28 February 2013

Regional Focus: Middle East, esp. Syria

Upcoming event:

Gaza Calling: Conflict and Displacement in the Gaza Strip, Gaza/Jerusalem/London, 4 March 2013 [info]
- Event will also be streamed live online.

Publications:

Analysis of Host Community-Refugee Tensions in Mafraq, Jordan (Mercy Corps, Oct. 2012) [text via InterAction]

Camp New Iraq (Formerly Camp Ashraf) Residents and the Processing of their Cases for Solutions, Update no. 5 (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

Can Israel Aid Syrian Refugees? (Huffington Post, Feb. 2013) [text]

Israel Deports Refugees to Sudan Despite Threat to their Lives (Daily Beast, Feb. 2013) [text]
- See also related AP story.

Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies, vol. 2. no. 2 (Autumn 2012) [full-text]
- Mix of articles, with several on Palestinian refugees in Syria.  Individual articles can be accessed here.

*The Syrian Crisis and its Repercussions: Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees, MPC Research Report 2013/03 (Migration Policy Centre, 2013) [text]

UNHCR Leader Warns of Moment of Truth for Syria, Risk of Unmanageable Crisis (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Note: A link to the text of the HC's remarks to the UN Security Council was originally included, but now seems to have been removed.

UNHCR Warns of Humanitarian Cost of Syrian Conflict, especially on the Displaced (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Includes link to text of AHC's speech to the UN Human Rights Council.

*updated

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Africa, esp. Kenya

Behind the Scenes: Lessons Learnt from Developing a National Policy Framework on Internal Displacement in Kenya (Refugee Consortium of Kenya & Danish Refugee Council, Feb. 2013) [text]

Congo’s Elderly Act as Caregivers – But Who Will Care for Them? (Refugees International Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

The Fine Line between Deportation and Refoulement: The Case of Zimbabweans in South Africa (Uppsala University, Autumn 2012) [text]

Invisible Suffering: The DRC's Unofficial IDP Camps (Think Africa Press, Feb. 2012) [text]

Kenya: Government Directive Leads to Severe Abuses and Forced Returns (Refugees International, Feb. 2013) [text]

Kenya's Somalis Face Urban Ejection (Think Africa Press, Feb. 2013) [text]

Kenyans Head to the Polls - and a New Displacement Crisis? (UpFront Blog, Feb. 2012) [text]

Protection of the Right to Seek and Obtain Asylum under the African Human Rights System (Martinus Nijhoff, Feb. 2013) [info]

Tagged Publications. 

New Issues of EASO News, Humanit. Aid, JPRS, MPP, Ref. Watch, Ref. Watch Online, RSC News

EASO Newsletter (Jan./Feb. 2013) [full-text via EASO Monitor]
- News from the European Asylum Support Office.

Humanitarian Aid on the Move, no. 11 (Feb. 2013) [full-text]
- Biannual review from URD; this issue focuses on resilience.

*Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies, vol. 2. no. 2 (Autumn 2012) [full-text]
- Mix of articles, with several on Palestinian refugees in Syria. Individual articles can be accessed here.

Migration Policy Practice, vol. III, no. 1 (Feb./March 2013) [full-text]
- Mix of articles including "Ideas of 'home' and 'return home' in voluntary return messaging – A contemplation on the impact of passage of time and sense of failure on asylum-seekers' engagements with voluntary return in Ireland" and "Rebuilding lives and livelihoods: Haiti's long road to recovery through skills development and training for internally displaced persons."

Refugee Watch, nos. 39&40 (July/Dec. 2012) [contents]
- Special issue on the occasion of IASFM14.

Refugee Watch Online (Jan. 2013) [full-text]
- News and views on displaced people in South Asia.

RSC Newsletter (Spring 2013) [full-text]
- News from the Refugee Studies Centre.

*updated

Tagged Periodicals.

27 February 2013

Thematic Focus: Statelessness

UNHCR has teamed up with Tilburg University's Statelessness Programme to offer an award for statelessness research.  The deadline for nominations is 1 May 2013.  The research that wins will be published on both institutions' web sites.

Publications:

Access to Citizenship and its Impact on Integration: Growing Attention on the Role of the European Union in Tackling Statelessness? (ENS Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

The Humanitarian Side of Statelessness; Statelessness within the Framework of the Millennium Development Goals (SSRN, Feb. 2013)
- See also related comment on the Statelessness Programme blog.

Naturalization of Stateless Persons: The Standards of Facilitated Access to Citizenship (Statelessness Programme Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Paper Presented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Collaboration with the Eugene Dupuch Law School to the Constitutional Commission of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Includes recommendations for changes to Bahama's Constitution that would help prevent and reduce statelessness.

Reflections on Thailand (1): A Protracted and Neglected Situation of Statelessness (Statelessness Programme Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]
- First in a series of posts about statelessness among ethnic minorities in Thailand.

"Statelessness in the Context of State Succession: An Appraisal under International Law," Chapter 3 in The Changing Role of Nationality in International Law (Routledge, March 2013) [info]

*Statelessness Programme Annual Report 2012 (Tilburg University, Jan. 2013) [text]

UNHCR Applauds Jamaica for Signing the International Convention to Protect Individuals without a Nationality (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

Upcoming event:

Towards an Ecumenical Advocacy on Rights of Stateless People, Washington, DC, 27 Feb. - 1 March 2013 [info] [photos]

Web site:

Citizens of Nowhere [access]
- Web page set up on the UNHCR Washington site to complement the recently launched report with the same name.

*updated

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools. 

Thematic Focus: Internally Displaced

Some changes afoot at the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC):  First, the organization is advertising for a new Head, preferably someone who can start as soon as possible.  The deadline for applications is 11 March 2013.

Second, check out the IDMC blog.  Posts highlight country profiles and report on key developments such as 15 years of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the landmark "Act Protecting the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons" approved in the Philippines, and the entering into force of the Kampala Convention (more on each of these below).

As was noted in this post from last August, the results from a survey conducted by the IDMC regarding their web site will be used to inform further changes, so watch their various spaces for updates!

Other recent items:

Analysis: Afghan Government Promises Rethink on IDPs (IRIN, Feb. 2013) [text]

Flocks without Shepherds? Governmentality, Sovereignty and the Paradoxical Politics of IDP Protection Policy, Oxford, 30 Jan. 2013 [podcast]

Internally Displaced Persons in the Georgian Labour Market (Tbilisi State University, May 2012) [text]

Kampala Convention Breaks New Ground for Protecting Internally Displaced Persons (Human Rights Brief Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Letter from Chaloka Beyani (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Produced monthly (see back issues), the latest letter report's on the project's 5-year strategic plan and notes Kenya's new IDP Act.

Philippines Passes Historic Bill to Protect Internally Displaced (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

Taking Stock of Internal Displacement: Twenty Years On, Geneva, 28-29 November 2012 [text]
- Conference report.

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools. 

26 February 2013

New Book/Article Titles

Just a head's up to let you know that I've posted quite a few new bibliographic references to the various lists I maintain:  In Diigo, scroll through journal article and law review references, and on Pinterest, browse new book titles for February and March as well as new legal texts.

[Image credit: Pennington Public Library]


Tagged Publications. 

More Events & Opportunities: March 2013

Gaza Calling: Conflict and Displacement in the Gaza Strip, Gaza/Jerusalem/London, 4 March 2013 [info]
- Event will also be streamed live online.

Consultancy Opportunity with PDES [info]
- Consultant sought for report on "Enhancing labour market outcomes for resettled refugees: a review of the evidence"; apply by 5 March 2013.

Job Vacancy: Head of Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Geneva [info]
- Application deadline is 11 March 2013.

CFP: Climate Change, Migration and the Urban Environment: Policy, Governance, Theory, Athens, 26 April 2013 [info]
 - The deadline for abstracts is 12 March 2013.

Encounters in Canada: Contrasting Indigenous and Immigrant Perspectives, Toronto, 15-17 May 2013 [info]
- Register before 15 March 2013 for a discounted rate.

A Liberal Tide: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Latin American Migration and Asylum Policy-making, London, 18 March 2013 [info]
- Registration is open, with limited places available so apply ASAP.

Chasing Misery: An Anthology of Essays from Women in Humanitarian Responses [info]
 - Deadline for submitting essays is 30 March 2013.

*Job Vacancy: Director of Policy and Advocacy, Refugees International, Washington, DC [info]
- Application deadline is 31 March 2013.

Related post
- Events & Opportunities: March 2013

*updated

Tagged Events & Opportunities.  

Protection-related Items

Assessment of Credibility in Refugee and Subsidiary Protection Claims under the EU Qualification Directive: Judicial Criteria and Standards (IARLJ, 2013) [text]

CGRS Helps Young Salvadoran Girl in Asylum Bid to Escape Gang Violence (UC Hastings College of the Law, Feb. 2013) [text]

Continuing Forms of Persecution: An Examination of United States Policy Concerning Female Genital Mutilation and the Chinese "One Child" Policy (Birdsong's Law Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

The Case for Mexican Asylum Seekers Fleeing Cartel Violence (Birdsong's Law Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

"Organization of African Unity and African Union Engagement with Refugee Protection: 1963–2011," African Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 21, no. 1 (Feb. 2013) [extract]

"Temporary Protection, Derogation and the 1951 Refugee Convention," Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol. 13, no. 2 (Nov. 2012) [full-text]

Too Much Pain: Female Genital Mutilation and Asylum in the European Union - A Statistical Overview (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 


Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Publications:

"Humanitarian Action: A Victim of Its Own Success?," Forced Migration Review 25th Anniversary Collection (Feb. 2013) [text]

Improving Communication between Aid Agencies and Crisis-affected People: Lessons from the Infoasaid Project, Network Paper, no. 74 (Humanitarian Practice Network, Feb. 2013) [text]

Knowledge Management in Practice - Implementing Effective Knowledge Management in Emergencies: A Case Study from Somalia WASH Cluster (Regional Emergency Cluster Advisor Project, 2013) [text via Eldis]

The Use and Abuse of Humanitarian Principle (IRIN, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Discusses The Golden Fleece (Kumarian Press, Oct. 2012).

The Use of Evidence in Humanitarian Decision Making (ACAPS & Feinstein International Center, Jan. 2013) [text]

Opportunity:

Sphere Handbook in Action E-learning Course [access]
- "Allows humanitarian workers to undertake an ambitious training programme on Sphere principles and standards in an autonomous manner."

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

25 February 2013

Regional Focus: Europe

Upcoming event:

Towards Real Solutions? Europe's Role as a Global Actor in Promoting Solutions to Long Lasting Refugee Crises, Brussels, 20 March 2013 [info]
- Organized by ECRE, IRC and DRC.

Publications:

Best Interests of Child and Dublin II (Free Movement, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Reference to MA & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Between Fear and Compassion: How Refugee Concerns Shape Responses to Humanitarian Emergencies - – The Case of Germany and Kosovo, Working Paper, no. 13-140 (LSE Department of International Development, Jan. 2013) [text]

Between Solidarity and the Priority to Protect – Where Refugee Relocation Meets Refugee Resettlement (Debate Migration, Feb. 2013) [text]

Dublin II Regulation: Lives on Hold (Forum Réfugiés-Cosi, Hungarian Helsinki Committee & ECRE, Feb. 2013) [text]

ECRI Report on Ireland (European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Includes a section on the situation of refugees and asylum-seekers; see also related press release.

Second Joint Submission of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the Case of M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece (Application no. 30696/09) and Related Cases (ICJ & ECRE, Feb. 2013) [text]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Observations on the Proposed Amendments to the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

15 February 2013

Admin: Winter Break

The blog will be quiet next week - I hope I've given you enough to keep you occupied in the meantime!


Policy & Programming Items


Informal Consultative Meeting on Global Strategic Priorities for 2014-2015 (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

Local Faith Communities and the Promotion of Resilience in Humanitarian Situations: A Scoping Survey, Working Paper, no. 90 (RSC & Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, Feb. 2013) [text]

Management Response to the Recommendations of the Synthesis Summary Report of the Joint UNHCR/WFP Impact Evaluations on the Contribution of Food Assistance to Durable Solutions in Protracted Refugee Situations (WFP & UNHCR, Jan. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]
- The evaluations that this response refers to were referenced in this earlier post.

Refugee Livelihoods in Urban Areas: Identifying Program Opportunities (Feinstein International Center, Feb. 2013) [text]
- See also case studies on Ecuador, Egypt, and Israel.

Refugee Resettlement: 2012 and Beyond, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 253 (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

UNHCR's Dialogues with Refugee Women: Progress Report on Implementation of Recommendations (UNHCR, 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Europe

Droit d’asile en France: conditions d’accueil – État des lieux 2012 (Coordination française pour le droit d’asile, Feb. 2013) [text]

"Mutual Trust and the Dublin Regulation: Protection of Fundamental Rights in the EU and the Burden of Proof," Utrecht Law Review, vol. 9, no. 1 (Jan. 2013) [open access text]

"Refugees in Italy: A Pilot Study of Their Reception and Integration Process," Academicus International Scientific Journal, no. 6 (2012) [full-text]

Rethinking Asylum Legal Representation: Promoting Quality and Innovation at a Time of Austerity (Asylum Aid, Jan. 2013) [text]

Right First Time: How UK Border Agency Officials and Legal Representatives Can Work Together to Improve the Asylum System (Asylum Aid, 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 


Thematic Focus: Statelessness

Upcoming event & opportunity:

Statelessness and Citizenship: Camps and the Creation of 'Political Space', Oxford, 20 February 2013 [info]
- RSC Seminar Series.

Statelessness Summer Course, Tilburg, Neth., 5-9 August 2013 [info]
- Application deadline is 1 April 2013.

Publications:

In the Sun: Research and Advocacy on Roma Stateless People in Italy (Italian Council for Refugees, Feb. 2013) [text]
- See also press release (in Italian) which notes that the final report will be made available soon.

Mapping Statelessness in Belgium (UNHCR, Oct. 2012) [text]

Observing and Documenting the Violations of Stateless (Bidoun) Children’s Rights (Group29, Sept. 2012) [text]

Statelessness Having Been Mapped, It's Time to Act Now for Belgian Authorities, Before Momentum Passes (ENS Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Study for the Feasibility of a Legal Instrument in the Field of Nationality Law and Families (including the Promotion of Acquisition of Citizenship) (Council of Europe, Feb. 2012) [text]

An Unexpected Frontrunner: Tackling Statelessness in Iraq (ENS Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Climate Change/Disasters

Publications:

"Bangladesh's Climate Refugees: 'It's a Question of Life' – Audio Slideshow," The Guardian, 29 Jan. 2013 [access]

"Environmental Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region: Could We Hang Out Sometime?," Asian Journal of International Law, vol. 3, no. 1 (Jan. 2013) [free full-text]
- Free access until 12 May 2013.

Summary Report: International Course on Law and Legal Protection in Natural Disasters, Sanremo, 3-7 December 2012 [text]

When Disasters and Conflicts Collide: Improving Links between Disaster Resilience and Conflict Prevention  (ODI, Feb. 2013) [text]

Web site:

Migration and Climate Change [access]
- New web site showcasing a research project based at the Université de Neuchâtel; will eventually include a CliMig Bibliographic Database and Map of the World's Case Studies, but for now both are currently under construction.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Thematic Focus: Innovation/ICT

Events & Opportunities:

Improving Communication between Aid Agencies and Crisis-affected People, London, 20 February 2013 [info]
- This event will also be streamed live.

ICVA Annual Conference, Geneva, 1 March 2013 [info]
- Theme is "Innovation! It Doesn't Have to be Like This"; registration is closed but interesting agenda.

Publications:

Digital Education in Rural Uganda (UNICEF UK Blog, Jan. 2012) [text]

In Ecuador, a New Learning Centre Combines Garbage and Gigabytes (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]
- See photo.

Mobile and Internet Use in Crisis-affected Communities: Can I Phone a Friend? (Global Humanitarian Assistance, Nov. 2012) [text]

On a Mission to Close a Gap between UNHCR and Refugees (HCD Connect, Jan. 2013) [text]

Web sites:

infoasaid [access]
- Although this project has now ended, its web site resources will remain available until June 2013.  These include "media guides" ("information on the media and telecommunications landscape in a country"), an e-learning course on "communication with crisis-affected communities," and various tools and research.

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools. 

14 February 2013

Thematic Focus: Children

"Hosting Strangers: Hospitality and Family Practices in Fostering Unaccompanied Refugee Young People," Child & Family Social Work, vol. 18, no. 1 (Feb. 2013) [free full-text]

A Lot to Learn: Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Post-16 Learning (Refugee Council, Jan. 2013) [text]

Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (Child Protection Working Group, Oct. 2012) [text]
- See also related USAID blog post.

Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Asylum Support for Children and Young People (Jan. 2013) [access]

Turned Away: Summary Returns of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Adult Asylum Seekers from Italy to Greece (HRW, Jan. 2013) [text]

What Out-of-school Resources and Practices Facilitate African Refugee Students' Educational Success in Australian Rural and Regional Settings? (Charles Sturt University, March 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Middle East

Becoming Refugees Once More: Palestinians from Syria Return to Gaza (IRIN, Feb. 2013) [text]

"Following the El Kott Judgment, Palestinians from Syria Applying for Asylum in the EU Should Be Granted Refugee Status Automatically," ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 8 February 2013 [access]
- See also text of El Kott judgment and UNHCR's oral intervention.

"The Internally Displaced Palestinians in Israel," al-Majdal, no. 51 (Winter 2012) [full-text]

Misery Beyond the War Zone: Life for Syrian Refugees and Displaced Populations in Lebanon (MSF, Feb. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Nutrition Assessment Report for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, using SMART Methodology (UNICEF et al., Jan. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Palestinian Christians: Ongoing Forcible Displacement and Dispossession… until When? (Badil & Kairos Palestine, Dec. 2012) [text]

"Spatialising the Refugee Camp," Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 38, no. 1 (Jan. 2013) [free full-text]

Syrian Arab Republic: Special Focus on the Humanitarian Situation of Palestine Refugees in Syria (UNRWA & OCHA, Feb. 2013) [text via PRRN Blog]

*Tired of Being a Refugee: Social Identification among Young Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon, eCahiers de l’Institut, no. 17 (Graduate Institute, Jan. 2013) [text]

*UPDATED

Tagged Publications. 

13 February 2013

New Issue of RSQ

A new issue of Refugee Survey Quarterly (RSQ) has been published. Contents for vol. 32, no. 1, March 2013 include:

  • Borders in Motion: Concept and Policy Nexus [abstract]
  • Poverty and Livelihoods among UNHCR Registered Refugees in Lebanon [abstract]
  • Should I Stay or Should I Go? National Identity and Attitudes Towards Local Integration among Liberian Refugees in Ghana [abstract]
  • Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons in Burundi within Reach [abstract]
  • The Reinvention of Tradition: New Configurations of Gender Identity and Economic Strategies within Roma Communities in Italy [abstract]
  • Problematizing the Protection of 'War Refugees': A Rejoinder to Hugo Storey and Jean-François Durieux [abstract]

Tagged Periodicals.

CFPs/New Issues of CCR, Peace Prints, WAN

CFPs:

Laws [info]
- Articles sought for a special issue on "Migration and Human Rights"; the deadline for articles is 1 March 2013.

Forced Migration Review [info]
- Theme is "Detention and Deportation."  Submission deadline is 15 April 2013.

New issues:

Canadian Council for Refugees E-Chronicle, vol. 7, no. 10 (Feb. 2013) [full-text]
- Includes the following brief reports: "BC Supreme Court strikes down human smuggling law" and "When are you guilty of a war crime?: The CCR says its piece before the Supreme Court."

Peace Prints: South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, vol. 4, no. 1 (Summer 2012) [full-text]
- Special issue on "Forced Migration and Displacement."

Women's Asylum News, no. 115 (Jan./Feb. 2013) [full-text]
- Lead article is "Claiming Asylum on the Basis of Your Sexuality: The Views of Lesbians in the UK."

Tagged Periodicals and Events & Opportunities. 

Regional Focus: Asia/Oceania

"Burma in Diaspora: A Preliminary Research Note on the Politics of Burmese Diasporic Communities in Asia," Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, vol. 31, no. 2 (2012) [open access text]

Destination Anywhere? Factors Affecting Asylum Seekers’ Choice of Destination Country, Research Paper, no. 1 (Australian Parliamentary Library, Feb. 2013) [text]

Philippines Passes Historic Bill to Protect Internally Displaced  (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

The Rohingya: A Population Facing Violence, Displacement, Segregation, and Statelessness, RSC Public Seminar Series, 6 Feb. 2013 [access]
- Podcast of the seminar.

Sri Lanka: Transitioning from a Humanitarian Crisis to a Human Rights Crisis (InterAction, Jan. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Case study for InterAction's "Transition from Relief to Development" project.

UNHCR Mission to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, 15-17 January 2013 (UNHCR Australia, Feb. 2013) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

Regional Focus: Africa

Publications:

Analysis: Refugees Aim for Self-reliance, Not Hand-outs (IRIN, Feb. 2013) [text]

Crossing African Borders: Migration and Mobility (Center of African Studies, 2012) [text]
- Conference report for the 5th African Borderlands Research Network Conference, Lisbon, 21-25 September 2011; see also programme and CFP.  Report includes "Identity Strategies, Cultural Practices and Citizenship Recovery: Mauritanian Refugees in the Senegal Valley," " Forced Migration of Chadians in the Faro Division in Northern Cameroon (1980-2010)," "Beyond the ‘Genius Of Suffering’: The Paradox of an Alienated Border Regime - Refugee Integration in Cross-Border Dagana (Senegal-Mauritania)," and "Territory and Border Crossing for Livelihoods among (Voluntary and Forced) Migrants from DRC to Swaziland: The Re-Imagining of a Borderless Spatial System."

*Hear My Voice: Somalis on Living in a Humanitarian Crisis (MSF, Feb. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

An Indictment of the New Somali Government: Displaced Woman and Journalist Jailed for Raising Rape Charges (UpFront Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Return Intention Survey on Displaced Population - Mali (IOM, Feb. 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]

Web sites:

Humanitarian Response: Mali [access]

Mali Operation: Information Sharing Portal [access]

*updated

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Upcoming event:

Perspectives on the Future of Humanitarian Action, Live Web Seminar, 13 March 2013 [info]
- Co-hosted by HPCR and ICRC.

Publications:

*Australian Aid Program Support for the Protection of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (AusAID, Sept. 2012) [text]

"The Changing Humanitarian Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities," CARE in Emergencies Newsletter, no. 1 (Jan. 2013) [text]
 - Click on the "view" button to read the full-text online; scroll to p. 3 for article.

*Foreign Assistance Briefing Book 2013 (InterAction, Jan. 2013) [access]

Generosity of Arab Donors Works Best through UN Aid (Refugees International Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]

Humanitarian Action in a Changing Landscape: Fit for Purpose? (ICRC, Feb. 2013) [text]

Informal Consultative Meeting on UNHCR’s Implementation of the IASC Transformative Agenda (UNHCR, Feb. 2013) [text]

The Two Crises of Humanitarianism (humanitarian.info, Feb. 2013) [text]

Web site:

International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) [access]
- The web site has been re-structured and given a new look; note that many of the posted documents are only available to ICVA members (designated by the "lock" symbol appearing to the left of the title).

*updated

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools. 

11 February 2013

ETDs in Economics, Education, Law, Migration & Refugee Studies, Political Philosophy, Political Science, Public Administration, Public Health

The Common European Asylum System and the Rights of the Child: An Exploration of Meaning and Compliance, Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law (Leiden University, Jan. 2013) [access]
- Note: The complete text is embargoed until the end of July; however, individual chapters are available.

Disincorporation Patterns of Lebanon and Jordan: The Case of Palestinian Refugees, Thesis (San Diego State University, 2012) [text]

Internal Displacement and the Education of School-aged Children in Colombia, Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Columbia University, Jan. 2013) [text]

Is Education Beneficial in Protracted Refugee Situations? A Case Study of Somali Refugees in Kharaz Refugee Camp, Thesis submitted to the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (American University in Cairo, Jan. 2013) [text]

Refugee Resettlement: Social Capital, Civil Society and the Integration Processes of Former Refugees, Thesis submitted to the College of Arts (University of Canterbury, 2012) [text]

Social Inequalities in Mental Health and Mortality among Refugees and Other Immigrants to Sweden: Epidemiological Studies of Register Data, Thesis submitted to the Department of Public Health Sciences (Karolinska Institutet, 2013) [text]

Who Should be Granted Asylum? In Search of a Normative Justification of the Duty to Grant Asylum, and of the Current Regime’s Restricted Recognition of 'the Persecuted', Thesis (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Sept. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications. 

08 February 2013

Feature: Monitoring Failed Asylum Seekers

Very little information is available about what happens to failed asylum-seekers after they are deported to their countries of origin.  Some may actually have had genuine claims for refugee status but for various reasons (e.g., problematic asylum procedures, poor legal assistance, etc.) were denied; their subsequent deportation could therefore potentially amount to refoulement.  The Post-Deportation Monitoring Network was launched last fall by the Fahamu Refugee Programme as a mechanism for monitoring deportees after their return, to provide assistance and protection, and to document human rights violations.

For more information about the need for such a network, read:
  • "Avoiding Refoulement: The Need to Monitor Deported Failed Asylum Seekers," Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration, vol. 2, no. 2 (Nov. 2012) [text]
  • Monitoring the Unknown: Improving Adherence to the Principle of Non-refoulement through a Proposed 'Monitoring Network', Working Paper, no. 4 (Univ. of Cape Town Refugee Rights Unit, 2012) [text]

Here are a few other related resources that either document mistreatment post-return or discuss policy approaches to take towards asylum-seekers whose claims for asylum have been rejected:

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Dilemma Facing Refused Asylum Seekers (Refugee Council, Dec. 2012) [text]

Broken Futures: Young Afghan Asylum Seekers in the UK and on Return to Their Country of Origin, New Issues of Refugee Research, no. 246 (UNHCR, Oct. 2012) [text]

Comparative Study on Best Practices in the Field of Forced Return Monitoring (European Commission, Nov. 2011) [text]

Deported to Danger (Edmund Rice Centre, 2004-2006) [access]
- A research project that investigated the fate of rejected asylum-seekers deported from Australia. Includes link to a documentary called "A Well-Founded Fear."

Following Them Home: The Fate of the Returned Asylum Seekers (Black Inc. Books, 2005) [info]

No Direction Home? The Politics of Return for Refused Asylum Seekers, PAFRAS Briefing Paper no. 8 (PAFRAS, Jan. 2009) [text via Statewatch]

"Nowhere to Run: Iraqi Asylum Seekers in the UK," Race & Class, vol. 54, no. 2 (Oct.-Dec. 2012) [abstract]

The Removal of Failed Asylum Seekers: International Norms and Procedures, New Issues in Refugee Research No. 145 (UNHCR, Dec. 2007) [text]

The Return of Persons Found Not to Be in Need of International Protection to Their Countries of Origin: UNHCR's Role, Protection Policy Paper (UNHCR, Nov. 2010) [text]

Safe Return: How to Improve What Happens When We Refuse People Sanctuary (Independent Asylum Commission, June 2008) [text]

"Uganda: The Silent Practice of Deportations," Pambazuka News, no. 480 (May 2010) [text]

Unsafe Return: Refoulement of Congolese Asylum Seekers (Justice First, Nov. 2011) [text]

Vol spécial (Fernand Melgar) [info]
- Documentary on the forced deportations of failed asylum-seekers in Switzerland.

For additional information, search in Refworld on, e.g.,  >failed asylum seekers< or >rejected asylum seekers<.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

07 February 2013

Feature: Gender-based Persecution

Events:

The Culture of Rights Protection in Canadian Refugee Law: Examining the Domestic Violence Cases, Oxford, 11 February 2013 [info]
- This presentation is based on an article by the same title that is forthcoming in the McGill Law Journal.

CFP: International Conference on Gender and Migration: Critical Issues and Policy Implications, Istanbul, 11-13 May 2013 [info]
- One area of focus will be "gender-based violence and forced migration"; deadline for abstracts is 22 February 2013.

Difference and Diversity in the Refugee Experience: Gender and the Asylum Process, London, 27 February 2013 [info]
- This "discussion...offers a theoretical and legal update on the interpretation of women’s experiences in the UK asylum determination process, supported with reference to relevant case studies."

Legal Change from the Bottom Up: The Development of Gender Asylum Jurisprudence in the United States, London, 19 March 2013 [info]
- Open to the public, but registration required.

Publications:

"Domestic Violence as a Basis for Asylum: An Analysis of 206 Case Outcomes in the United States from 1994 to 2012," Hastings Women’s Law Journal, vol. 24, no. 1 (2013) [text via SSRN]

"Gender-Based Persecution as a Basis for Asylum in the United States: Structural and Procedural Defects," Impunity Watch, 2 May 2012 [text]

Gender Persecution and Refugee Law Reform in Canada (Battered Women's Support Services, Oct. 2012) [text]

Gender Related Asylum Claims in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Law, Policies and Practice Focusing on Women in Nine EU Member States (European Parliament, Nov. 2012) [text]
- Re-issued version of this May 2012 report.

"Give Us Your Weary but Not Your Battered: The Department of Homeland Security, Politics and Asylum for Victims of Domestic Violence," Southwestern Journal of International Law, vol. 18, no. 1 (2012) [full-text]

"Persecution on Account of One’s Gender: Refugee Status or Status Quo?," Feminists@Law, vol. 2, no. 1 (2012) [open access text]

Refugee Status in Canada: Gender-related Claims (Ontario Women's Justice Network, Jan. 2013) [text]

Research project:

Gender Related Harms in Forced Migration: A Comparative International Study, University of Technology Sydney, 2012-2015 [info]
- See related news story.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 

Thematic Focus: Protection

Last minute event:

The UNHCR and Internally Displaced Persons - "Protection" for the Purposes of the Refugee Definition?, Oxford, 7 February 2013 [info]

Check for other forthcoming law events organized by the Migration Law Discussion Group in Oxford and the Refugee Law Initiative in London.

Publications:

Just Tell Us What Happened (Free Movement Blog, Feb. 2013) [text]
- Discusses the findings reported in "Just Tell Us What Happened to You: Autobiographical Memory and Seeking Asylum," Applied Cognitive Psychology, vol. 26, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2012).

"The Scarlett Letter 'T': The Tier III Terrorist Classification's Inconsistent and Ineffectual Effects on Asylum Relief for Members and Supporters of Pro-Democratic Groups," Baltimore Law Review, vol. 41, no. 3 (Spring 2012) [full-text]

Understanding the New Refugee Determination System in Canada (Rabble.ca, Jan. 2013) [text via Oppenheimer Chair]

Events after the fact:

Decision-makers and Psychological Evidence, London, 6 Nov. 2012 [Part 1] [Part 2]
- Two-part podcast of seminar in RLI series on "Refugee Protection and Psychology."

"Protection" Seminar Series, Oxford [access]
- Podcasts of the first four seminars are available.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities. 


06 February 2013

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

2011-12 Annual Review of Aid Effectiveness (AusAID, 2013) [text via ReliefWeb]
- See also related Radio Australia interview.

The Guide to the 2010 HAP Standard in Accountability and Quality Management (Humanitarian Accountability Partnership, 2013) [text]

Humanitarian Fiction Blog [access]
- Initially set up to promote a humanitarian love story, Disastrous Passion, the blog will now showcase and promote humanitarian fiction more generally!

Local Faith Communities and Resilience in Humanitarian Situations, Forced Migration Policy Note (RSC, Dec. 2012) [text]

Protection and the ICRC, Oxford, 23 January 2013 [access]
- Podcast of seminar that is part of the RSC seminar series on "protection."

Synthesis of Mixed Method Impact Evaluations of the Contribution of Food Assistance to Durable Solutions in Protracted Refugee Situations (UNHCR & WFP, Jan. 2013) [text]
- Synthesis of findings from four evaluations undertaken in BangladeshChad, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.


Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Forced Migration Studies

The International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) convenes biennially to "develop greater understanding of the implications of forced movement" and to review the current status of forced migration as a field of study.  IASFM14 was just held in Kolkata, India, 6-9 January 2013, and videos of the plenary sessions, including the rapporteur's presentation, are now available.

Publications:

"Forced Migration: State of the Field," Peace Prints: South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, vol. 4, no. 1 (Summer 2012) [full-text]

Impacting the World One Paper Upload at a Time (Knowledge in Migration, Jan. 2013) [text]
- Advocates open access to scholarly forced migration research.

International Seminar on Demographic Perspectives on Refugees and Forced Migration, Tehran, 13-15 May 2012 [text]

Refugee Studies: The Challenge of Translating Hope into Reality (openDemocracy, Jan. 2013) [text]

Taking Stock of Internal Displacement: Twenty Years On, Geneva, 28-29 November 2012 [text]
- Conference report.

Opportunity:

CFP: "Geographies of Forced Migration: 20 Years since Geography and Refugees edited by Richard Black and Vaughan Robinson," Session at Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference, London, 28-30 August 2013 [info]
- Submit an abstract by 12 February 2013.

Web sites:

CARFMS – Online Research and Teaching Tool and Practitioners Forum (ORTT & PF) [access]
- Officially launched at "Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Online: Harnessing 'the Cloud' for Knowledge Generation, Instruction, and Mobilization," Roundtable at IASFM14, Kolkata, India, 6-9 January 2013.  Note: Still under construction.

[Photo credit: IASFM13, Plenary 1, FMO]

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools. 

05 February 2013

Free Journal Content

Emerald
- Its "Journal of the Week" feature provides free access to the content of two journals per week.  This week (thru. 10 Feb.), you can access the International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care; its most recent issue includes health-related articles on Karen refugees, asylum seekers in Sweden, and immigration detention.

JSTOR
- Recently announced that it is offering free access to the archives of some 1200 journals through its Register & Read program.  Once they identify articles of interest, visitors can select up to three to put on their "bookshelf" for a two-week period, after which more free articles can be "shelved."  As a test case, I searched on "refugees" and approximately five of the titles on the first page of 25 results were freely available; they dated from both the 1990s and 2000s.  Content from the most recent years is not included in the program.

Wiley
- Generally provides free access to the first issue of a new journal volume at the beginning of every year, e.g., see vol. 37, no. 1 (Jan. 2013) of Disasters; vol. 51, no. 1 (Feb. 2013) of International Migration; vol. 19, no. 1 (Jan./Feb. 2013) of Population, Space and Place.  To locate other relevant articles, enter a search term in the Advanced Search box (for example, "refugees" limited to the "Article Titles" field), then limit your search results to "journals" (using the Filter List option on the right), and finally, click on "Sort by Date" to show the most recently published articles first. A free symbol will appear next to the references that you can access.  Keep in mind that first issues are still appearing, so it is worth checking back from time to time.

Tagged Periodicals.