New Periodical Issues: Field Exchange, Hum. Exchange, JHA, JRS, Refugees, Signs

Field Exchange, no. 30 (April 2007) [full-text]
- Mix of articles on best practices in nutritional emergencies.

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 37 (March 2007) [full-text]
- Focus is on "humanitarian responses to conflicts in Lebanon and the Near East."

Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (April 2007) [full-text]
- New article added that discusses the use of blogs to facilitate the "exchange of information in humanitarian emergencies."

Journal of Refugee Studies, vol. 20, no. 1 (March 2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles on human security, health models in Sri Lanka, asylum in Luxembourg, IDPs in Senegal, health among Greek Cypriot refugees, micronutrient deficiencies among refugees, and poverty among Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

Refugees Magazine, no. 146 (April 2007) [full-text]
- Theme is "Iraq bleeds: millions displaced by conflict, persecution and violence."

Signs, vol. 32, no. 3 (Spring 2007) [contents]
- Includes a special section with articles on "Women in Refugee Camps."

Published in Periodicals.

New Reports: Conflict&Poverty, Evaluation/NRC, Humanitarian Action, IDPs, Immigration/Europe, Iraqis, UNHCR

(Updated April 26)

Benchmarks for Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons (IASC, March 2007) [text]

Contingency Planning and Humanitarian Action: A Review of Practice, Network Paper no. 59 (HPN, March 2007) [text]

Coordinating the Humanitarian Response to Refugee Situations: The Role of Power and Trust in Humanitarian Networks, Sussex Migration Working Paper No. 42 (Sussex Centre for Migration Research, 2007) [text]

Durable Management for Durable Solutions : Organisational Performance Review Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Norad Report: Review 2/2007 (Norad, April 2007) [text]

European Strategies for Reducing 'Unwanted' Immigration (DIIS April 2007) [text]

Guidelines on the Treatment of Iraqi Asylum Seekers and Refugees (ECRE, April 2007) [text]

The Impact of Conflict on the Intergenerational Transmission of Chronic Poverty: An Overview and Annotated Bibliography (Chronic Poverty Research Centre, March 2007) [text]

Iraq - From a Flood to a Trickle: Neighboring States Stop Iraqis Fleeing War and Persecution (HRW, April 2007) [text]

‘Prisons of the Stateless’: A Response to New Left Review, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 141 (UNHCR, March 2007) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Psychosocial Impact of War on Children

Over the weekend, National Public Radio interviewed Iraq's mental health adviser on the results of a survey that was conducted to assess the effects of the war on the mental health of Iraqi children. USA Today reported earlier on the findings, noting that "[a]bout 70% of primary school students in a Baghdad neighborhood suffer symptoms of trauma-related stress... ." The study will become available next month.

Following up on my earlier post on the mental health aspects of forced migration, here are several additional resources to consult to learn more about the impact of war on children and recommended approaches for assistance :

Psychosocial - Care & Protection of Children in Emergencies: A Field Guide (Save the Children, 2004) [text]

Psychosocial Concepts in Humanitarian Work with Children: A Review of the Concepts and Related Literature (National Academies Press, 2003) [text]

"Psychosocial interventions for children in war-affected areas: the state of the art," Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, vol. 5, no. 1 (March 2007) [summary]
- Full-text not available online. Contact the publisher for more information.

Working with children in unstable situations: A guiding manual for psychosocial interventions (RSC and UNICEF, 2002) [text]

More information can be found via FMO's digital library, the Health and Human Rights Info database, and PubMed.

Posted in Publications.

New Global IDP Survey

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC, formerly the Global IDP Project) released its annual survey of trends in international displacement yesterday. Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2006 estimates that 24.5 million IDPs have been displaced by conflict around the world, a majority of them women and children. Read the report for more facts and figures, an analysis of overall trends, regional overviews, thematic overviews, and statistics. The press release announcing the launch of the survey is here.

Previous annual surveys are available via IDMC's publications page.

Posted in Publications.

Humanitarian Needs of Iraqi Refugees and IDPs

The UNHCR International Conference on Addressing the Humanitarian Needs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons inside Iraq and in Neighbouring Countries will be held next week, 17-18 April. This briefing note describes the overall objectives of the meeting. Invitations were sent to 192 governments, 65 international organizations and some 60 NGOs; some of the participants are listed here. ICVA, representing NGOs, will present two statements at the meeting. More information about NGO contributions is available on ICVA's conference sub-site.

The latest issue of Refugees Magazine (no. 146, April 2007) focuses on Iraq.

For the latest on the humanitarian aspects of the situation in Iraq, see ReliefWeb's updates. ECOI.net country reports and the Brookings Iraq Index also provide useful information.

Posted in Events and Publications.

Kakuma Revisited

Jeff Crisp of UNHCR's Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES) very kindly passed along the following references to supplement my earlier post on Kakuma refugee camp. They include, respectively, 1) studies that consider the overall situation in Kakuma, 2) evaluations of specific programmes implemented in the camp, and 3) further reading on research into the socio-economic aspects of life in Kakuma.

1. Overviews

Crisp, J., "A state of insecurity: the political economy of violence in refugee-populated areas of Kenya," New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 16 (1999) [text]

Jamal, A., Minimum standards and essential needs in a protracted refugee situation: A review of the UNHCR programme in Kakuma, Kenya (UNHCR, 2000) [text]

Princeton Refugee Initiative, Protracted Refugee Situations: A Case Analysis of Kakuma Camp, Kenya (Princeton University, 2005) [text]

2. Evaluations

Dube, A., and A. Koenig, Self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods for refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma camps (UNHCR & ILO, 2005) [text]

HIV/AIDS Unit, Behavioural Surveillance Surveys Among Refugees and Surrounding Host Population: Kakuma, Kenya (UNHCR, 2004) [text]

Ngugi, E., Assessment of HIV/AIDS Behaviour Change Communication Strategies Employed by NGOs in Kakuma Refugee Camp (UNHCR, 2002) [text]

Obura, A.P., Peace Education Programme in Dadaab and Kakuma, Kenya: Evaluation Summary (UNHCR, 2002) [text]

Phillips, J., "Challenges to the Effective Implmentation of Microfinance Programmes in Refugee Settings," Forced Migration Review 20 (2002) [text]

Phillips, J., Testimony before US Senate Subcommittee re. food assistance in Kakuma (2002) [text]

Sommers, M., Crossing Lines: "Magnets" and Mobility among Southern Sudanese - A final report of two assessment trips examining the impact and broader implications of a new teacher training center in the Kakuma refugee camps, Kenya (USAID, 2002) [text]

Sommers, M., "Peace Education and Refugee Youth," Chapter 4 in Learning for a Future: Refugee Education in Developing Countries (UNHCR, 2002) [text]

3. Research into Socio-economic Aspects (not available online)

Ohta, I., "Multiple Socio-Economic Relationships Improvised between the Turkana and Refugees in Kakuma Area, Northwestern Kenya," in Ohta, I. and Gebre, Y.S. (eds.), Displacement Risks in Africa: Refugees, Resettlers and their Host Population (Kyoto: Kyoto University Press, 2005) [contents] [conference report]

Perouse de Montclos, M.-A. and P.M. Kagwanja, "Refugee camps or cities? The socio-economics of the Dadaab and Kakuma camps in northern Kenya," Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 13, No. 2 (2000) [abstract]

Posted in Publications.

New Publications: Asylum Seekers/France & UK, Forced Evictions, Iraqis, Stateless/Asia, Tsunami Response

COHRE, Global Survey on Forced Evictions: Violations of Human Rights (Dec. 2006) [text]

Joint Committee on Human Rights, The Treatment of Asylum Seekers (House of Lords & House of Commons, 30 March 2007) [text]

Lambert, B. and C. Pougin de la Maisonneuve, UNHCR’s response to the Tsunami emergency in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, December 2004 - November 2006: An independent evaluation, PDES/2007/01 (UNHCR, April 2007) [text]

Margesson, R. et al., Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: A Deepening Humanitarian Crisis? (Congressional Research Service, 23 March 2007) [text]

Mydans, S., "Citizens of nowhere," International Herald Tribune (1 April 2007) [text]
- Article on stateless people in Asia.

Valluy, J., "L’Accueil étatisé des demandeurs d’asile: de l’enrôlement dans les politiques publiques à l’affaiblissement des mobilisations de soutien aux exilés," Collection "Esquisses," no. 10 (avril 2007) [text]

Posted in Publications.

April Events/Opportunities: Civilian Protection, Fellowship, Immigration/US, Iraq, Palestinian Refugees,

4th Immigration Law and Policy Conference, 24 April 2007 [more info.]
- Jointly sponsored by MPI, GU Law Center, and CLINIC. Focus is U.S. immigration reform.

Call for Papers for disClosure: a journal of social theory, Issue 17: Migration, Displacement, and Mobility, deadline 20 April 2007 [more info.]
- "seeks submissions that explore issues of migration, displacement, and mobility as it is understood in a variety of areas," including politics, economics, geographies, identities, and media/rhetorics.

Civilians in conflict: New approaches to security and protection [more info.]
- An ODI Humanitarian Policy Group Series of four meetings, the first of which is scheduled for April 19 and will focus on "Political and humanitarian approaches to civilian protection." The remaining will be held in May and will address the following topics respectively: "Livelihoods, conflict and civilian security"; "Operational challenges to protecting civilians: Questions from civil and military experience"; "Civilian protection and humanitarian advocacy: Strategies and dilemmas."

International Conference on Addressing the Humanitarian Needs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons inside Iraq and in Neighbouring Countries, 17-18 April 2007 [more info.]
- Hosted by UNHCR. See also ICVA conference site.

Palestinian Refugees and International Law, 28-29 April 2007 [more info. - select "Teaching" menu option, then "Short courses"]
- Hosted by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC). "This two-day workshop places the Palestinian refugee case study within the broader context of the international human rights regime."

RMMRU-DRC Fellowships on Migration for Young Academics and Professionals, deadline 30 April 2007 [more info.]
- Based at the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).

Posted in Events & Opportunities.

New Periodical Issues: Conflict&Health, Europ. J. Mig.&Law, HR Brief, Intervention, JEMS, J. Mig.&Ref. Issues, NICS

Conflict and Health (March 2007) [full-text]
- Open access journal with several new articles added in March.

European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 9, no. 1 (2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on 'protection in regions of origin' and European asylum law.

Human Rights Brief, vol. 14, no. 2 (Winter 2007) [full-text]
- Mix of articles relating to international human rights law.

Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, vol. 5, no. 1 (March 2007) [contents, introduction]
- Focus is on psychological interventions for people affected by armed conflict.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 33, no. 3 (April 2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one that focuses on refugee children in Hungary and another that examines the experience of displacement and resettlement in the Russian Federation.

Journal of Migration and Refugee Issues, vol. 3, no. 1 (2007) [contents]
- One article examines displacement and women's health in Beirut, while a second considers discrimination and persecution in refugee law.

Nutrition Information in Crisis Situations, vol. 12 (Feb. 2007) [full-text]
- Provides country profiles of nutrition and food security situations.

Posted in Periodicals.

Human Trafficking-Refugee Nexus

A proposal was put forth at a recent Informal Consultative Meeting of the Standing Committee for an "Executive Committee Conclusion on the Protection of Victims of Trafficking Seeking Asylum." Several perspectives on the intersection between human trafficking and refugee/asylum issues are represented in the literature. The following examples highlight some of these viewpoints:

Morrison, J., FMO Research Guide: Human Smuggling and Trafficking, October 2002 [text]

Morrison, J. and B. Crosland, "The trafficking and smuggling of refugees: the end game in European asylum policy?," New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 39, April 2001 [text]

Shearer Demir, J., "The trafficking of women for sexual exploitation: a gender-based and well-founded fear of persecution?," New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 80, March 2003 [text]

Schlapkohl, L., Human Trafficking and the Common European Asylum System: Victim Protection and Assistance in the European Union, Master's Thesis, Tufts University, April 2006 [text]

UNHCR, Guidelines on International Protection: The application of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees to victims of trafficking and persons at risk of being trafficked, HCR/GIP/06/07, 7 April 2006 [text]

Women's Commission, "Protecting Displaced Women and Girls from Trafficking," Protection Program [access]

Posted in Publications and Web Sites.