INDONESIA: Raising awareness of migrant abuse (IRIN News) - [text online]
