Thematic Focus: Solutions

Blog posts & press:

Integration in the New Pact: A difficult compromise between the lack of competence and the importance of integration for a successful migration policy (EU Immigration & Asylum Law & Policy Blog, March 2021) [text]

What Nations Can Learn from Colombia’s Integration of Venezuelans (RI Blog, March 2021) [text]

Reports:

Integration and Determinants of Psychosocial Health, Working Paper, no. 2021/81 (RESPOND Project, March 2021) [access]

The Impact of Government-Sponsored Refugee Resettlement: A Meta Study of Findings from Six Countries (UNHCR, Dec. 2020) [text]

- The six countries are Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States.

The Integration of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Field of Education and the Labour Market, Working Paper, no. 2021/82 (RESPOND Project, March 2021) [access]

More of the same: Biden to admit fewer refugees than any president in U.S. history (International Rescue Committee, April 2021) [text]

- See also related FAQ and Washington Post article.

Refugees Rejuvenating and Connecting Communities (Univ. of South Australia, Feb. 2021) [text]

- See also related news article.

Thanks for Your Help! The Value of Q&A Websites for Refugee Integration, Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 5 Jan. 2021 [text]

- Focuses on Germany.

Three-Year Strategy (2019-2021) on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways: Interim Report (UNHCR, 2021) [text]

What Works for Improving Refugee Outcomes in High-Income Countries? Policy Insights for the UK (COMPAS, Jan. 2021) [text]

Journal articles & book chapters:

"Afghan unaccompanied refugee minors’ understandings of integration: An interpretative phenomenological analysis," Smith College Studies in Social Work, Latest Articles, 3 March 2021 [open access]

- Focuses on Sweden.

"Community Sponsorship, The Pact and The Compact: Towards Protection Principles," Chapter 6 in The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Light of the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees: International Experiences on Containment and Mobility and their Impacts on Trust and Rights (European Univ. Institute, March 2021) [open access]

- Scroll to p. 71.

"Immigrant Integration and COVID-19," Border Crossing, vol. 11, no. 1 (2021) [open access]

"Lives stalled: the costs of waiting for refugee resettlement," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Latest Articles, 18 Feb. 2021 [eprint]

- "This paper examines the context of waiting for Iranian religious minorities who must first travel to Vienna, Austria in order to apply for resettlement to the U.S."

"The Pact and Refugee Resettlement: Lessons from Australia and Canada," Chapter 2 in The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Light of the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees: International Experiences on Containment and Mobility and their Impacts on Trust and Rights (European Univ. Institute, March 2021) [open access]

- Scroll to p. 25.

"The Politics of Vulnerability in Refugee Admissions Under the EU-Turkey Statement," Frontiers in Political Science, 8 April 2021 [open access]

- Focuses on Germany.

"Working against and with the State: From Sanctuary to Resettlement," Migration & Society, vol. 4, no. 1 (2021) [open access]

- Focuses on Canada.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Solutions (18 March 2021)

Regional Focus: Africa

Opportunity:

Call for proposals: Establishing research chairs on forced displacement in the Middle East and East Africa [info]

- This call is now open. More information about it will be provided during an online session held on 13 April 2021. 

Blog posts & press:

Busting South Africa’s xenophobic myths starts at grassroots (ISS Today, April 2021) [text]

"Humanitarian catastrophe in northern Mozambique ‘beyond epic proportions’," UN News, 8 April 2021 [text]

UNHCR Statement on the Government of Kenya’s intention to close Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps (March 2021) [text]

- Note: Kenya's High Court has now put a 30-day pause on any closures. See also related African Arguments blog post, UNHCR press release, and VOA news article.

Reports:

*Accountability to Affected Populations in Displacement Contexts and During the Covid-19 Pandemic (RECAP Project, April 2021) [text]

- Focuses on Uganda. 

Addressing the marginalisation of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa, HSRC Policy Brief (Human Sciences Research Council, Feb. 2021) [text]

Asylum Seekers’ Access to Protection: Developments in South Africa, Advocates' Migration Brief, no. 2 (Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa, March 2021) [text]

- See also related blog post/infographic.

Coercion and control: how information and individuality intersect for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda, SLRC Working Paper, no. 94 (Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Conflict-induced migration and local development: The socio-economic dynamics of a refugee-hosting area in Uganda, ASC-TUFS Working Papers, vol. 1 (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 2021) [text]

Families of Missing Migrants: Their Search for Answers, the Impacts of Loss and Recommendations for Improved Support - Country report: Ethiopia (IOM, 2021) [text]

*"See Migration Like Water": An Analysis of IOM Flow Monitoring Survey Data on Migration Flows in West and Central Africa (IOM & Harvard Univ., April 2021) [text]

Journal articles & book chapters:

"EU External Migration Management Policies in West Africa: How Migration Policies and Practices

in Nigeria Are Changing," Chapter 23 in The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Light of the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees: International Experiences on Containment and Mobility and their Impacts on Trust and Rights (European Univ. Institute, March 2021) [open access]

- Scroll to p. 262.

Journal of Refugee Studies, vol. 33, no. 4 (Dec. 2020) [access]

- Special issue on "The Politics of Return: Understanding Trajectories of Displacement and the Complex Dynamics of ‘Return’ in Central Africa." Note that ALL 10 articles are open access!

"Migration Management: The Antithesis of Refugee Protection – The Case of South Africa," Chapter 9 in The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Light of the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees: International Experiences on Containment and Mobility and their Impacts on Trust and Rights (European Univ. Institute, March 2021) [open access]

- Scroll to p. 101.

"The New Pact’s Focus on Migrant Returns Threatens Africa-EU Partnership," Chapter 19 in The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Light of the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees: International Experiences on Containment and Mobility and their Impacts on Trust and Rights (European Univ. Institute, March 2021) [open access]

- Scroll to p. 219.

"Will refugees also get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Africa?," Public Health in Practice, vol. 2 (Nov. 2021) [open access]

Multimedia:

Emerging BHER Scholars: Establishing a Refugee Research Agenda in Dadaab, 31 March 2021 [access]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

- Regional Focus: Africa - Pt. 1 (26 March 2021)

- Regional Focus: Africa - Pt. 2 (26 March 2021)

Thematic Focus: Gender Issues

Blog posts & press:

Access to Identity Documentation for Migrant Women (SIHMA Blog, April 2021) [text]

- Part of a blog series on "Exclusion of Migrant Women in Africa." Links to previous posts are provided in the footnotes.

The BIA's Mansplaining of Gender-Based Asylum (Jeffrey S. Chase Blog, April 2021) [text]

Reports & journal articles:

Alternatives Humanitaires = Humanitarian Alternatives, no. 16 (March 2021) [full-text]

- Includes a focus on "Gender-based and Sexual Violence: The Current State of the Humanitarian Sector." Available in both English and French.

"Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Women Refugees in South Africa," Journal of Refugee Studies, Advance Articles, 31 March 2021 [full-text via PUBMED]

*Conflict-related sexual violence: Report of the Secretary-General, UN Doc. No. S/2021/312 (UN Security Council, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Gender-Transformative Change in Humanitarianism: A View from Inside (Women's Refugee Commission, April 2021) [text]

A Journey of Hope: Haitian Women's Migration to Tapachula, Mexico (Center for Gender and Refugee Studies et al., 2021) [text]

*NGO strategies for sex and gender-based violence protection and accountability in long-term displacement settings: Reviewing women’s participation in humanitarian programmes in Dadaab refugee complex, RLI Working Paper, no. 56 (Refugee Law Initiative, March 2021) [text]

"Problems of Syrian Refugee Women in Jordan: A Societal Study in the Al-Balqa Governorate," An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities), vol. 34, no. 10 (2020) [open access]

Progress on Tackling the Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Aid Beneficiaries (UK House of Commons, Dec. 2020) [text via ReliefWeb]

Women and Girls on the Move to Europe (2018–2020) (IOM, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Women Who Dare: Exploring Experiences of Participation among Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh, RLI Working Paper, no. 55 (Refugee Law Initiative, March 2021) [text]

Resources:

I Know Gender 16: Gender Equality and Migration (IOM & UN Women) [access]

- "Through this module participants will learn about international migration trends from a gender perspective, how to conduct a gender analysis and how to start mainstreaming gender equality into their everyday work at every stage of the migration cycle." More info available in this press release.

The Silence I Carry: Disclosing Gender-based Violence in Forced Displacement - Practitioners' Toolkit for Mexico, rev. ed. (Washington University, Red Regional de Espacios Seguros & UNHCR, Dec. 2020) [text]

- See also Spanish version.

Supporting Survivors of Violence: The Role of Linguistic and Cultural Mediators, with a Focus on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence against Men and Boys - A Training Curriculum (Women's Refugee Commission & UNICEF) [access]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Gender Issues - Pt. 1 (15 March 2021)

- Thematic Focus: Gender Issues - Pt. 2 (15 March 2021)

Regional Focus: MENA

Opportunity:

*Call for proposals: Establishing research chairs on forced displacement in the Middle East and East Africa [info]

- Note: An info session on this call will be held 13 April 2021. The submission deadline is 3 August 2021.

Blog posts & press:

120,000 refugees assisted to access Iran’s health insurance scheme (UNHCR, April 2021) [text]

Cash in a COVID-19 Crisis: Adapting Approaches to Assisting Jordan-based Refugees (CaLP Blog, April 2021) [text]

Jordan: Yemeni Asylum Seekers Deported (Human Rights Watch, March 2021) [text]

Lebanon: Refugees, Migrants Left Behind in Vaccine Rollout (Human Rights Watch, April 2021) [text]

A Sociology of Knowledge on Displacement and Humanitarianism (Southern Responses to Displacement, March 2021) [text]

- Summary of a chapter contributed to the Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East.

Supporting the future of Syria and the region, Brussels V Conference, 29-30 March 2021 [access]

- Follow link for video recordings, background documents, statements and pledges, and info on side events. See also related ECRE Weekly Bulletin article, OCHA/UNHCR/UNDP joint press release, and UN News story.

"UNRWA chief reports on despair and hope among Palestinian refugees," UN News, 7 April 2021 [text]

What happens to migrants intercepted at sea by the Libyan coast guard? (InfoMigrants, April 2021) [text]

Reports & journal articles:

"The Border Harms of Human Displacement: Harsh Landscapes and Human Rights Violations," Social Sciences, vol. 10, no. 4 (March 2021) [open access]

- Focuses on Syria.

Exiled within: Between citizenship and the struggle for return for internal Palestinian refugees in Israel, RSC Working Paper, no. 134 (Refugee Studies Centre, March 2021) [text]

“I could not sleep while they were hungry” Investigating the role of social networks in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis (Mercy Corps, April 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

No city is the same: Livelihood opportunities among self-settled Syrian refugees in Beirut, Tripoli and Tyre, CMI Insight, no. 1 (Chr. Michelsen Institute, March 2021) [text]

"Palestinian Refugee Youth in Jordan: Parental Practices, Neighborhood Cohesion and Assistance and Adolescent Wellbeing," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, no. 7 (March 2021) [open access]

*Supporting Syrian Refugees amidst Lebanon’s Crises (Geneva Centre for Security Policy, April 2021) [access]

*To cooperate or not to cooperate? An analysis of in-group favoritism among Syrian refugees, ILE Working Paper, no. 48 (Univ. of Hamburg, 2021) [text]

- Focuses on Syrians in Jordan and Germany.

"Undocumented migrants in Saudi Arabia: COVID‐19 and amnesty reforms," International Migration, Early View, 31 March 2021 [free full-text]

Multimedia:

Life during COVID-19 under blockade in Gaza, 7 April 2021 [access]

- Follow link for video recording.

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Regional Focus: MENA (27 March 2021)

Thematic Focus: Climate Change & Disasters

Blog posts & press:

*Climate & Migration (SIHMA Blog, April 2021) [text]

- Focuses on Africa.

Climate migrants: How German courts take the environment into account when considering non-refoulement (Völkerrechtsblog, March 2021) [text]

Honduras Migration: Climate Change, Violence, & Assistance (Future Development Blog, April 2021) [text]

It’s Time to Recognize Climate Refugees (International Policy Digest, April 2021) [text]

"Then and Now: 25 years of disasters, responses, and risk management," The New Humanitarian, 1 April 2021 [text]

Reports & journal articles:

"Climatic conditions are weak predictors of asylum migration," Nature Communications, 12:2067 (April 2021) [open access]

- See also related blog post.

From Basic Needs to the Recovery of Livelihoods: Local integration of people displaced by drought in Ethiopia (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Recommendations on managing risk and addressing disaster displacement: challenges, effective practices and solutions, Asia-Pacific Policy Brief (Global Protection Cluster, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Leaving Place, Restoring Home: Enhancing the Evidence Base on Planned Relocation Cases in the Context of Hazards, Disasters, and Climate Change (Platform on Disaster Displacement & Kaldor Centre, March 2021) [text]

- See also related press release.

“Legal Protection for the Environmental Refugee,” Journal of Sharia and Law, vol. 2021, no. 85 (2021) [full-text]

Multimedia:

Changing Climate, Changing Migration: Is Climate Change Driving Migration from Central America?, 26 March 2021 [access]

- Follow link for podcast.

Changing Climate, Changing Migration: The Benefits of Climate Migration, 2 April 2021 [access]

- Follow link for podcast.

Climate Change & Forced Displacement, 25 Feb. 2021 [access]

- Follow link for video recording.

Rising Sea Levels: Climate Displacement as a Human Right Violation, 17 March 2021 [access]

- See also related summary of Jane McAdam's presentation. 

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Climate Change & Disasters (18 March 2021)

Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance

Opportunities:

Call for proposals: 2021 Conference on Humanitarian Studies, Paris & Online, 3-5 November 2021 [info]

- The theme is "New realities of politics and humanitarianism: between solidarity and abandonment." The call for panels is now open. 

Job announcement: Head of Evaluation Office, ICRC [info]

- Apply by 25 April 2021.

Blog posts & press:

Beyond the Visual: Media Exposure and Coordination in Humanitarian Emergencies (CGD Blog, March 2021) [text]

How can UNHCR further engage in Humanitarian Development cooperation? (UNHCR Blog, April 2021) [text]

Is aid neo-colonial? (DevPolicy Blog, April 2021) [text]

"The next UN humanitarian chief should be picked on merit," The New Humanitarian, 4 March 2021 [text]

"A Q&A with the world’s biggest aid donor," The New Humanitarian, 11 March 2021 [text]

"Who’s in the running for the top UN humanitarian job?," The New Humanitarian, 21 March 2021 [text]

More humanitarian-related blog posts can be found in IHSA's weekly round-ups.

Reports & journal articles:

Cashing in: Turning challenges into opportunities when evaluating humanitarian cash assistance (ALNAP & Cash Learning Partnership, April 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

COVID-19 and Humanitarian Access: How the pandemic should provoke systemic change in the global humanitarian system (United Nations University, April 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Exploring migrants' trust in humanitarian organisations (IMREF, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Leadership in Humanitarian Action: Handbook for the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (IASC, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Locating the value of the participatory approach to ‘humanitarian accountability’ in displacement contexts, RLI Working Paper, no. 53 (Refugee Law Initiative, Feb. 2021) [text]

Provision of Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings: Lessons Learned Paper (INTERSOS, Feb. 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Scientific due diligence for humanitarian Disaster Risk Financing: A guide for data scientists and humanitarian practitioners (Start Network, April 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]]

"Self-efficacy and humanitarian aid workers," Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 6:6 (March 2021 [open access]

Social Protection Responses to COVID-19 for Forcibly Displaced Persons (UNHCR, March 2021) [text]

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Humanitarian Assistance (3 March 2021)

News: Book Offerings

1. Book discounts

Routledge:

As you may know, Routledge regularly publishes forced migration-related titles, many of which form part of the multiple series that they have on offer (see a list on this page). Currently, they are running a 20% sale on their print and digital books that runs through 2 May 2021. Search their catalogue or browse my book blog for relevant titles; the discount will be automatically applied when you check out.

(Thanks to Patricia Hynes for letting me know about the sale! Her latest book, Introducing Forced Migration, was just published by Routledge on 31 March 2021.

Legal texts:

The second edition of James Hathaway's authoritative work, The Rights of Refugees in International Law, has also just been published. It too can be purchased with a 20% discount; use the code provided in this tweet from the author.

The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law is now due out in May 2021 rather than March as originally projected.

And the fourth edition of the classic text, The Refugee in International Law by Guy Goodwin-Gill & Jane McAdam, is projected to be published in August 2021!

Forthcoming title:

Gil Loescher's Refugees: A Very Short Introduction is expected next month. Very sadly, Prof. Loescher passed away last year, but he left behind an extensive collection of scholarly works that will continue to influence the refugee world for many years to come. 

2. New open access books

If you haven't had a chance to check out the (many!) open access titles that have been published so far this year, please visit the relevant page in my Forced Migration Library.

News: Latest AI Annual Report Published

Amnesty International has published the latest edition of its flagship annual human rights report. From the press release:

"Amnesty International Report 2020/21: The State of the World’s Human Rights covers 149 countries and delivers a comprehensive analysis of human rights trends globally in 2020. In it, the organization describes those already most marginalized, including women and refugees, as bearing the devastating brunt of the pandemic, as a result of decades of discriminatory policy decisions by world leaders. Health workers, migrant workers, and those in the informal sector - many at the frontlines of the pandemic - have also been betrayed by neglected health systems and patchy economic and social support. The response to the global pandemic has been further undermined by leaders who have ruthlessly exploited the crisis and weaponized COVID-19 to launch fresh attacks on human rights, the organization says."

Multiple language versions are available via AI's report page. Previous editions are available via the publications library.

Thematic Focus: Children & Families - Pt. 2 (United States)

Unaccompanied Minors in the US and at the US/Mexico Border

Blog posts & press:

4 reasons why migrant children arriving alone to the US create a ‘border crisis’ (The Conversation, March 2021) [text]

Advocating for asylum-seeking children is traumatic, new research finds (WP's Monkey Cage, March 2021) [text]

Biden immigration overhaul would reunite families split up by deportation (The Conversation, March 2021) [text]

Hampered by the Pandemic: Unaccompanied Child Arrivals Increase as Earlier Preparedness Shortfalls Limit the Response (MPI Commentary, March 2021) [text]

"The Humanitarian Challenge of Unaccompanied Children at the Border," The New Yorker, 23 March 2021 [text]

Revising How We Process Children and Families During Border Surges (Niskanen Center, April 2021) [text]

Reports & journal articles:

Child Migrants at the Border: The Flores Settlement Agreement and Other Legal Developments (Congressional Research Service, April 2021) [text]

Increasing Numbers of Unaccompanied Alien Children at the Southwest Border (Congressional Research Service, March 2021) [text]

"Seeking Safety and Humanity in the Harshest Immigration Climate in a Generation: A Review of the Literature on the Effects of Separation and Detention on Migrant and Asylum‐Seeking Children and Families in the United States during the Trump Administration," Social Policy Report, vol. 34, no. 1 (March 2021) [free full-text]

Unaccompanied Children’s Arrivals are a Humanitarian Challenge—But a Solvable One (US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Children & Families - Pt. 1 (6 April 2021)

Thematic Focus: Children & Families - Pt. 1

Blog post:

*Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Save the Children Blog, April 2021) [text]

- Focuses on Central America.

Reports & journal articles:

Bridging the Gap: Bringing the Response to Children Formerly Associated with ISIL in Iraq in Line with International Child Protection Standards (Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

"Dynamics of Child Marriages among Syrian and Afghan Refugees in Turkey," Atatürk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, vol. 25, no. 1 (2021) [full-text]

Children in Migration: Report on the state of implementation in 2019 of the 2017 Communication on the protection of children in migration (European Migration Network, March 2021) [text]

- See also related EMN Flash and Inform.

"Entre afectos, miedos y culpas: Socialización familiar en medio del desplazamiento forzado," Trabajo Social, vol. 22, no. 2 (2020) [open access]

- Focuses on Colombia.

"Musical pathways to the peer community: A collective case study of refugee children’s use of music therapy," Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, Latest Articles, 12 March 2021 [open access]

- Focuses on Norway.

"Protecting the Global Mental Health of Forcibly Displaced Children from the COVID-19 Pandemic," Pediatrics, vol. 147, no. 4 (April 2021) [free full-text]

Understanding Risk and Protective Factors in Humanitarian Crises: Towards a Preventive Approach to Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, 2021) [text]

Working children in crisis-hit Lebanon: Exploring the linkage between food insecurity and child labor (International Rescue Committee, March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Children & Families (17 March 2021)

Regional Focus: Europe - Pt. 2

Journal articles:

"The asylum system and the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Lisbon: Existing disparities, structural problems, and new insights," Community Psychology in Global Perspective, vol. 7, no. 1 (2021) [open access]

"How to improve sustainability of the Schengen agreement on open borders?," International Migration, Early View, 23 March 2021 [free full-text]

"Information Sharing in the Dublin System: Remedies for Asylum Seekers In-Between Gaps in Judicial Protection and Interstate Trust," German Law Journal (Forthcoming) [preprint]

- Note: The German Law Journal is an open access publication.

"Navigating Trust and Distrust in the Refugee Community of Malta," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Latest Articles, 1 April 2021 [open access]

"On the Streets of Paris: The Experience of Displaced Migrants and Refugees," Social Sciences, vol. 10, no. 4 (April 2021) [open access]

"One step forward, two steps back: the ambiguous role of Germany in EU asylum policies," Journal of European Integration, vol. 43, no. 2 (2021) [postprint]

- Note: Access to this text is under embargo until 22 August 2022.

"The refugees’ right to the centre of the city: City branding versus city commoning in Athens," Urban Studies, OnlineFirst, 29 March 2021 [open access]

Multimedia:

Global Asylum Governance and the EU’s Role: Implementing the UN Global Compact on Refugees and the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, 22-23 March 2021 [info]

- Video recordings are available here.

A Pact with the Devil? Robust Border Management and the EU’s New Pact on Migration, 31 March 2021 [access]

- Follow link for video recording of webinar.

Related post:

- Regional Focus: Europe - Pt. 1 (6 April 2021)

Regional Focus: Europe - Pt. 1

Blog posts & press:

Back to the future? Questioning EU’s renewed approach to returns and readmission (Protect Project Blog, April 2021) [text]

The European Approach to Hotspots in Greek Islands (Border Criminologies Blog, April 2021) [text]

Serbia vaccinates refugees against COVID-19 (UNHCR, March 2021) [text]

UNHCR reprimands Greece over more reports of pushbacks at sea (InfoMigrants, March 2021) [text]

Weaponising Geography on the Greek-Turkish Border (Border Criminologies Blog, March 2021) [text]

Why sticking to the Refugee Convention still matters (Free Movement Blog, April 2021) [text]

Reports:

Country Reports (AIDA, April 2021) 

- Updated profiles available for Belgium and Slovenia.

"Demographic Transformation of Crimea: Forced Migration as Part of Russia’s ‘Hybrid’ Strategy," Eurasia Daily Monitor, vol. 18, no. 50 (March 2021) [text]

Initial-reception facilities at external borders: fundamental rights issues to consider (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, March 2021) [text]

No More Morias? Origins, challenges and prospects of the hotspots on the Greek islands (Expert Council on Integration and Migration, April 2021) [access]

- Note: See also info on related April 12 webinar.

Syrian Migrants in Sweden: A Survey on Experiences of Migration and Integration, Working Paper, no. 5 (RESPOND Project, April 2021) [text]

Ukraine: Legislative Updates (UNHCR, Feb. 2021) [text]

Resource: 

Statewatch Observatory on Frontex [access]

- Read this Twitter thread for info on recent updates and new sections.

Related post:

- Regional Focus: Europe (28 March 2021)

New Issue of JRS

A special issue of the Journal of Refugee Studies (JRS) has been published. The theme of vol. 33, no. 4, Dec. 2020 is "The Politics of Return: Understanding Trajectories of Displacement and the Complex Dynamics of ‘Return’ in Central Africa." And for the first time, ALL articles in one single issue are open access! They include:

• The Politics of Return: Understanding Trajectories of Displacement and the Complex Dynamics of ‘Return’ in Central and East Africa [open access]
• What Happened to Children Who Returned from the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda? [open access]
• Humanitarian Remains: Erasure and the Everyday of Camp Life in Northern Uganda [open access]
• Home is Where the Heart is: Identity, Return and the Toleka Bicycle Taxi Union in Congo’s Equateur [open access]
• Les Combattants—Ideologies of Exile, Return and Nationalism in the DRC [open access]
• Pragmatic Mobilities and Uncertain Lives: Agency and the Everyday Mobility of South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda [open access]
• Being Normal: Stigmatization of Lord’s Resistance Army Returnees as ‘Moral Experience’ in Post-war Northern Uganda [open access]
• ‘I Kept My Gun’: Displacement’s Impact on Reshaping Social Distinction During Return [open access]
• Moving Toward ‘Home’: Love and Relationships through War and Displacement [open access]
• Navigating Social Spaces: Armed Mobilization and Circular Return in Eastern DR Congo [open access]

Tagged Periodicals.

Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 2

Opportunity:

Panel discussion: Who's Judge is it Anyway? The Crisis of Independence in our Immigration Courts, 7 April 2021 [info]

Blog posts & press:

Biden Begins to Restore Temporary Protected Status. Which Countries Could Get TPS Next? (Immigration Impact Blog, March 2021) [text]

Immigration Policies Based on Deterrence Don’t Work (Immigration Impact Blog, April 2021) [text]

US immigration policy: A classic, unappreciated example of structural racism (How We Rise Blog, March 2021) [text]

Reports & journal articles:

"Associations between memory loss and trauma in US asylum seekers: A retrospective review of medico-legal affidavits," PLoS ONE 16(3): e0247033 (March 2021) [open access]

"Asylum Attorney Burnout and Secondary Trauma," Wake Forest Law Review, vol. 56, no. 4 (2021) [preprint]

"Empathy for the Vulnerable? The Fourth Circuit's Internal Struggle to Grapple with the Trump Administration's Immigration Policies," West Virginia Law Review Online, vol. 123, no. 2 (2021) [Part I] [Part II]

The Legacy of Racism within the U.S. Border Patrol (American Immigration Council, Feb. 2021) [text]

Pulling Back the Curtain: Analysis of New Government Data on Temporary Protected Status (CLINIC, March 2021) [text]

Multimedia:

“People coming from the Western Hemisphere have been perceived as inherently not refugees,” Latin America Today (WOLA, April 2021) [access]

- Follow link for podcast.

Values and Racism in American Immigration Views (Niskanen Center, March 2021) [access]

- Follow link for podcast.

Resources:

Center for Inclusion and Belonging [access]

- A project of the American Immigration Council that will work to "build a cohesive America where all people are welcomed and included."

Executive Office for Immigration Review Policy Manual [access]

- "The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is pleased to present its first comprehensive interactive Policy Manual.  ...For the first time, all of EOIR’s operational guidance related to case adjudications is now available in one comprehensive document, updated to reflect current law and practice."

Related post:

- Regional Focus: United States (3 April 2021)

Regional Focus: United States - Pt. 1

Commentary, reporting & resources on the border "crisis": 

4 things the Biden administration should pay attention to with the border crisis (Future Development Blog, April 2021) [text]

America’s border crisis: Good intentions go south (The Interpreter Blog, March 2021) [text]

“America’s Immigration Amnesia: Despite recurrent claims of crisis at the border, the United States still does not have a coherent immigration policy,” The Atlantic, 29 March 2021 [text]

Asylum Processing at the Border: Legal Basics (Congressional Research Service, March 2021) [text]

"Border Déjà Vu: Biden Confronts Similar Challenges as His Predecessors," Migration Information Source, 1 April 2021 [text]

"Biden and the Blame Game at the Border," The New Yorker, 28 March 2021 [text]

Facts about the Current Situation at the Border (American Immigration Council, March 2021) [text]

- See also related blog post.

A Guide to Title 42 Expulsions at the Border (American Immigration Council, March 2021) [text]

Immediate Response Recommendations for the Southern Border (Niskanen Center, March 2021) [text]

Is It Time to Close the Border? (The Asylumist Blog, March 2021) [text]

Overlooked detail in border debate: The legal right to seek asylum in the US (The Hill, March 2021) [text]

“The Perpetual Crisis at the Border — and What We Can Do About It,” New York Times, 2 April 2021 [text]

That Crisis at the Border? Unethical Reporting (Human Rights First Blog, March 2021) [text]

"There’s an Immigration Crisis, But It’s Not the One You Think," Politico Magazine, 25 March 2021 [text]

Title 42: The Cruel Trump Policy Continuing Under Biden (Human Rights First Blog, March 2021) [text]

U.S. Capacity on the Southern Border (Niskanen Center, March 2021) [text]

For much more information & news stories, see past issues of the weekly Migratory Notes and WOLA's US-Mexico Border Update. 

Related post:

- Regional Focus: United States (22 March 2021)

Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality - Pt. 2

Reports & articles:

Background Note on Gender Equality, Nationality Laws and Statelessness 2021 (UNHCR, March 2021) [text]

Estudio regional sobre inscripción tardía de nacimientos, otorgamiento de documentos de nacionalidad y apatridia: estándares, mejores prácticas, barreras y desafíos en Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, República Dominicana y Uruguay (UNHCR, OAS & CLARCIEV, Jan. 2021) [text]

"Libya's Forgotten Ones," Zenith, 23 March 2021 [text]

"The Myopic Loss of Nationality Rights Leading to Statelessness," Gonzaga Journal of International Law, vol. 24, no 2 (March 2021) [full-text]

The Nationality and Statelessness of Nomads Under International Law: With a comprehensive examination of the nationality and statelessness of former Bedouin in Kuwait, Tuareg in Mali and Sama Dilaut (Bajau Laut) in Malaysia, Dissertation (Tilburg Univ., Dec. 2020) [text]

A Place to Call Home: Shining a Light on Unmet Legal Need for Stateless Refugee Children in Australia (Refugee Advice & Casework Service and Peter McMullin Centre, March 2021) [access]

- Follow the link for the report and related video of the launch event.

Quick Guides: Researching Statelessness (UNHCR, March 2021) [text]

"Racial Discrimination in Nationality Laws: A Doctrinal Blind Spot of International Law?," Columbia Journal of Race and Law, vol. 11, no. 1 (2021) [full-text]

Revocation of citizenship: The new policies of conditional membership, EUI Working Paper, no. RSC 2021/23 (European Univ. Institute, 2021) [text]

"Stateless and Persecuted: What Next for the Rohingya?," Migration Information Source, 18 March 2021 [text]

Statelessness Newsletter (January-March 2021) [text via ReliefWeb]

- Focuses on the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and its implementation in Southern Africa.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality - Pt. 1 (2 April 2021)

Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality - Pt. 1

Opportunities:

Appeal for information: COVID-19 and Statelessness [info]

Webinar: How to Protect Every Child's Right to a Nationality: A Discussion among Treaty Body Experts, 15 April 2021 [info]

Webinar: Statelessness in Southeast Asia, 15 April 2021 [info]

Webinar: Statelessness and the Right to Health beyond the pandemic, 21 April 2021 [info]

Job announcement: Research Fellow, Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness [info]

- Apply by 29 April 2021.

Blog posts & press:

'Awaiting': Stateless lives in Hungary (ENS Blog, March 2021) [text]

"Legal clinic to count Australia's stateless people as it helps give children a place to call home," ABC News [Australia], 24 March 2021 [text]

- See also related commentary and report listed in next section.

Political limbo and statelessness in Africa’s last colony (ENS Blog, March 2021) [text]

Reclaiming Statelessness Narratives by Resisting ‘Deficit’ Discourse and Amplifying the Voices of Stateless People (CSS Blog, March 2021) [text]

Stateless Children (LRB Blog, March 2021) [text]

Statelessness in Denmark: UNHCR mapping sheds light on national law and practice (ENS Blog, March 2021) [text]

Statelessness in Southeast Asia: Causes and Responses (GLOBALCIT Blog, March 2021) [text]

Three years on, ENS #StatelessnessINDEX points to slow and fragile progress towards ending statelessness in Europe (ENS, March 2021) [text]

UNHCR welcomes new resolution adopted by the government of Ukraine aimed at ending statelessness in Ukraine (UNHCR, March 2021) [text]

Multimedia:

Annual State of Play Assessment on Statelessness in Europe, 24 March 2021 [access]

Leaving no one behind: Improving Statistics on Statelessness, 25 Feb. 2021 [access]

Resource:

Statelessness Index (European Network on Statelessness) [access]

- Recently updated and three new countries added: Albania, Croatia, and Ireland.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Statelessness & Nationality (3 March 2021) 

CFPs/New Issues of Alt. Humanit., Disasters, EJML, Humanit. Aid, Humanity, ICRC Rev., Intl. Migr., Migr. & Soc., Migr. Lett., Rts. in Exile

CFPs with deadlines in May and June:

Displaced Voices: A Journal of Archives, Migration and Cultural Heritage [info]

- Contributions sought for "Twentieth Century Histories of Civic Society Responses to Crises of Displacement: A Special Issue of Displaced Voices to Mark the 70th Anniversary of the Refugee Council." The deadline for article submissions is 8 May 2021.

Social Sciences [info]

- Contributions are sought for a special issue on "Future Directions for the Concept of 'Climate Refugees'." Submit manuscripts by 31 May 2021.

Anti-Trafficking Review [info]

- Contributions sought for a special issue themed "Traffickers." The deadline for article submissions is 1 June 2021. 

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies [info]

- Contributions sought for a special issue on "Comparative Migration Law: Methods, Debates and New Frontiers." Submit manuscripts by 1 June 2021. 

Forced Migration Review [info]

- Contributions sought for a themed issue on "Externalisation." The deadline for submissions is 7 June 2021.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [info]

- Contributions sought for a special issue on "Refugees Across Communities: Health and Place Attachment in Resettlement. Submit manuscripts by 15 June 2021.

New issues:

Alternatives Humanitaires = Humanitarian Alternatives, no. 16 (March 2021) [full-text]

- Includes a focus on "Gender-based and Sexual Violence: The Current State of the Humanitarian Sector." Available in both English and French.

Disasters, vol. 45, no. 2 (April 2021) [contents]

- Mix of articles, with one that is open access.

*European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 23, no. 1 (2021) [contents]

- Special issue on "Revisiting Ruiz Zambrano: A Never Ending Story?" The editorial and three articles are open access.

Humanitarian Aid on the Move, no. 22 (March 2021) [full-text]

- Themed issue on "2020: How the Pandemic Affected the Aid Sector."

Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Development, vol. 11, no. 3 (Winter 2020) [contents]

- Mix of articles.

International Migration, vol. 59, no. 2 (April 2021) [contents]

- Two special sub-sections focus on migrant workers and on reintegration. Two articles are open access.

International Review of the Red Cross, no. 913 (March 2021) [full-text]

- Themed issue on “Digital technologies and war.”

Migration and Society, vol. 4, no. 1 (June 2021) [open access]

- Features two special sections, one on "The Stakes of Sanctuary" and the other on "Religion and Refugees."

Migration Letters, vol. 18, no. 2 (2021) [contents] 

- Special issue on "Transnational (Im)mobilities and Informality in Europe." The editorial is freely available.

Rights in Exile Newsletter, no. 122 (April 2021) [text]

- News and information for refugee legal aid providers.

*Reminder: Postprints of articles published in the journals marked with an asterisk can be archived/deposited immediately after publication! Please refer to this earlier blog post for more information.

Related post:

- Opportunities: CFPs for Open Access Journals [with deadlines in April & May]

Tagged Periodicals.

News: 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

The U.S. Department of State released the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2020 earlier this week. The annual report provides overviews of human rights violations in some 200 countries and territories. More info is provided in the transcript of the Secretary of State's remarks. 

The State Dept. also announced that later in the year it would publish "an addendum to each 2020 country report that expands the subsection on women in Section 6, entitled 'Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons,' to include a broader range of issues related to reproductive rights," noting that "these topics were included in previous Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, and they will be included again in future years." 

More info on this addendum is provided in that Human Rights Watch news story. In addition, this Politico article describes how this year's reports "differ in both subtle and overt ways from versions published under then-President Donald Trump." A much more extensive assessment of the deficiencies in past Country Reports is presented in this Asylum Research Centre report.

Finally, more details on how the reports were compiled and the source materials used can be found in  Appendix A on the 2020 Country Reports page as well as ecoi.net's lengthy source description.

Opportunities: More April 2021 & New May 2021

Webinar: Refugee Protection in East Asia: Changes and Challenges, 2 April 2021 [info]

Presentation: The Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS) and its Upcoming 2021 Conference: What Utopias Can Teach Us, 7 April 2021 [info]

Call for registration: "Understanding solidarity under international and EU refugee law," Interest Group workshop on the margins of the ESIL Catania Research Forum, 15 April 2021 [info]

- Register by 8 April 2021.

Lecture: Asylum in the EU and Rule of Law Backsliding, 8 April 2021 [info]

Webinar: Refugee-host community relations during Covid-19 and beyond: Lessons from the Middle East and Southern Africa, 8 April 2021 [info]

Webinar: A Year of Pandemic: The State of Global Human Mobility & What is on the Horizon, 8 April 2021 [info]

Discussion panel: Exporting Canada's Resettlement Model? Reflections on the Private Sponsorship Program, 9 April 2021 [info]

Lecture: Climate Change and Displacement - Challenges and Work to be Done, 9 April 2021 [info]

Presentation: L’asile et l’exil: Une histoire de la distinction migrants/réfugiés, 12 April 2021 [info]

Webinar: Statelessness in Southeast Asia, 15 April 2021 [info]

Summer school: Migration and the Pandemic: Taking Stock and Thinking Ahead, Migration Policty, 28 June-9 July 2021 [info]

- Note: This is an online event. Apply by 15 April 2021.

Call for participation: Developing a Research and Policy Agenda for Addressing Displacement and Migration in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change in Africa = Développer un programme de recherche et de politique pour répondre aux déplacements et aux migrations dans le contexte des catastrophes et du changement climatique en Afrique, April-June 2021 [info]

- Note: The application deadline has been *extended* to 19 April 2021.

Job announcement: Chief Operating Officer, The New Humanitarian [info]

- Apply by 19 April 2021.

Job announcement: Research Fellow, Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness [info]

- Apply by 29 April 2021.

CFP: (Dis)connecting People? The law and practice of family reunification, Ghent, 9-10 September 2021 [info]

- Submit abstracts by 1 May 2021.

Seminar: Impacts of a Refugee Shelter Program: Experimental Evidence from the Syrian Refugee Life Survey, 4 May 2021 [info]

Call for papers: (Re)Imagining Belonging in Latin America and Beyond: Access to Citizenship, Digital Identity and Rights, 23 June 2021 [info]

- Submit abstracts by 14 May 2021.

Call for applications: 10th Online International Refugee Law Course (Arabic), 21 June-16 July 2021 [info]

- Registration deadline is 17 May 2021.

Call for applications: 10th Online International Refugee Law Course (Spanish), 21 June-16 July 2021 [info]

- Registration deadline is 17 May 2021.

Call for registration: 1st Online Course on Statelessness, 21 June-16 July 2021 [info]

- Registration deadline is 17 May 2021.

Call for registration: International Summer School in Forced Migration, 12-16 July 2021 [info]

- This programme will be held online. Register by 28 May 2021.

Related posts:

- Opportunities: CFPs for Open Access Journals [with deadlines in April & May]

- Opportunities: Even More March 2021 & New April 2021

New Book Titles

Please see a two-part listing of references to new books posted on my Forced Migration Library blog. Part 1 highlights new books published in April 2021, while part 2 lists new books published in March 2021 as well as new legal and open access texts.