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Dispatches is a fortnightly e-mail bulletin of the JRS International Office. It features refugee news briefings and project updates from our people in the field.
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South Africa: unaccompanied minors remain vulnerable
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Minors queue for assistance in the JRS office near the Zimbabwean border, Limpopo province, South Africa (Peter Balleis SJ/JRS)
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| Of the approximately 175 children currently housed in Musina and Makhado, less than 50 currently attend school. |
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Johannesburg, 16 March 2011 – Many unaccompanied minors, mostly undocumented migrant children, are forced to sleep rough at taxi ranks and beg for a living – some for over four years now.
According to staff working for JRS South based in Musina and Makhado near the Zimbabwean border, two major problems have further aggravated the situation facing unaccompanied minors: a severely under resourced state department and an accommodation shortage.
The street children in Makhado and Musina are often undocumented migrants who have crossed over the border irregularly without a valid visa. They are forced to fend for themselves by doing high-risk work, including physical labour, and are often involved in criminal gangs and prostitution.
The St Therese Shelter for Boys, the only shelter in Makhado, was recently forced to move to a larger property in order to accommodate the rapidly growing population of homeless boys in the area. However, there are no shelters for girls.
Although there are two shelters in Musina, one for boys and one for girls, both face serious resource constraints. The shortage of shelter accommodation for minors has led to some children staying at adult shelters – or simply staying on the streets.
Of the approximately 175 children currently housed in Musina and Makhado, less than 50 currently attend school. This is primarily due to legal and financial constraints. Unless the children possess a South African residence permit, schools are not allowed to enrol them.
Difficulties accessing education
Moreover, for those children admitted into school, the drop-out rate is extremely high because of the unaffordable costs of uniforms, stationary, and other necessary materials. Encouraging street children to remain in shelters and accept adult supervision is a real challenge. Without a functioning registration process, foster care, family reunification and voluntary return options are increasingly difficult to facilitate.
"A more comprehensive response by the authorities and the relevant government departments to unaccompanied minors would lead to an increased protection for these vulnerable children. Procedures and processes that increase the safety of unaccompanied minors need to be streamlined", said JRS Southern Africa Advocacy and Communication Officer, Robyn Leslie.
The JRS team in Makhado current works with the authorities to try and streamline assistance for the children that come to the office. This involves following up on accommodation options for children, as well as monitoring the issuing of court orders of protection, which mandate authorities to provide a place of safety for the child concerned.
Thailand: Shan children face risks in the north of the country
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Wi Lai Poli, scholarship winner, northern Thailand (Molly Mullen/JRS)
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| In an attempt to reduce the risk of trafficking, child labour and prostitution, JRS provides scholarships for those children most at risk from dropping out of secondary school.
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Bangkok, 10 March 2011 – Many Shan refugees face huge difficulties growing up in northern Thailand. Significant numbers drop out of school early, begin using drugs, and even become victims of human traffickers, according to the JRS Asia Pacific Regional Advocacy Officer, Oliver White.
Being born in the Shan area of northern Thailand is not easy. Without papers, work is hard to find. Many are resigned to a life of – at best – manual field labour, or – at worst – drug trafficking, prostitution or prison.
Unlike ethnic Karen and Karenni refugees from Burma, the Thai government does not recognise Shan people as refugees, forcing 500 or so to establish an unofficial camp, Jung Jor; a few dozen bamboo homes on a dusty hill.
Without state support, many Shan are forced to do difficult and dangerous work for less than three US dollars a day. Others work smuggling methamphetamine into the country. The risks are high; Thailand imposes the death penalty for serious drug-related crimes.
"There's a big problem here with drugs and child prostitution… When they sell drugs it has a big effect on the whole family, but it is hard to find work in the villages, even on the farms. Drug smuggling is their only option," explains Mr Jafa, a caretaker at local orphanage.
Increasing access to education
Although Thailand mandates education for all children, regardless of their status, many do not speak enough Thai to keep up in class. Other parents cannot afford to send them to school, or worse they fear being deported.
In an attempt to reduce the risk of trafficking, child labour and prostitution, JRS provides scholarships for those children most at risk from dropping out of secondary school.
Wi Lai Poli is an eighth grade student who was awarded a scholarship by JRS so she could continue her studies at secondary school. Despite being so young, she is acutely aware of the importance of education.
"If I was not at school I would work in the farm or go to Chiang Mai," said Wi Lai Poli.
Inspired by her English and maths teacher Wi Lai not only wants to continue her secondary education but would like to make it her vocation.
JRS currently provides 18 scholarships a year. Last year, more than 200 students applied. To prevent tensions with the local community, 20 percent of the scholarships go to Thai children.
JRS provides financial assistance to three schools in the districts of Wiang Hang and Chiang Dao. Teams also supply agricultural materials and offer support to establish livelihood projects in each school. With JRS funding, each school now produces enough vegetables to feed the students and supplement their income.
In addition to financial assistance, scholarships and support for livelihood programmes, JRS works with the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN) and other NGOs to provide training for kindergarten and primary school teachers.
Haiti: the two presidential candidates address migration issues
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Several government officials have insisted the country is currently unable to safely absorb a deported population, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Christian Fuchs/JRS)
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| Debates have focused on two concerns: Haitian-Dominican relations and the deportation of Haitians from the US. |
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Port-au-Prince, 15 March 2011 – Less than a week from the second round of voting in the presidential elections, the two candidates intensified their campaigning.
In their trips around the country and abroad, they have raised many new issues, particularly on migration. It appears as if the candidates have decided to give the issue the importance it deserves in Haiti, where approximately one third of the population (more than four million out of the 10 million in the country) have emigrated. Debates have focused on two concerns: Haitian-Dominican relations and the deportation of Haitians from the US.
Presidential candidate, ex-first lady Mirlanda Manigat, in trips to Canada and the US, condemned the recent decision by the American administration to resume deportations of Haitian citizens, suspended after the 12-January-2010 earthquake.
If elected, she promised to put pressure on US president, Barack Obama, to reinstate the moratorium on deportations of Haitians, particularly of ex-convicts. According to Ms Manigat, this puts excessive pressure on the country.
On his visit to the Dominican Republic, popular singer and presidential candidate, Michel Martelly, had a meeting with the president, Leonel Fernández, to discuss possibilities of working to improve relations between the two countries.
Even though neither candidate presented detailed proposals on migration, political interest is being driven by recent events.
Death of a deportee
A week after his deportation with 26 other compatriots in late January, Wildrick Guerrier died in a Haitian prison. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) immediately urged the US authorities to suspend deportations of persons of Haitian origin who suffer from serious illnesses or have family members in the US.
A week after the publications of the IACHR press statement, various humanitarian organisations and church groups, including JRS USA, wrote to the Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Janet Napolitano, expressing their disagreement with the decision of the DHS to resume deportations of Haitians.
According to these US-based organisations, recent events prove that Haiti is still struggling to recover from the 12-January earthquake and that it is unable to ensure adequate protection to deportees.
Violent evictions of Haitians
According to estimates by some community leaders, on the morning of 28 February, Dominican inhabitants of various districts expelled 420 Haitians.
"It is better to clean our districts of these people, because many of them commit crimes", said one community leader.
After the evictions, JRS Dominican Republic wrote to Santiago police demanding they protect the human rights of the Haitians faced by threats from community leaders of this Dominican region.
Both candidates have expressed their concern regarding the eviction of Haitians from various districts of the Dominican city of Santiago.
Subsequently, various human rights organisations and the US ambassador to the Dominican Republic urged the authorities to protect the rights of Haitians in the country.
International: refugees evacuated out of Libya
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Thousands of Ethiopian, Eritrean, Somali and other other refugee men, women and children are still stranded in Libya
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| To date more than 280,000 people have fled the violence in Libya. Most have gone to Tunisia and Egypt, while smaller numbers are also seeking protection in Algeria and Niger. |
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Rome, 16 March 2011 – JRS welcomes the actions of the Italian authorities in response to Eritrean refugees in Libya; yet recognises there is much more to be done.
Fifty-eight Eritrean refugees were evacuated by Italian forces on 8 March from Tripoli. In cooperation with the Catholic Bishop of Tripoli, the Italian Refugee Council (CIR), the Italian authorities evacuated the refugees by airplane to the southern city of Crotone. The 18 families, comprised 18 women, 11 men and 26 children, were accommodated in Santa Anna reception.
According to the UN refugee agency in Tripoli, the Italian authorities are in the process of evacuating another 70 Eritrean refugees from Libya. In addition, 13 Eritrean refugees who got on board a Maltese cargo boat were brought ashore. All had been registered with UNHCR Tripoli, and have subsequently been allowed to apply for asylum in the two countries.
Despite the efforts by EU governments, JRS continues to advocate for the resettlement of the refugees in Libya, and ensure the protection of civilians fleeing violence inside the country.
Crisis in numbers
To date more than 280,000 people have fled the violence in Libya. Most have gone to Tunisia and Egypt, while smaller numbers are also seeking protection in Algeria and Niger.
However, according to JRS, more needs to be done to help the Eritrean, Somali, and Ethiopian refugee populations in the country to reach safety in Europe. UNHCR has registered over 2,000 Eritrean refugees in order to facilitate their evacuation.
According to UNHCR, teams on the ground have identified 700 persons of concern in Tunisia and a further 54 in Egypt, most of whom are Somali. There are approximately 350 Eritreans in a camp run by the Red Crescent in Benghazi, and smaller numbers in other cities across Libya.
Before the conflict broke out there were 11,000 registered asylum seekers and refugees in Libya, and many more believed to be in need of international protection, mostly from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.
In the last 24 hours, 22 boats carrying more than 1,600 persons, nearly all young Tunisian males, have landed on the small Italian island of Lampedusa. This brings the total number of Tunisians having arrived in Italy since mid-January to just over 10,000.
Kenya: new certificate programme in Kakuma refugee camp
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Refugee students at the newly equipped JRS education centre in Kakuma, northwestern Kenya (Angelika Mendes/JRS)
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| For some, this is their first chance to acquire professional training in the area of social service. |
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Kakuma, 7 March 2011 – Refugees in Kakuma refugee camp are now able to study for a certificate in social services after JRS launched its first certificate programme as part of a higher education initiative.
The first course, launched two weeks ago, is in the area of psychosocial case management. Nineteen refugees and two host community members will spend 15 weeks learning about different aspects of providing social services to vulnerable persons in their communities.
At the end of the course, participants who successfully fulfil all requirements will gain a continuing education certificate in Psychosocial Case Management.
The course is the first launched within the Community Service Learning Track (CSLT) which is part of the new distance education initiative Jesuit Commons – Higher Education at the Margins (JC-HEM) and the Jesuit Refugee Service in Kakuma refugee camp. More courses in different fields will follow soon.
Developed
between the US and Kenya
The course was developed in cooperation with Fordham University, a Jesuit university based in New York City, and JRS in Kakuma. Associate Professor at Fordham's Graduate School of Social Service, Paul Duong Tran PhD, and several masters' level and doctoral students volunteered their time and expertise to gather course materials. JRS adapted these materials to design lesson plans relevant to the participants in Kakuma.
The course consists of 10 hours of instruction a week in Kakuma. As a part of the initiative, new computer equipment and internet connection were installed at the camp allowing courses to integrate online content such as videos into their curriculum.
In the future, it is envisioned that students from Kakuma will be able to connect online with students from the US and other locations participating in the JC-HEM project.
Selecting the
first students
The group of students engaged in this new learning opportunity were chosen from those who have served their communities as volunteers in the camp or have worked with local organisations in the host community. For some, this is their first chance to acquire professional training in the area of social service.
"I am very excited for this course and the cohort of students. I truly believe that the psychosocial case management course can produce individuals equipped to serve those living in Kakuma. Their dedication to learning coupled with the resources provided through this partnership makes me confident that they will use the skills acquired in this course for years to come", said Gretchen Emick, CSLT facilitator in Kakuma.
Distance
education for refugees in three
countries
The CSLT is part of a larger JC-HEM project that provides long-distance computer based education to refugees in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya, Dzaleka refugee camp, Malawi and to urban refugees in Allepo, Syria.
The project encompasses two broad areas – a diploma in liberal studies which is a fully accredited tertiary degree open to refugees in Kakuma and Dzaleka; and the CSLTs which provide shorter professional development courses in areas directly applicable to the lives of refugees and host community members in these three locations.
JRS has been present in Kakuma refugee camp, northwestern Kenya since 1994. The camp currently hosts more than 80,000 refugees of whom the majority are Somalis
USA: roundtable discussion on Colombian refugees
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Millions of Colombians have been forcibly displaced by violence, many of whom remain in need of durable solutions, Buenaventura, Colombia (Sergi Camara/JRS)
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| Approximately 500,000 Colombian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries throughout the region, many of whom remain in need of durable solutions, particularly as local integration and safe returns to Colombia remain are elusive options.
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Washington DC, 10 March 2011 – Arguably one of the most persistent — and neglected — humanitarian crises in the Western Hemisphere, Colombia's ongoing conflict has resulted in the targeted persecution and displacement of more than four million Colombians in the last two decades.
On 23 March, Jesuit Refugee Service USA will participate in a roundtable discussion regarding the situation of Colombian refugees in Ecuador and Panama. The event will focus on living conditions, access to employment, healthcare and education opportunities, with a particular focus on Afro-Colombians, unaccompanied minors and women.
It will be addressed by three speakers: Shaina Aber, JRS USA Associate Advocacy Director; Andrea Lari, Refugees International, Regional Director; Melanie Nezer, Senior Director, US Policy and Advocacy, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. It will be moderated by Kathleen Newland, Director of the Refugee Policy Programmes and Migrants, Migration Policy Institute.
Ecuador and Panama
The spillover effects of the conflict and the growing refugee crisis in the region have received little attention from the international community. Approximately 500,000 Colombian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries throughout the region, many of whom remain in need of durable solutions, particularly as local integration and safe returns to Colombia remain are elusive options.
In Ecuador, Colombian armed groups operate in border communities, imposing their war taxes, threatening and displacing farmers, forcibly recruiting children, and terrorising the population.
The Ecuadorian government has sent thousands more troops to the border since 2008, but it has had just the opposite effect in the eyes of many of refugees, particularly women. For instance, a recent study of 700 refugee women conducted by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in the Lago area found that 94.5% have experienced sexual and gender-based violence throughout their lives.
In the remote and rural Panamanian towns of Jaqué and Piña obtaining adequate medical treatment is a challenge for everyone, but particularly those whose mobility is limited. There is no hospital in Jaqué, only a small health centre. In the event of a medical emergency, individuals with temporary protection are forced to seek permission to go to hospital.
In 1996, the Panamanian government began repatriating refugees in the Darién border region, sparking harsh criticisms from the international community. Nevertheless the repatriations continued, and Jaqué, as a major destination for refugees, saw various return efforts. Interviews with residents of Jaqué suggest that the Panamanian authorities pursued a policy of intimidation in order to pressure displaced Colombians to sign return documents.
For further information see http://my.migrationpolicy.org/o/6170/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=40327#
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JRS DISPATCHES is sent from the International Office of the Jesuit Refugee Service, CP 6139, 00195 Roma Prati, Italy. Tel: +39-06 68977468; Fax: +39-06 6897 7461; Email: dispatches@jrs.net; JRS online: http://www.jrs.net; Publisher: Peter Balleis SJ; Editor: James Stapleton; Translation: Carles Casals (Spanish), Edith Castel (French), Simonetta Russo (Italian).
JRS Dispatches No. 296
Editor: James Stapleton |
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