#RefugeeProtection

[hopeforrefugees]

HOW THE U.N. HAS FAILED SUDANESE REFUGEES

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A post shared by Sara | BS on blast (@bsonblast)

On May 1st, a large group of Sudanese refugees fled Olala camp in Ethiopia's Amhara region. Their repeated pleas for essential supplies and protection from armed fighters to both Ethiopian authorities and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees went unanswered. Sudanese content creator Sara (@bsonblast) on Instagram shared that these refugees are now seeking safety in the wilderness and urged people to reconsider donating to the United Nations, citing the ongoing suffering of the refugees.

The conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Sudan has resulted in one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises and the largest displacement crisis. Since April 15, 2023, estimates suggest between 15,000 and 150,000 Sudanese people have been killed, and nearly 10 million have been displaced, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). The violence has ravaged once-thriving cities, leaving civilians to face atrocities, food shortages, intermittent internet access, and widespread destruction of infrastructure.

This situation raises a critical question: Why has the international community remained silent and failed to provide aid to millions of Sudanese people and advocate for peace?

Video Credit: @bsonblast

[thxnews]

Afghanistan Crisis: Resilience and Global Challenges

  A Meeting of Global Minds

On the 18th of October 2023, a gathering of Special Representatives and Envoys from nine nations - Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States - convened in Rome with a shared mission: to confront the dire humanitarian and economic crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.   A Joint Statement for Afghan Relief In a unified stance, these envoys released a joint statement reflecting their commitment to addressing Afghanistan's pressing humanitarian issues. Their key objectives included: - Ensuring Unhindered Aid Access: The envoys called upon the Taliban to facilitate unimpeded access for all humanitarian aid workers, emphasizing gender equality, to reach vulnerable populations in every corner of the nation. - Sustaining Humanitarian Aid: Acknowledging their respective governments and organizations' contribution of approximately $6.3 billion since August 2021, they underlined the importance of continued robust donor support, even as humanitarian needs outpace available aid. - Supporting Earthquake-Affected Communities: Expressing solidarity with areas devastated by recent earthquakes, they pledged an additional $33 million in aid to support affected communities, with more assistance in the pipeline. - Addressing Macroeconomic Woes: Recognizing that humanitarian aid alone won't resolve Afghanistan's economic woes, they urged expanding support to cover basic needs, women's empowerment, private sector growth, and livelihood generation. Multilateral development banks were called upon to play a significant role in this effort, in addition to the $2.1 billion already allocated by their governments and organizations. - Upholding Human Rights: Expressing grave concern for the human rights situation in Afghanistan, they called upon the Taliban to reverse their restrictive educational policies, affirming education as a human right, and emphasizing equal access to quality education for all.   A Plea for Political Progress In their statement, the envoys voiced disappointment over the lack of serious steps taken by the Taliban to initiate an inclusive political process. They emphasized the necessity of the Afghan people's involvement in crafting a new constitution through a transparent and inclusive national consultative dialogue, seeking guidance from the UN and OIC.   Countering Narcotics and Climate Challenges The envoys welcomed the Taliban's opium cultivation ban and a significant drop in opium production. They called for sustained efforts in this regard and collaboration with UNAMA's Technical Working Group on Counternarcotics. Additionally, they stressed Afghanistan's vulnerability to climate change and the need for sustainable solutions.   Concerns Over Security and Refugee Protection Expressing concerns about ongoing terrorist threats within Afghanistan, the envoys urged the global community, including Afghanistan's neighbors, to uphold their obligations regarding refugee protection and the right to seek asylum. They called for measures to develop a registration system for undocumented Afghans, especially for those at risk of persecution or torture.  

United for a Resilient Afghanistan

The envoys emphasized the importance of international unity in addressing Afghanistan's multifaceted challenges, including not normalizing relations with the Taliban. They expressed their appreciation to Italy for hosting this pivotal meeting on Afghanistan and looked forward to further international collaboration.  

An Earthquake's Toll on Afghanistan

On June 22, 2022, a devastating 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, claiming over 1,000 lives and injuring thousands. This catastrophe, the deadliest in decades, further exacerbated Afghanistan's already dire humanitarian crisis.   The Impact of Disaster The earthquake ravaged the provinces of Paktika and Khost, leaving a trail of destruction that included homes, schools, and essential infrastructure. Many were rendered homeless, lacking access to food, clean water, and medical care. Landslides and blocked roads hindered the aid response.  

The Humanitarian Response Unveiled

The humanitarian effects were staggering. Over 362,000 people were affected, with more than 60,000 displaced, and over 18,000 homes and 200 schools destroyed or damaged. In response, the Afghan government and the international community launched a major recovery operation.   A Bumpy Road to Recovery Challenges abounded, from financing the recovery amid an economic crisis to addressing insecurity in inaccessible areas. Nevertheless, progress emerged: as of November 2, 2023, over 10,000 homes were rebuilt, and more than 100 schools reopened. International pledges exceeded $110 million.  

The 2023 Herat Earthquake

On October 15, 2023, a powerful 5.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the western Herat region of Afghanistan, causing widespread devastation and claiming over 250 lives while injuring thousands more.   Vulnerable Rural Areas Hit Hard The earthquake's epicenter in rural Herat exacerbated the crisis, affecting vulnerable mud-brick homes that were prone to collapse. This disaster compounded Afghanistan's existing humanitarian challenges.  

A Swift Humanitarian Response

In the wake of the earthquake, the Afghan government, with international aid agency support, launched a rapid response operation. Relief efforts included medical assistance, food, and shelter, despite daunting logistical and security challenges.   A Long Road to Recovery Despite the resilience of the Afghan people, the path to recovery is steep. The earthquake amplified Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis, and ongoing economic and political challenges remain formidable obstacles. The international community must stand steadfast in providing both immediate relief and long-term development aid.   Sources: THX News & US Department of State. Read the full article

[npzlawyersforimmigration]

Executive Orders 2025: How New Immigration Policies Could Reshape the U.S. Landscape

https://visaserve.com/analyzing-the-impact-of-recent-executive-orders-on-immigration/

#TrumpAdministration #ImmigrationPolicy #ExecutiveOrders #BorderSecurity #AsylumRights #ImmigrationReform #ConstitutionalLaw #RefugeeProtection #USImmigration

[rightsinexile]

Protected faster, or fewer protected? The peril of ‘safe’ countries

Salvator Cusimano, a former intern with the Fahamu Refugee Programme, works at Romero House, an agency in Toronto’s West End that houses and assists refugee claimants. He holds a MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Clarendon Scholar. This article has been reprinted with the author’s permission from Embassy News.

  In October, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander quietly but triumphantly named five more ‘safe’ countries, or countries that don’t normally produce refugees. In the midst of high-profile debates over Canadian policy toward Syrian refugees and health-care coverage for refugee claimants, the announcement was scarcely reported in the media.

  It deserves a closer look: any person hailing from one of the 42 ‘designated countries of origin’ who claims refugee status, will experience no right to work, shortened timelines for preparing their case and no chance to appeal a negative decision. Until a recent court decision, they had virtually no access to health care—and even that decision could be reversed pending government appeal.

  The goal? ‘Ensuring that genuine refugees get protection faster, while those with unfounded claims are sent home more quickly,’ according to Minister Alexander. Seems to make sense: people from these countries don’t need our protection, says the government, so let’s get them out of Canada more quickly, freeing up resources for those in need.

  But far from calling more countries safe, the government should immediately scrap the DCO list.

  First of all, we don’t need a list of safe countries to weed out people who don’t qualify for refugee status: our refugee determination system already does that.

  Refugee status is granted in recognition of individual circumstances, not general risk. The determination process asks whether an individual person faces persecution and tests whether their government is willing and able to protect them, personally.

  Through this process, DCOs have attained acceptance rates comparable to some very dangerous, repressive countries. Between January and June 2014, Canada granted refugee status to 37 percent of Hungarian claimants, 31 percent of Mexicans and 50 percent of Slovakians—all DCO citizens—compared to 38 percent of Congolese, 39 percent of Chinese and 39 percent of Haitians.

  In other words, even a seemingly safe or democratic country may be home to thousands of persecuted people, targeted by extremists and unprotected by the authorities. That includes Mexicans targeted by gangs and drug cartels with serious firepower, or Eastern Europe’s Roma population.

  That’s why it’s so troubling that hundreds of people from DCOs have been denied health care and procedural rights, and branded as fraudsters. People seeking safety have suffered needlessly, simply because of their nationality. Indeed, the Federal Court has already ordered the government to reverse the health-care cuts affecting DCO nationals.

  If the government will not immediately scrap the DCO list, it should make the reasoning behind country designations public. Although the government has published a series of ‘qualitative and quantitative thresholds,’ these are vague in crucial areas and permit much political discretion.

  The result is that countries that would not appear to be safe for certain minorities or activists have made the list. Take Romania, for example, a newly listed DCO. Are Roma Romanians protected against threats of violence?

  I’m no expert on Romanian politics. But if an institution as conservative as the World Bank reports that ‘discrimination and exclusion are interwoven into different elements of their daily existence and persist throughout their entire lives,’ I’m willing to bet that for some Roma Romanians, the answer is no.

  So instead of having an open discussion about our refugee system, we are left to speculate why certain countries have been deemed safe.

  One explanation for the composition of the list is that it’s embarrassing to accept refugees from trading partners. Is it a coincidence that Canada added several European Union countries to the list just months after concluding a free trade agreement with the EU? Is it a coincidence that Mexico, our gang-riddled, drug-war-weary NAFTA partner, made the list?

  What principles are determining our refugee policy? Until we have more information about the process—and the politics—behind designating safe countries, the government cannot defend its DCO list as a measure that ‘ensures that those who genuinely need Canada’s protection get it faster.’

  Indeed, the numbers say otherwise.

  When the government created its DCO list in December 2012, the Immigration and Refugee Board announced that its planned funding for refugee protection activities would drop 40 percent, from CAD $72.3 million in 2012-13 to just CAD $43.9 million in 2013-2014. Perhaps as a result, many new cases are already behind schedule, even though claims have fallen to around 10,000 annually. That’s in addition to about 30,000 claims already backlogged in December 2012, many of which have now waited nearly three years with no resolution in sight.

  If the government is, as it says, interested in improving the system for people needing protection, it should scrap the DCO list; restore procedural rights to allow claimants to prepare adequately for hearings, with the security of health care and the right to work; and provide additional resources to allow the IRB to at least restore its planned spending, in order to process current claims and clear the backlog.

  If the government keeps its DCO list, Chris Alexander should release a detailed and transparent description of the DCO selection process, specifically explaining how so-called safe countries like Hungary and Mexico could produce hundreds of refugees yet still satisfy quantitative and qualitative designation criteria. Meanwhile, each political party should commit to scrapping the list should they come to power in next year’s election.

Designated countries of origin

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

[npzlawyersforimmigration]

Executive Orders 2025: How New Immigration Policies Could Reshape the U.S. Landscape

https://visaserve.com/analyzing-the-impact-of-recent-executive-orders-on-immigration/

#TrumpAdministration #ImmigrationPolicy #ExecutiveOrders #BorderSecurity #AsylumRights #ImmigrationReform #ConstitutionalLaw #RefugeeProtection #USImmigration

[ukimmigrationbarristers]

If you are unable to return to your country because of a risk of #persecution, you may be given permission to remain in the UK as a #refugee. If this applies to you, you should claim #asylum. Read more: http://dlvr.it/Rhnb3v #refugeeprotection #asylumclaim #asylumapplication

[ukimmigrationbarristers]

If you are unable to return to your country because of a risk of #persecution, you may be given permission to remain in the UK as a #refugee. If this applies to you, you should claim #asylum. Read more: http://dlvr.it/RcsJ9q #refugeeprotection #asylumclaim #asylumapplication

[ukimmigrationbarristers]

If you are unable to return to your country because of a risk of #persecution, you may be given permission to remain in the UK as a #refugee. If this applies to you, you should claim #asylum. Read more: http://dlvr.it/RXKjkW #refugeeprotection #asylumclaim #asylumapplication

[ukimmigrationbarristers]

If you are unable to return to your country because of a risk of #persecution, you may be given permission to remain in the UK as a #refugee. If this applies to you, you should claim #asylum. Read more: http://dlvr.it/RSLst6 #refugeeprotection #asylumclaim #asylumapplication

[ukimmigrationbarristers]

If you are unable to return to your country because of a risk of #persecution, you may be given permission to remain in the UK as a #refugee. If this applies to you, you should claim #asylum. Read more: http://dlvr.it/RNDhVH #refugeeprotection #asylumclaim #asylumapplication

[ukimmigrationbarristers]

If you are unable to return to your country because of a risk of #persecution, you may be given permission to remain in the UK as a #refugee. If this applies to you, you should claim #asylum. Read more: http://dlvr.it/RLvZvV #refugeeprotection #asylumclaim #asylumapplication