New Periodical Issues: Dev. in Practice, Disaster Prev., H&M, HRQ, Intl. Mig., IMR, JEMS, JIRS

Development in Practice, vol. 17, no. 1 (2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles including several on poverty.

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 16, no. 1 (2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on coordinating humanitarian operations.

Hommes & Migrations, no. 1264 (Nov./Dec. 2006) [contents]
- Focus is on immigrant housing in France.

Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 1 (Feb. 2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

International Migration, vol. 45, no. 1 (March 2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles including two focusing on Australia: newly arrived refugees and asylum policies, respectively.

International Migration Review, vol. 41, no. 1 (March 2007) [contents]
- Includes mix of articles on migration policy and immigrant experiences.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 33, no. 2 (2007) [contents]
- Focus is on transnationalism. Includes an article by K. Koser entitled "Refugees, Transnationalism and the State."

Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, vol. 5, no. 2 (2007) [contents]
- In prepublication; mix of articles including one focusing on domestic violence in refugee families in Australia.

Posted in Periodicals.

Periodical Formats: Print vs. Online

I have come across several periodical titles that I was not previously familiar with. It’s interesting to see how the periodical format has evolved and the blurring of print and online versions. Start with the Journal of Migration and Refugee Issues: This is a typical scholarly journal, peer-reviewed and published by an academic press. Its web site offers contents and a sample article online, so no significant online presence.

Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict is also a peer-reviewed journal but aimed more particularly at professionals and practitioners. It’s produced by the War Trauma Foundation and published by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. The WTF's journal site includes contents of the current volume and pdfs of earlier issues, while the publisher's site offers a sample article.

Conflict and Health is a new research journal that is going the online, open access route. It will be refereed but hosted as a free full-text title by BioMed Central, whose mission is to ensure immediate access to peer-reviewed biomedical research.

Refugee Watch has also chosen an online format for its dissemination. It used to be a newsletter of the South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR), but is now published in a blog format by Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group. Access to the full-text of back issues is provided through the “Other issues” link.

Posted in Periodicals.

Kakuma Refugee Camp

I am reading What is the What, a "fictional" autobiography of a Sudanese "lost boy" who spent a number of years in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya before being resettled to the U.S. Kakuma was established in the early 1990s and currently houses some 90,000 Sudanese, Somali and Ethiopian, and other refugees. For more information about Kakuma, refugees in Kenya, and refugee camps generally, see the following selection of resources:

Kakuma:

Refugees International, Kakuma: A Troubled Refugee Camp in Kenya (2003) [text]
- This article notes that "The residents of Kakuma are 'warehoused.'" For more information about warehousing, see below.

UNSW Centre for Refugee Research, Field Trip: Kakuma Refugee Camp Kenya (2002) [text]
- Part of the centre's "Women at Risk" project.

Refugees/humanitarian operations in Kenya:

ReliefWeb, Kenya Country Information [access]

U.S. Committee for Refugees, "Kenya," World Refugee Survey 2006 [text]

Camps/Refugee Warehousing:

FMO Research Guide: Camps versus Settlements (2003) [text]

Forced Migration Review, no. 2 (1998) [text]
- Focus is on "People in Camps."

Refugee Insights, no. 11 (2006) [text]
- Focus is "Encamping Refugees: A Look at the Myths, Realities, and Exploring Solutions." Published by the Refugee Consortium of Kenya.

U.S. Committee for Refugees, Frequently Asked Questions about Refugee Warehousing and the Campaign to End It [text]; Are There any Alternatives? [text]

U.S. Committee for Refugees, Warehousing Refugees: A Denial of Rights, a Waste of Humanity (2004) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Literature Reviews: Human Trafficking

I have come across a number of literature reviews that focus on human trafficking. The principal aim of the compilers was to locate the studies that already exist, assess the research conducted, and identify gaps. The titles are organized by region:

General

Literature Review and Analysis Related to Human Trafficking in Post-Conflict Situations, Washington, DC: USAID (2004) [text]

Africa

Getting to Grips with Trafficking: Reflections on Human Trafficking Research in South Africa, Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies (2006) [text]

Literature Review on Trafficking in West and East Africa, Bangkok: Global Alliance against Traffic in Women ([2004]) [text]

"Review of Research and Data on Human Trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa," International Migration, vol. 43, no. 1/2 (2005): 75-98 [contents of journal issue]

Americas

Literature Review of Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean, Washington, DC: USAID (2004) [text]

"Research on Human Trafficking in North America: A Review of Literature," International Migration, vol. 43, no. 1/2 (2005): 99-128 [contents of journal issue]

Trafficking in Human Beings and Organized Crime: A Literature Review, [Ottawa]: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (2002) [text]

Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Literature Review, Bangkok: Global Alliance against Traffic in Women ([2004]) [text]

Asia/Oceania

"Human Trafficking in East Asia: Current Trends, Data Collection, and Knowledge Gaps," International Migration, vol. 43, no. 1/2 (2005): 165-201 [contents of journal issue]

"A Problem by a Different Name? A Review of Research on Trafficking in South-East Asia and Oceania," International Migration, vol. 43, no. 1/2 (2005): 203-233 [text]

Review of a Decade of Research on Trafficking in Persons, Cambodia, San Francisco: Asia Foundation (2006) [text]

"Treading along a Treacherous Trail: Research on Trafficking in Persons in South Asia," International Migration, vol. 43, no. 1/2 (2005): 141-164 [contents of journal issue]

Europe

Trafficking in Europe: A Literature Review, Bangkok: Global Alliance against Traffic in Women ([2004]) [text]

"'You Can Find Anything You Want': A Critical Reflection on Research on Trafficking in Persons within and into Europe," International Migration, vol. 43, no. 1/2 (2005): 235-265 [contents of journal issue]

Middle East

"A Review of Recent Research on Human Trafficking in the Middle East," International Migration, vol. 43, no. 1/2 (2005): 267-299 [contents of journal issue]

Posted in Publications.

War-Affected Children

An international conference on war-affected children was held last week in Paris (February 5 and 6). The aim was to highlight the "illegal and unacceptable use of children in armed conflict." Participants endorsed two texts, 1) The Paris Commitments to Protect Children Unlawfully Recruited or Used by Armed Forces or Armed Groups (“The Paris Commitments”), and 2) The Paris Principles: Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups ("The Paris Principles"). The latter text "provides more detailed guidance for those who are implementing programmes," and it includes a section on refugee and internally displaced children.

One of the speakers at the conference was the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, formerly the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women. The web site for the Special Representative has been re-organized and provides access to background information, key documents and country profiles.

Each year, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers commemorates February 12 as the anniversary of the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on children in armed conflict. Recently added to the Coalition web site's psychosocial section are three articles that discuss "child trauma, resilience and cultural healing" (Jan. 2007).

More information about the impact of humanitarian crises on children can be found in UNICEF's 2007 edition of the Humanitarian Action Report.

Posted in Publications and Events.

New Research/Policy Reports: Asylum, HIV/AIDS, Hum. Protection/Uganda, IDPs, Livelihoods/Darfur, Refugee Status

Challenges to Peace and Recovery in Darfur: A Situation Analysis of the Ongoing Conflict and its Continuing Impact on Livelihoods, Briefing Paper, by H. Young and A.M. Osman (FIC, Dec. 2006) [text]

Educational responses to HIV and AIDS for refugees and internally displaced persons: Discussion paper for decision-makers (UNHCR and UNESCO, Jan. 2007) [text]

The extraterritorialisation of asylum and the advent of "protection lite," DIIS Working Paper 2007/2, by T. Gammeltoft-Hansen (DIIS, Jan 2007) [text]

Humanitarian protection in Uganda: a Trojan Horse?, HPG Background Paper, by C. Dolan and L. Hovil (ODI, Dec. 2006) [text]

Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights of internally displaced persons, Walter Kälin, Human Rights Council doc. no. A/HRC/4/38 (Jan. 2007) [text]

'A violation of his or her human security': New grounds for the recognition of refugee status: a proposal for reform, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 140, by M. Afzal (UNHCR, Dec. 2006) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Journal of Humanitarian Assistance

The Journal of Humanitarian Assistance is back online. The Feinstein International Center assumed management of the JHA and has re-launched it with a number of new features. The format is similar to that of a blog, with a comment section accompanying each article and an RSS feed to announce new additions. Each article includes an abstract and hyperlinked keywords. The staff is working to convert the pre-2007 articles; in the interim, readers can access these texts through the archives.

So far, two articles have been published this year:
International Organisations in Mindanao: To Protect or Not? (Feb. 2007) [text]
Political Complexities of Humanitarian Intervention in the Pakistan Earthquake (Jan. 2007) [text]

Posted in Periodicals.

Forced Migration Controlled Vocabularies

Blogger.com (my blog's host) recently implemented a "label" feature. So for each post I create, I can now add labels (or keywords, index terms, subject headings...) to describe the content. Each label is an active link, which means readers can retrieve other posts that have been assigned the same labels. Over time, the labels will create a browsable cross-referencing system to allow readers to locate related posts in my blog, supplementing the "type" categories I've already established to organize each post and complementing the existing search function.

The challenge with applying labels is being consistent with regard to the term you select and its spelling. Fortunately, the field of forced migration has several thesauri or controlled vocabularies at its disposal which were developed for this very purpose.

International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology (UNHCR/FMO) [access]
- French version available. Terms are provided in English, French and Spanish. This is used for cataloguing purposes by a number of forced migration libraries, including the Refugee Studies Centre library, the UNHCR library, and the Forced Migration & Refugee Studies grey literature collection.

Controlled Vocabulary Lists (OCHA) [access - note: this is an Excel spreadsheet]
- See "keyword" tab. Developed along with a number of other tools to facilitate information management in humanitarian emergencies.

Disasters Controlled Vocabulary (Centro Regional de Información sobre Desastres) [text]
- Vocabulary terms are provided in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Human Rights Micro-Thesauri (HURIDOCS) [access]
- These were developed for documenting human rights violations.

I am going to experiment with terms from the aforementioned refugee thesaurus for my labels. For an example of how labels work , click on the "terminology" link below.

Posted in Web Sites/Tools.

New Periodical Issues: Field Exch., FMR, MIS, Refugees

Field Exchange, no. 29 (Dec. 2006) [text]
- Compiled by the Emergency Nutrition Network. The focus is on Southern Africa.

Forced Migration Review, no. 27 (Jan. 2007) [text]
- Published in conjunction with UNFPA, the theme of this issue is "Sexual violence: weapon of war, impediment to peace."

Migration Information Source (Feb. 2007) [text]
- Produced by the Migration Policy Institute. Focus of this issue is migration and development.

Refugees, no. 145 (Jan. 2007) [access]
- Published by UNHCR. The theme is "Huge country, huge problems, huge potential: Can DR Congo turn the page?"

Posted in Periodicals.

Humanitarian Assistance: Trends and Funding

The UK government just issued a government response to the International Development Committee's report on "Humanitarian Response to Natural Disasters," which came out in Oct. 2006. The initial report provided a review of both the national and international response to humanitarian emergencies and disasters in 2005.

A Congressional Research Service report on "International Crises and Disasters: U.S. Humanitarian Assistance, Budget Trends, and Issues for Congress" was also recently released.

A European Union counterpart that describes humanitarian action, programs and funding is the Annual Report on humanitarian aid (latest April 2006).

A more comprehensive look at trends in humanitarian assistance is provided in the annual "Global Humanitarian Assistance 2006" (Nov. 2006), compiled by Development Initiatives.

For a purely financial overview of requirements, contributions, and what is still needed, see OCHA's Summary of Requirements and Pledges/Contributions by affected country/region.

Posted in Publications.

Policy/Research Papers: FMSP, Oxfam, UNHCR

(updated August 2007)

Developing history curricula to support multi-ethnic civil society among Burmese refugees and migrants, by R. Metro, New Issues in Refugee Resarch no. 139 (UNHCR, Dec. 2006) [text]

Le droit d'asile en France: politique et réalité, by E. Bousquet, New Issues in Refugee Resarch no. 138 (UNHCR, Dec. 2006) [text]

Oxfam International Humanitarian Policy Notes (June 2007) [access]
- These notes "describe Oxfam International's experience and position on the key issues facing humanitarian action in the twenty-first century." The themes of the first six are: humanitarian accountability, humanitarian coordination, food aid, UN Peacebuilding Commission, International Criminal Court, EU role in civilian protection.

Trans/National Topologies: Power Gradients of Multiculturalisms, Migration Methods and Field Notes #1, by E. Burman et al. (FMSP, Jan. 2007) [text]
- Draws on research involving women asylum-seekers.

Posted in Publications.

New Pubs.: Food Aid, Human Trafficking, Humanitarian Action, Measuring Impact

ALNAP Review of Humanitarian Action: Evaluation utilisation (Dec. 2006) [access]
- Review of humanitarian assistance in 2005.

Impact Measurement and Accountability in Emergencies: The Good Enough Guide (Oxfam, Feb. 2007) [access]
- Pocket guide designed to help practitioners determine what difference they are making. Prior to accessing the PDF version, you will be asked to complete a brief survey.

International Crises and Disasters: U.S. Humanitarian Assistance, Budget Trends, and Issues for Congress, CRS Report for Congress (Dec. 2006) [text]

The State of Food and Agriculture 2006 (FAO, Jan. 2007) [press release] [text]
- Theme is "Food Aid for Food Security?".

Trafficking in Persons Interim Assessment (U.S. Dept. of State, Jan. 2007) [text]

Posted in Publications.

Archived Journals: Hum. Aff. Rev., JHA

Visitors to the Journal of Humanitarian Assistance will find a note indicating that "management of the JHA has been handed to the Feinstein International Center" at Tufts University. A redesigned site will become available this month (January).

In the meantime, if you need to retrieve an older article from the JHA, you can do so using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. This project regularly harvests and stores web sites. It's not perfect; for example, the JHA archive only has articles up to Feb. 2005 . But often, it's the only means of retrieving "older" or "lost" web-based information.

Another "lost" humanitarian journal is the Humanitarian Affairs Review. In this case, I believe the Internet Archive provides access to all past issues: Spring 2001 to Autumn 2004.

There are plenty of forced migration- and humanitarian-related resources that have come and gone, and not just journals. Try entering a former web address into the Wayback Machine and see what it comes up with.

Posted in Periodicals.

Publications Round-Up: Forced Evictions/Angola, Forced Migration/Africa, Human Security, Poverty & Conflict, Reconstruction

References to the following recently released publications were noted in various current awareness services, including Amnesty International USA's RSS feed, the Ginn Weblog, If You Only Read One Thing This Week... blog, ReliefWeb's document library, and the Scout Report.

Angola - Lives in ruins: forced evictions continue (Amnesty International, Jan. 2007) [text]

Forced Migration and the Failure of Civilian Protection in Africa: A Way Forward? (KAIPTC, Dec. 2006) [text]

Human Security Brief 2006 (Human Security Centre, Dec. 2006) [access]
- Updates data provided in the 2005 Human Security Report and discusses two new conflict datasets.

Poverty and Civil War: What Policymakers Need to Know (Brookings, Dec. 2006) [text]

Reconstruction National Integrity System Surveys (TIRI, Jan. 2007) [access]
- These country reports were undertaken to evaluate the impact of post-conflict reconstruction assistance. The surveys were conducted in Afghanistan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo, Mozambique, Palestine, Sierra Leone and Lebanon.

What Really Works in Preventing and Rebuilding Failed States (Wilson International Center) [access]
- New occasional paper series.

Posted in Publications.

New Periodical Issues: Human Rights, Human Security, Humanitarian Developments, Refugees/Africa

Africa Newsletter, no. 4 (Dec. 2006) [text]
- Regional update from UNHCR.

Human Rights Brief, vol. 14, no. 1 (Winter 2006) [text]
- Includes an article on internal displacement laws and policies and the persecution of homosexuals in Egypt.

Human Security News Weekly [access]
- News service that "highlights ten of the most significant news stories of the week." Note in the current issue, no. 42, the reference to MSF's "Top Ten Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories of 2006."

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 36 (Dec. 2006) [text]
- Focus is on IDPs in Northern Uganda.

Humanitarian Reform Newsletter (Oct.-Dec. 2006) [text]
- Provides an update on developments relating to the cluster approach.

Posted in Periodicals.

New Periodical Issues: Human Rights, Human Security, Humanitarian Developments, Refugees/Africa

Africa Newsletter, no. 4 (Dec. 2006) [text]
- Regional update from UNHCR.

Human Rights Brief, vol. 14, no. 1 (Winter 2006) [text]
- Includes an article on internal displacement laws and policies and the persecution of homosexuals in Egypt.

Human Security News Weekly [access]
- News service that "highlights ten of the most significant news stories of the week." Note in the current issue, no. 42, the reference to MSF's "Top Ten Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories of 2006."

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 36 (Dec. 2006) [text]
- Focus is on IDPs in Northern Uganda.

Humanitarian Reform Newsletter (Oct.-Dec. 2006) [text]
- Provides an update on developments relating to the cluster approach.

Posted in Periodicals.

Iraqi Refugees

The recently issued Human Rights Watch World Report 2007 notes in its Jordan country report that "Jordan hosts at least 500,000 Iraqi refugees... . ...The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Jordan only exceptionally recognizes Iraqis as refugees, instead providing applicants with asylum seeker cards. Jordan does not always respect asylum seeker status and the protection it entails against deportation." Syria hosts another 450,000 Iraqis.

A more detailed background report into the treatment of Iraqi refugees in Jordan, UNHCR policy towards them, and international response to their situation is provided in this November 2006 Human Rights Watch report: "'The Silent Treatment': Fleeing Iraq, Surviving in Jordan."

Refugees International undertook a November 2006 mission to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, the three principal host countries for Iraqi refugees. They note that Iraqi displacement is the "fastest growing refugee crisis." Read more RI reports and policy recommendations.

See also UNHCR Guidelines Relating to the Eligibility of Iraqi Asylum-Seekers (Oct. 2005) and the more recent Return Advisory and Position on International Protection Needs of Iraqis Outside Iraq (Dec. 2006).

Two recent National Public Radio audiocasts report on the situation of Iraqis in Jordan and the U.S. State Department's refugee resettlement plans for Iraqis. For more information on U.S. policy towards Iraqi refugees, read an earlier NPR interview with the head of the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Ellen Sauerbrey; a Boston Globe article; and a San Francisco Chronicle report.

Posted in Publications.

Human Rights Watch World Report 2007

Human Rights Watch launched its World Report for 2007 today to mark the five-year anniversary of Guantanamo Bay's use as a U.S. detention facility for terror suspects. The introduction calls on the EU to fill the human rights leadership void. Three essays discuss migrant workers' rights, freedom of expression since 9/11, and a human rights agenda for the new UN Secretary-General. Readers can access reports on human rights developments in 75 individual countries using the regional menus.

Previous World Reports are available via the Publications page (right side).

Posted in Publications.

Input Requested for Guide on Use of Timber in Humanitarian Relief

OCHA initiated a humanitarian timber in December 2006. The aim is to produce a field handbook entitled "Timber: a guide to the use and logistics of timber and wood in humanitarian relief." The guide will collate best practice, and is based on the Norwegian Refugee Council's "Internal Guideline - Timber Procurement and Specifications."

The project's managers announced today they are seeking "information from individuals and agencies interested in the use of timber in humanitarian emergencies on the following":

- Samples of logistics forms or in-house guidance used for grading
specifications / procurement / treatment
- Suggestions for references for reduced timber construction techniques / alternatives to timber use
- Inputs on how to decide when to use timber over other building materials
- Comments on the above proposed structure of the first draft.

More information about the project is available at the Humanitarian Timber web site along with links to timber resources.

Posted in Events/Opportunities.

MISP for Reproductive Health: A Distance Learning Module

Thanks to Sarah Chynoweth at the Women's Commission for letting me know about the availability of this module:

"The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is pleased to announce the publication of the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health: A Distance Learning Module. The Module was developed to meet the need for increased awareness and knowledge about the priority reproductive health services of the MISP among donors, policy makers and actors working in complex humanitarian emergencies. When implemented in the early days of an emergency, the MISP saves lives and prevents illness, especially among women and girls.

The Module includes chapter quizzes and a post-test; individuals can complete the post-test online at www.rhrc.org/MISP or www.womenscommission.org. A passing score on the post-test will result in certification and qualifies as 3.5 continuing education credits for U.S. nurses. The Module is currently available in English and French."

Posted in Events/Opportunities.