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JRS Publications This section provides access to a variety of publications from Jesuit Refugee Service and Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. You can find annual reports; The Refugee Voice, our quarterly report on issues affecting refugees and forcibly displaced people; books by and about JRS; and Recommended Reading, a selection of interesting books and articles recommended by JRS/USA staff. |
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Working with Urban Refugees Scholars and practitioners alike have noted the rapid increase in the urbanization of forced migration during the first decade of the twenty-first century. Today more than half the world’s refugees live in urban areas, as opposed to camps and rural settings. This percentage is likely to grow in the coming years in line with the global urbanization trend affecting developing countries in particular. As one would expect, the activities of JRS reflect this trend: many of its programs — especially in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, the Middle East, Eastern and Southern Africa — are now located and implemented in major urban centers. What may come as a surprise is that, from its inception in 1980, Jesuit Refugee Service has always hosted projects in urban areas. Download Now |
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Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and the State Dept The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration granted Jesuit Refugee Service/USA funds that were used for projects in six countries in 2012. Due to the overlap of the U.S. government fiscal year and the calendar year, some of these grants were awarded in 2011 and some in 2012. A comprehensive look at projects funded by PRM from 2005 through 2012 is in the attached PDF. Download Now |
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Refugee camp simulation raises awareness (Washington, D.C.) February 6, 2012 — Part educational, part fundraiser, and part interactive experience, the Jesuit Refugee Service/USA Refugee Camp-Out allows participants to show solidarity with nearly 43 million displaced persons worldwide and sheds light on the growing displacement crisis. This event, designed especially with high schools in mind, invites students to spend time in a public space on campus. In the "Camp," students will dine on simple meals, hear guest speakers, and participate in advocacy training sessions. This is an opportunity for participants to find hope in desperate situations and spread hope to the campus community and beyond. Please download the attached PDF and start planning your JRS Refugee Camp Out. For more information, please contact the JRS/USA Outreach coordinator at 202.629.5945 or jrsoutreach (at) jesuit.org. Download Now |
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A Boat without Anchors This Report considers the nationality status of a group from among the ethnic Vietnamese minority in Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia (the focal group), under the operation of the applicable domestic nationality laws of Cambodia and Vietnam. Although ethnic Vietnamese have migrated to Cambodia during different times up to today, members of the specific ethnic Vietnamese minority group the subject of this report, are long-term residents of Cambodia, having been born and raised in the country for generations–with the exception of the period between 1975 and the early 1980s, when they were forcibly deported to Vietnam by the Khmer Rouge regime. During those events, they lost important documentation establishing their legal status. Since their return to Cambodia in the early 1980s, members of the focal group have been regarded by Cambodian authorities as "immigrants." Download Now |
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The Charter of JRS The attached PDF is the charter of Jesuit Refugee Service. Download Now |
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The Search: Protection Space in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines and Cambodia in Practice The Search: Protection Space in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines and Cambodia in Practice is a practical guide which will assist advocates in providing accurate information to asylum seekers and refugees about the realities of protection space. When asylum seekers reach the Asia Pacific they may realize more than anyone what is missing in terms of their protection. Protection space for asylum seekers and refugees in Southeast Asia is limited and constantly changing. It is in this environment that asylum seekers and refugees must negotiate the difficult, long and confusing refugee status determination processes that will ultimately decide their futures. Download Now |
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JRS Strategic Framework As we plan for the coming years, Jesuit Refugee Service will continue to serve refugees who are forced to live on the edges of humanity. We will strive to overcome geographical, racial, cultural and religious frontiers and divisions. We will work with compassion and love, enabling us to engage with people of all races, cultures and religions in an open and respectful way. Download Now |
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Advocacy in Jesuit Refugee Service The 36-page booklet addresses all aspects of JRS advocacy, from day-to-day work in favour of one or more individuals to longer-term activities seeking to change policies nationally, regionally and globally, such as the organisation's participation in campaigns against the use of landmines and refugee detention. The booklet gives a breakdown of the most important issues on which JRS advocacy is focused and provides concrete examples of concerns and positive outcomes of this work. The issues include: access to quality education, food security, detention, protection and durable solutions, landmines and cluster bombs, sexual- and gender-based violence and peace and reconciliation. Download Now |
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More than one year after the devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010, conditions in Haiti remain dire. Today there are approximately 800,000 displaced Haitians and the lack of food, clean water, and other necessities is an ongoing crisis throughout the country. The cholera epidemic has claimed the lives of more than 4,672 Haitians and hospitalized 252,640 others. This photo and story exhibition is a commemorative piece that captures the ongoing plight of Haitians, their spirit of perseverance, and how grassroots and other civil society leaders are striving to create a more equitable Haiti. The images and stories comprised in this exhibition are from member organizations of the Haiti Advocacy Working Group and their Haitian grassroots partners. The Haiti Advocacy Working Group was formed shortly after the devastating January 12, 2010 earth- quake to coordinate advocacy efforts for effective and just disaster relief, reconstruction and long- term U.S. development policy toward Haiti. Composed of more than 30 diverse groups representing a wide cross-section of the NGO community, the HAWG has focused on the following priority areas: • Promoting Haitian civil society inclusion and leadership in relief and reconstruction • Prioritizing rural and agricultural development needs • Encouraging local procurement and decentralization of aid • Supporting fair immigration policy for Haitians • Raising awareness on gender and women’s issues • Ensuring support through U.S. and multilateral aid commitments and full debt relief • Promoting safe, sanitary and adequate shelter This PDF is a catalog of the March 28—30, 2011 HAWG Photo Exhibit in the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer in Washington, D.C. Download Now |
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In the Footsteps of Pedro Arrupe The hundredth anniversary of Pedro Arrupe's birth is a fitting moment to remember his vision for JRS and ensure, even as the organisation grows and the world changes, that its vitality is sustained into the future. The reflections of Jesuits shared in this booklet testify to the enduring legacy of his vision. They prove correct his prophetic hopes of the role that Jesuits are called to play in alleviating the dramatically urgent needs of forcibly displaced people, and of the spiritual benefits to be reaped in this important modern apostolate. Twenty-seven years after the establishment of JRS, the magnificent response to his initial appeal has not diminished, and the impact of this apostolate on Provinces who make men available, remains real and profound. Arrupe's vision has inspired so many Jesuits, lay people and religious who have worked with JRS and will continue to guide it into the future. Rome 1 November 2007 Lluís Magriñà, SJ Peter Balleis SJ Download Now |
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The wound on the border: 25 years with refugees The history of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is the history of refugees. To mark the 25th anniversary of its foundation by Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ, we offer this memoir. The centre of gravity of this book is not JRS or its work, but the refugees themselves. What we celebrate is their dignity, courage and determination to keep hope alive: to choose light instead of darkness. This book has been written thanks to a priceless resource material: the lives and experiences of JRS workers. It is not meant to be historically exhaustive, but to bring together testimonies of people who have witnessed the growth of JRS at different stages and to offer their experience and vision, sharing significant events in their regions, the specific challenges and dilemmas they encountered, and the signs of hope. In his letter which established the Jesuit Refugee Service, Fr Arrupe had said: 'The spiritual as well as the material needs of nearly 16 million refugees throughout the world today could scarcely be greater'. Today there are 50 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. The words of Fr Arrupe have inspired many people to give themselves to the service of refugees, a privilege that many share in the pages of this book. Those who would like copies of the book are asked to contact the JRS International Office at international@mail06.jrs.net We have chosen to distribute the book without charge. We would be grateful for your contribution towards its publication. Thank you. The Wound of the Border is also available here in Acrobat PDF format. Download Now |
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God in Exile: Towards a Shared Spirituality with Refugees To join JRS is to embark on a journey of faith accompanied by refugees (JRS seminar, Kigali, 1995). Over the years, JRS workers have reflected on the spiritual values represented by refugees, what message they have to share with JRS and the rest of the world. This spontaneous search for meaning echoes a need voiced several times over, for greater emphasis on and definition of aspects of the faith, the cornerstone on which JRS is built. God in Exile: Towards a Shared Spirituality with Refugees evolved precisely as a response to this need. It is a compilation of reflections from a spiritual perspective shared by people - religious, lay people and refugees - who are part of the JRS mission. It does not pretend to be the final answer in what is essentially a process; rather it is a step in the journey towards discovering, together with refugees, a spirituality arising out of the experience of forced exile and the specific faith-based response of JRS. A value of this book is that it underlines the typically Ignatian nature of the JRS response. Download Now |
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Horizons of learning, 25 years of JRS education As JRS marks 25 years of existence, this book focuses on the organisation's provision of education to refugees, springing from the needs of refugees and on our Ignatian tradition of discernment as to how best we can offer our support. Download Now |
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Surviving Landmines Personal accounts of child Bosnian landmine survivors. Download Now |
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Everybody's Challenge This book, gathering essential documents of the first 20 years of JRS, also serves to record this same step-by-step process, repeated by JRS workers over and again across the world during these past years. Moved with compassion at the plight of so many displaced people, Jesuit Refugee Service members, who are Jesuits, religious and lay people, have undertaken new initiatives, reflected anew on these experiences, and planned new actions. Each time, JRS calls again on a wide network of friends and companions to join in this service. As one JRS group reflected in 1985, We believe this call is not for ourselves alone. Download Now |
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War has changed our life, not our spirits This book gives women's accounts of the atrocities and exploitation they suffered, including stories of women and girls targeted for sexual abuse. In recent wars civilians are specially targeted. Women become a special target because they keep civilian society functioning. In our absurd contemporary wars of identity, the reproductive power of women is feared, since they can reproduce the enemy. In all wars, women are subjected to violence; in Rwanda this was done on a massive scale. There some women were allowed to live only so they would "die of sadness". In Rwanda rape was a weapon to dehumanize and degrade a whole community for a political end. In such circumstances, gender intersects with other aspects of a woman’s identity such as ethnicity, religion, caste, social class or political affiliation. Rape constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. But law enforcement and judicial systems are usually so weakened as a result of civil conflict that justice is slow in coming for women. Moreover stigma and fear breed silence. Download Now |
