Refugee Archives Update

The last week or so has been a busy one in terms of breaking news stories in regard to refugee and asylum issues.  The following news stories, exhibitions and publications are worthy of note:

News Stories

UK Appeal Court Terrorism Ruling

The Daily Telegraph (11/02/10): Binyam Mohamed: choose human rights or Britain's protection?
The Daily Telegraph (11/02/10): Binyam Mohamed: MI5 and Whitehall in torture 'cover-up'
BBC News (11/02/10): US disappointed at UK Appeal Court torture ruling
The Independent (11/02/10): Britain did know CIA tortured suspect
The Daily Telegraph (10/02/10): Binyam Mohamed torture allegations published
BBC News (10/02/10): Binyam Mohamed torture appeal lost by UK governmentThe Daily Telegraph (10/02/10): Binyam Mohamed: the secret torture file
The Daily Telegraph (10/02/10): Binyam Mohamed torture allegations must be disclosed, day judges

Student Visas

The Guardian (11/02/10): Clampdown on overseas student visas sparks funding concerns
The Guardian (07/02/10): Alan Johnson announces crackdown on student visas
The Daily Telegraph (06/02/10): Foreign student visa numbers to be slashed

Government Immigration Policy

The Daily Telegraph (10/02/10): Labour changes its tune over immigration limit as election looms
The Daily Telehraph (09/02/10): Labour's 'secret plan' to lure migrants
The Daily Telegraph (09/02/10): The deceit of Labour's immigration policy

UK Border Agency

The Daily Telegraph (09/02/10): Border Agency cannot perform basic functions, warns watchdog
BBC News (03/02/10): Whistleblower's claims about Cardiff asylum office


Child Asylum Seekers in the West Midlands

BBC News (08/02/10): Starting afresh in a foreign city

BBC News (08/02/10): Child asylum seeker numbers rise in West Midlands

See Also: BBC West Midlands Inside Out  programme on this issue.  Further details availble on

the Inside Out website and the programme is available to watch in the UK with the BBC iPlayer (29 minutes)

General Refugee and Asylum Related News Stories

The Guardian (11/02/10): 'Every Hindu and Sikh should be praising the BNP'

BBC News (11/02/10): Minister 'admits paying millions to detained migrants'
The Independent (11/02/10): Sri Lanka police fire tear gas on opposition in bid to quell protests
The Independent (11/02/10):  Leading article: Nelson Mandela's greatness transcended nation and tribe
The Independent (11/02/10): Joan Smith: Amnesty shouldn't support men like Moazzam Begg
The Independent (11/02/10):  Rankin in Africa: Images of love in a land of conflict.

See Also:  From Congo with Love exhibition details below.

The Daily Telegraph (10/02/10): Immigration officer rounds on Home Secretary

BBC News (10/02/10): Timeline: Democratic Republic of Congo

ICRC (10/02/10): ICRC activities in Iraq in 2009 – Facts and figures

The Daily Telegaph (10/02/10): Sir Andrew Green: the public are too polite on immigration

The Daily Telegraph (10/02/10: Reading: a Babel of dialects

The Daily Telegraph (10/02/10): Immigrants 'exploiting loophole at Stansted Airport to enter the country'

The Daily Telegraph (09/02/10): Mothers go on hunger strike at immigration centre after being separated from children

The Guardian (09/02/10): Police 'ignore' rights of sex trafficking victims

The Guardian (09/02/10): Yarl's Wood women on hunger strike 'locked up and denied treatment'

The Guardian (08/02/10): Spain sees sixfold increase in immigrants over decade

Amnesty International (08/02/10): Afghanistan: No impunity for war criminals

BBC News (08/02/10): Did immigration transform Britain by accident?

BBC News (08/02/10): Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict 

BBC News (07/02/10): French police close down illegal migrant shelter

The Daily Telegraph (07/02/10): Free flights for east Europe homeless

The Observer (07/02/10): Jobless migrants living in shanty towns offered free flights home

The Daily Telegraph (06/02/10): Joanna Lumley re-opens Gurkha battle

Human Rights Watch (05/02/10): Thailand: Cease Intimidation of Karen Refugees

Refugees International (05/02/10): UN Security Council: Progress on Sudan, Stagnancy on Somalia

The Guardian (05/02/10): Hideously diverse Britain: Born-again Britons at a citizenship ceremony 

Human Rights Watch (04/02/10): Kenya: Landmark Ruling on Indigenous Land Rights

The Daily Telegraph (04/02/2010): Nigerian prince would rather be sent back to torture than stay in "useless" Britain 

The Guardian (04/02/10): Solidarity is not an offence 

The Daily Telegraph (04/02/10): Failure to deport foreign criminals costs £60m a year

Human Rights Watch (04/02/10): Italy: Speed Investigations of Rosarno Attacks 

Human Rights Watch (03/02/10): EU: Follow Swiss Example of Accepting Guantanamo Detainees

BBC News (03/02/10): Timeline: Sudan 

The Guardian (03/02/10): Target apathy to stop the BNP

Exhibitions

An exhibition by the portrait photographer Rankin entitled From Congo with Love is currently featuring in a large exhibition being held at London's South Bank.  The exhibition has been develope din conjunction with Oxfam and displays "images and stories exploring romantic love, love lost, mother's love and the kindness of strangers, as well as photos taken by Congolese villagers with Rankin's guidance, providing an extraordinary insight into their everyday life."  There is also a book to accompany the exhibtion entitled `We Are Congo' which is available to purchase online. 

Image Copyright: Rankin / Oxfam.

Courses

Cultural aspects of working with refugees and asylum seekers, Leeds, 13 May 2010, organised by The Refugee Council, costs apply.  Further Details.  To Book, contact The Refugee Council: training@refugeecouncil.org.uk (Source: The Network).

Publications

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (09/02/10): Press Release:  Human Rights Commission’s Annual Report 2008-2009  The full and final report in PDF fomrat is also available to download: Here.

Conferences and Meetings

A conference on refugees and migrants - 27 January 2009

A half day conference to discuss new developments and opportunities for further work in support of refugees and migrants in the Yorkshire and Humber Region.

Tuesday 27 January 2009, 9.30-2pm

St George's Hall, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3BR

This event is free, but attendees must register in advance. For registration details and a conference agenda visit: www.leedsmet.ac.uk/refugeesmigrants, or alternatively email: c.mcosh@leedsmet.ac.uk, or phone: Cara McCosh on 0113 812 9295 to ask for a registration form. This event will be of interest to policy makers, education and skills providers, funders, investors, employer organisations and others working with refugees and migrants.

Events listing is provided for information only. Inclusion in this listing should not be taken to imply that the Institute of Race Relations supports an event or is involved in organising it.

Leaflet available to Download - http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf/RefAndMig.pdf

Source: Institute of Race Relations – http://www.irr.org.uk/

= = = = = = = =

Meeting on race and education - 31 January 2009

A meeting examining issues relating to race, class and education, including empowerment and exclusion, and alternative approaches to teaching Black History.

• Saturday 31 January 2009, 2pm
• West London Trade Union Centre, 33-35 High Street, Acton W3 6ND

Speakers include activists, teachers, asylum seekers, and anti-deportation campaigners.

Refreshments will be available. Event organised by London Development Education Centre, 293-299 Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2TJ. For further information, email: londec@hotmail.com or call: 07944 565 620. Tube: Acton Town, Acton Central BR. Buses: 607, 70, 207, 266, E3.

Events listing is provided for information only. Inclusion in this listing should not be taken to imply that the Institute of Race Relations supports an event or is involved in organising it.

Source: Institute of Race Relations – http://www.irr.org.uk/

= = = = = = = =

Call for Papers:

VI International Conference on African Labour

Slavery, Migration, and Contemporary Bondage in Africa

23rd-25th of September 2009

This is a revised call for papers and participation for an
interdisciplinary conference on 'Slavery, Migration, and Contemporary
Bondage in Africa', to take place at the Wilberforce Institute for the
study of Slavery and Emancipation, Hull, United Kingdom. This conference
will explore linkages between the history of slavery and migration in
Africa and contemporary forms of bondage, such as child labour,
'classical' slavery, child soldiers, descent based discrimination, and
human trafficking and the exploitation of migrants. Eight travel
bursaries are available for early career scholars based in and/or from
Africa.

nterested researchers are invited to submit paper proposals based on
one or more of the following themes:

Governance
* Similarities and differences in the (ab)use of labour: How have
pre-Colonial, Colonial and Post-Colonial political authorities sought to
organize and regulate labour in Africa?
* Evolving patterns of migration and movement control: How have
various models of political authority sought to regulate, promote and/or
restrict the movement of peoples in Africa?
* Institutional influences and colonial practises: On what terms
can we connect colonial budgets, 'native' policies, middle rank
administration and forced labour practices?

Social and Economic Formations
* Innovation in exploitation: What factors account for the
emergence and/or further expansion of new forms of bondage following the
legal abolition of slavery across continental Africa?
* The persistence of pre-colonial practices: On what terms can
historical practices be connected to current problems, such as child
labour, descent based discrimination, and/or debt-bondage?

The Past in the Present
* Historical parallels with contemporary problems: What can the
history of slavery, migration and colonial rule in Africa tell us about
contemporary developments and future prospects in Africa?
* The legacies of historical slave systems: How has the history of
slavery, migration and colonialism influenced contemporary patterns of
movement and labour exploitation within Africa?
* Repairing historical wrongs in Africa: What avenues are
available to repair past injustices?

Each of these themes invite scholars who specialise in particular issues
and events to reflect upon the broader significance of their field of
expertise to both the broader history and contemporary prospects of
Africa.


Submission Information

To submit a paper proposal, please send abstracts of up to 300 words,
together with a current curriculum vitae to wise@hull.ac.uk, by the
13th of March 2009. The organizers of the conference have also secured
eight bursaries for early career scholars from/based in Africa. These
cover flights, accommodation and conference registration. Applicants for
bursaries should apply through the same procedure outlined above,
indicating that they wish to be considered for a bursary. Final papers
of between 6000 and 8000 words will be expected by the 31st of July
2009. The registration form for the conference will be available in
March 2009. Requests for additional information should be directed to
either Joel Quirk at j.quirk@hull.ac.uk or Darshan Vigneswaran at
darshan.vigneswaran@wits.ac.za. The organizers of the conference plan on
publishing a selection of revised conference papers as a special issue
of the journal Slavery and Abolition.

= = = = = = = =

Call for Papers:

Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism
(CRONEM), University of Surrey, UK

AHRC Diasporas, Migration and Identities Programme / CRONEM Conference
2009
Diasporas, Migration and Identities: Crossing Boundaries, New Directions

University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
11-12 June 2009

'Diasporas, migration and identities <http://www.diasporas.ac.uk/> ' has
been the subject of a major national research programme funded by the
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in the UK since 2005. Its
central concerns have also been at the heart of the work of the Centre
for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CRONEM).
The aim of this international conference is to examine the past and
present impact of diasporas and migration on nation, community, identity
and subjectivity, culture and the imagination, place and space, emotion,
politics, law and values.

Confirmed speakers:
* Ien Ang, Professor of Cultural Studies, University of West
Sydney, Australia
* Robin Cohen, Professor of Development Sociology, University of
Oxford / Honorary Professor at the University of Warwick, UK
* Peggy Levitt, Associate Professor, Wellesley College, USA
* Ato Quayson, Professor of English and Director of the Centre for
Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada

We invite abstracts that address the following themes in the UK and
beyond:

* Migration, settlement and diaspora: modes, stages and forms
* Representation, performance, discourse and language
* Subjectivity, emotion and identity
* Objects, practices and places
* Beliefs, values and laws
* The role of youth in relationship to diasporas, migration and
identities
* Diasporic economics and labour markets
* The recognition of multiple origins and mixedness
* The politics of immigration and integration
* Public opinion and public policy
* Ethnic identity politics

For more registration and submission forms, please visit
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Arts/CRONEM/index.htm
The closing date for abstracts is 2 February 2009.
****************************************
Mirela Dumic
Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism
(CRONEM)
Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences
21 AC 05
Post Box I4
University of Surrey
Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH
E-mail: m.dumic@surrey.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1483 682365
www.surrey.ac.uk/arts/cronem

= = = = = = = =

Refugee Studies Centre Short Courses
January-March 2009

Apply online at:
http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/
http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/index.html?teaching_short

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

Posted in: Conferences & Meetings.

Conferences and RSC Short Courses.

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

= = = = =

REFUGEE STUDIES CENTRE SHORT COURSES January-March 2009

APPLY ONLINE AT http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/

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

Posted in: Conferences & Events.

The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program - AUC

The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program at the American University in Cairo has just announced the following courses for the forthcoming year:

Summer Short Courses 2008

· Addressing the protection of Refugee Women and Girls
· Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Refugees
· International Refugee and Human Rights Law

Application procedures - Please send a letter of application stating:

a) Interest in the Summer School
b) The course(s) you are applying for.
c) Why the course(s) is/are important to your work or academic interest.

And include your updated curriculum vitae.

Addressed to:

Ms. Maysa Ayoub Email: fmrs@aucegypt.edu
Projects Manager Tel: (202) 27976921
Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Fax (202) 27956681 American University in Cairo FMRS/AUC, 113 Kasr El Aini Street, PO Box 25000, Cairo 11511, Egypt

Deadline for applications is - March 30th 2008.

For further information regarding accommodation in Cairo and further
updates on FMRS up-coming events access: www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs (under
Outreach).

Posted in: News.