Publications
The Refugee Voice | Servir | Dispatches | Annual Reports
The Church and Refugees | Spotlight on Issues | Archives
Dispatches No. 247
Up | October 31, 2008
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
SUDAN: MORE YOUNG PEOPLE AND WOMEN RETURNING HOME
More than half of the families returning to southern Sudan are headed by single women while 59 percent of all returnees are aged 5 to 17, according to a report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on 24 October.
The report points out that women are more likely to return home spontaneously without male heads of household. It also stated that males were more likely to leave women with their children once they have returned, either to go back to the place of displacement or to a secondary place of displacement.
According to the IOM, this situation has been exacerbated by a lack of or limited access to basic services, as well as lack of education and employment opportunities, in places of return.
Approximately 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to southern Sudan since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. Between January and June, monitors at Kosti Way Station found that 25 percent of the returnees were aged between 1 to 4 years, while 34 percent were of school-going age (5 to 17 years).
JRS has been assisting the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to improve education services in southern Sudan for the last three years.
While staff believe it is positive that many Sudanese feel free to return home after years in exile, the particularly high percentage of returnee children of school-going age is placing huge pressure on the limited education services available in the area. JRS teams have repeatedly called for more resources to be made available to improve the capacity of the authorities to provide quality education services in the future.
In March 2005, the Sudan Joint Assessment Mission estimated that some four million people were displaced from or within southern Sudan by 20 years of conflict.
Top^
SOUTH AFRICA: PRETORIA 'REFUGEE REINTEGRATION' GOES ON
The stand-off, between refugees on one side and local government authorities and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on the other, continues, according to statements by a refugee group on 28 October.
The group of more than 700 refugees living in Klerksoord camp, on the outskirts of Pretoria, hope that the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) or the local government will rescue them from this "untenable" situation.
However, both the authorities and the UN agency have insisted that the refugees should be reintegrated into local communities where there was no xenophobic violence. The refugees are adamant they want to be resettled in another country.
The camp leaders have taken a keen interest in the media and have criticised statements by the South African Human Rights Commission chairman, Jody Kollapen, for encouraging refugees at the camp to reintegrate. They made special mention of Kollapen's remarks that if people were resettled in other countries, it would create a bad impression about South Africa.
In the three months since the camp was established in suburban Pretoria, the place has seen numerous transformations. The one portable toilet in the camp has been wired shut. Raids by security guards have left tin pots, blankets and ash scattered and trampled underfoot. Today, pieces of plastic, wire and stripped wooden poles have been added to create the impression of a rudimentary squatter camp.
Few refugees venture outside or down the road to the nearest shop, fearful that the police will remove the few traces of their existence.
Top^
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: HUMANITARIAN CRISIS UNFOLDS
Tens of thousands of people are on the move in the eastern province of North Kivu, fleeing intensified fighting between the rebel group CNDP and government forces.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), on 29 October, more than 45,000 people fled a camp for displaced persons 10km north of the provincial capital Goma, amongst them 30,000 who had only arrived from another camp a day earlier.
"When they saw the military coming down from the north in the direction of Goma, people began leaving; everybody was going," a UNHCR staff member described the frantic flight. UNHCR further added that 4,000 Congolese had already fled across the border to neighbouring Uganda and more were expected to follow.
On 30 October, JRS Goma told Dispatches that the full scale of the humanitarian crisis was difficult to ascertain. The volatile security situation has prevented humanitarian workers from accessing some areas. Prior to this latest influx, there were already shortages of aid.
Before the fighting recommenced in August, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was already unable to meet all the needs of the displaced populations. As early as last May, WFP had already been forced to cut some rations by 50 percent. According to UN estimates, some 200,000 were displaced in September, bringing the total to between 1.3 and 2 million in North Kivu alone.
During September and the first two weeks of October, 1,200 households arrived in Mungunga I, one of four camps 10km west of Goma. On 29 October, JRS observed a distressing shortage of food and shelter for the newly arrived.
"We met women and children in the camps. When they arrived, they were completely exhausted after walking for days. They had been in the camp for a week and still no food or plastic sheeting had been given to them, not even a biscuit", a JRS employee told Dispatches.
"After so many years of war and impunity in the region, the people of Goma are fed up. They just want a normal life, one in which they do not have to be constantly ready to leave their homes with all their belongings. We urge the international community to take action to stop this war and guarantee their safety now. Every minute counts", the JRS employee added.
On 26 October, the rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda launched a major offensive, retaking an important Congolese military base lost earlier this month. Two days later, the rebels seized Rutshuru and Kibumba, respectively 70km and 30km northeast of Goma. The following day, the rebels threatened to overthrow the capital of North Kivu just before declaring a unilateral ceasefire in the evening, reportedly to prevent the civilian population from panicking. The Congolese government continues to accuse Rwanda of supporting the rebels, an accusation which their Rwandan counterparts strongly reject.
The UN peacekeepers, MONUC, called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and respect international humanitarian law. They accused both warring parties of hampering efforts to evacuate civilians, as well as condemning the use of camps for displaced persons by rebels to launch military attacks.
The UN has advised all international aid workers to leave Goma and all national employees to stay at home. Like many other NGOs and UN agencies, JRS Goma was forced to suspend temporarily all activities and evacuate the majority of its staff to Rwanda. JRS Goma is committed to support the provision of education services to and accompany the suffering population in North Kivu and will resume activities as soon as the security situation allow.
Despite a ceasefire agreement signed in January, fighting between the CNDP and government forces resumed in late August this year. Nearly 800,000 had been displaced in the previous two years, the UN says. Congo's 1998-2003 war and the resulting humanitarian crisis have caused the death of an estimated 5.4 million people.
Top^
COTE D'IVOIRE: HIGH LEVELS OF MALNUTRITION IN THE NORTH
On 20 October, the authorities began an education and awareness campaign on nutrition, targeting local authorities, health officials, and community and religious leaders in the north of the country.
This campaign is a response to findings of the survey conducted by the UN World Food Programme, the UN children's agency (UNICEF) and the government. The survey, conducted in July, found that nearly 18 percent of children from six months to five years old in northern Côte d'Ivoire suffer from acute malnutrition, up from 11.6 percent two years ago.
JRS currently supports a school reconstruction programme in the northern Department of Madinani. On 15 October, it interviewed some 30 students about their eating patterns. On average, children said they ate twice a day. However, several students reported eating only once a day. Families also cited a lack of drinking water in villages as an obstacle to school attendance. Many students are forced to search for water during school hours instead of attending class.
UNICEF stated that the situation is double what is considered a nutritional emergency. Government officials and aid agencies are launching emergency food aid and nutritional training programmes in the region, as well as reinforcing the capacity of healthcare centres to meet basic needs. The agencies have appealed to the UN for additional funding.
Côte d'Ivoire is emerging from years of conflict triggered when a 2002 rebellion split the country into a government-controlled south and rebel-held north. Most public services, including healthcare centres shut down, especially in the north. While humanitarian assistance has decreased as the conflict wanes, analysts say conditions like these indicate that vast needs remain.
According to experts, high levels of malnutrition in Côte d'Ivoire can be mainly attributed to global food price hikes, poor agricultural production, an inadequate healthcare system and a lack of access to nutritious foods. Many of the factors are linked to the conflict.
Top^
SPAIN: JESUIT ORGANISATIONS ENHANCE COOPERATION ON ADVOCACY
Between 10-16 November, more than 40 men and women from Jesuit organisations throughout the world will take part in the Ignatian advocacy workshop, to be held in El Escorial, 45km from Madrid.
This model of advocacy, broadly drawn from Ignatian spirituality, is defined as a critical and constructive relationship with centres of power from the perspective of the marginalised and oppressed. It is understood as a collective process, based on contemplation, awareness-raising, research and analysis.
The initiative is being organised by JRS, the Jesuit Social Justice Secretariat, Spanish NGOs ALBOAN and Entreculturas, Belgian NGO OCIPE, as well as representatives from Jesuit Provincial structures and other Jesuit organisations. The principal aims of this meeting are to increase the understanding of Ignatian advocacy, share advocacy experiences and identify opportunities for future cooperation on behalf of people on the margins of society.
The point of departure is an understanding of the current situation, including the weaknesses and strengths of each Jesuit organisation, principally the availability of an enormous wealth and diversity of experiences in the area.
The participants will examine the experiences of a number of national and international advocacy campaigns undertaken by Jesuit organisations in the recent past, for instance the JRS campaign to ban the use of landmines and the Centre for Research and Informal Education on reconciliation, peace and respect for human rights in Colombia. They will also look at the relationship between the various apostolic sectors, for example education and social justice, and the barriers to cooperation between them.
Top^
INTERNATIONAL: JRS PUTS FORCIBLY DISPLACED MIGRANTS INTO DEVELOPMENT DEBATE
On 27-28 October, the 'Civil Society Days' meeting of the second annual Global Forum on Migration and Development was held in Manila, Philippines.
The outgoing European Regional Director, Fr Jan Stuyt SJ, represented JRS at the two-day meeting, which was attended by more than 270 other Civil Society organisations. At the meeting, JRS aimed to ensure that the issue of forced migration was included in the focus and stressed the potential that forcibly displaced persons have to participate in development programmes and projects in host and home countries.
The exclusion of forcibly displaced persons from this process denies both countries of origin and reception important development resources.
"Between 2006 and 2008, JRS Liberia provided training and education to returnee refugees. Staff and local community leaders were able to harness the development potential of these forced migrants for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of entire communities", according to a document recently published by JRS Europe.
This is the second Global Forum on Migration and Development, including a high level government meeting and an NGO forum. The first forum was organised in Brussels in 2006 to brought together government expertise from all regions to enhance dialogue, cooperation and partnership in the areas of migration and development. The forum examines: migration, development and human rights; legal migration and development; and policy and institutional coherence and partnerships.
The High Level Meeting on Migration and Development takes place on 28-29 October.
For further information see www.jrs.net/reports and www.jrs.net/statement
Top^
UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
ETHIOPIA: REFUGEES LEARN PEACE EDUCATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Between 15-19 September, JRS organised a five-day workshop on peace education and conflict management for 22 refugees living in Addis Ababa.
The workshop, held in the JRS Refugee Community Centre, was facilitated by a Rwandan, Muhoozi Bill, a refugee with extensive knowledge of the causes of conflicts and experience working with forcibly displaced persons from various countries. The objective of the workshop was to build common and constructive understandings of peace and conflict management among refugees.
The themes covered during the workshop included an introduction to peace and conflict management, basic negotiation skills and methodologies, mediation, conflict evaluation and analysis, inclusion and exclusion, prejudice, discrimination, communication, and human rights. The methodology employed during the workshop was highly participatory, involving group work, role play, story telling, as well as lectures and brainstorming sessions.
"Conflict is a natural phenomenon. If handled positively it promotes change. Otherwise, it can escalate into violence, leading to harm to humans and the destruction of property. Refugees should be at the vanguard of peace education and conflict management, as they are living examples of the negative consequences of violence", JRS Ethiopia Advocacy Officer, Dereje Balcha, told the participants at the end of the workshop.
After the workshop ended, the participants expressed their satisfaction with the practical nature of the sessions, which will be useful in affronting the discrimination they face on daily basis. If implemented at grassroots level, some participants stressed, it will also be of value to their communities. They added that similar workshops should be provided to the staff of refugee organisations.
The mix of the participants included members of refugee committees, and community and religious leaders, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
Top^
COTE D'IVOIRE: LOCAL COMMUNITY RESPONDS POSITIVELY TO JRS EDUCATION PROJECT
Between 15-18 October, JRS Africa Education coordinator, Mr Martin Foss, conducted a monitoring visit to the northern Department of Madinani.
"There is clearly a good working relationship between beneficiaries and JRS staff. Teachers and parents expressed concern for the children's well-being over their own. Local communities play an important role in the project. Families contributed water, sand, and wood towards the physical reconstruction phase which is nearly complete", Mr Foss told Dispatches on 30 October.
However, the lack of qualified teachers continues to be a major problem, Mr Gnanidadio Coulibaly, Madinani Education Supervisor, told Mr Foss during the visit. Other issues raised by parents included a lack of education materials and drinking water.
The JRS project in Madinani comprises four elements: reconstruction of four schools, pedagogic instruction to teachers, school administration training to parents and teachers, and the distribution of didactic material to students. In the near future, recreational and cultural activities will be developed for children, particularly those who are at risk of leaving school early.
A civil war which escalated in 2002 destroyed infrastructure and displaced 700,000 persons, greatly disrupting school systems. Since then, 45% of children of school-going age have not had access to education. The rate is even higher in northern regions which were most affected by the fighting. For this reason, JRS chose to focus its support on the education sector as the country recovers from the effects of the conflict.
Mr Foss, accompanied by JRS regional and field staff, met with representatives of student-parent associations, school officials, and students to assess their needs and involvement in the project.
"Before JRS came, we had no means of rebuilding our school which was badly damaged during the war. Teachers and students could not work or learn in such an environment. Now we have a beautiful place to send our kids to again. People want to be here", remarked one parent.
Among the four schools, there are only seven teachers for 650 students. With the academic year already underway, the schools are still awaiting the arrival of five trainee teachers promised to them by the authorities. In agreement with the State, JRS will offer workshops to reinforce their teaching capacity.
During the visit, Regional Advocacy Officer, Ms Flora Touali, investigated the documentation needs of some 200 families. JRS plans to help them attain birth certificates for their children. The papers, mandatory to avail of education and other basic services, are often difficult and costly to obtain in the region.
Top^
EUROPE: JRS CRITICISES THE DUBLIN II REGULATION
On 28 October, JRS Europe published a paper on the impact of the implementation of the Dublin II regulation on the lives of asylum seekers. Entitled, 'Dublin II: A summary of JRS experiences in Europe' surveying six JRS country offices, the paper answers key questions on what it is like for an asylum seeker caught within the 'Dublin system'.
Under the Dublin II regulation, the first EU member in which an asylum seeker arrives is responsible for processing his or her application for refugee status. More often than not, it is states sharing borders with non-EU countries. These states are often the least able to offer asylum seekers the support and protection that they need.
The paper summarises the reflections of JRS country offices throughout Europe on the weaknesses of the Dublin system and how it may be improved in the future.
According to the paper, JRS country offices conclude that the Dublin system cannot work as long as the asylum systems of EU Member States remain so different. Using the Dublin II as a means of developing a common European asylum system is futile, one must already be in place before a regulation like this will work.
"The underlying assumption of the Dublin II regulation is that the system in Belgium, for example, is the same as Greece or Malta. This is simply not true. Consequently, some of Europe's asylum seekers face an unfair system where they are forced to apply for protection in a country with sub-standard procedures", the paper reports.
The JRS paper highlights the inadequacies of the regulation. Concern is expressed, that with its strict application, asylum seekers may continue to use illegal means to gain access to Europe. Such circumvention of the system carries many risks for asylum seekers and their families, and as such, may compromise their fundamental human right to protection.
As of now, the most explicit failings of the regulation have been seen in Greece. In July of this year, Medecins San Frontières (MSF) described the situation at a migrant detention centre on the island of Mytilini as a "humanitarian crisis". The influx of migrants due to the implementation of the regulation led to what MSF described as, "unacceptable living conditions" with "inadequate medical care".
Such reports coming from the region are now commonplace, with many NGOs calling for the cessation of Dublin II transfers to Greece. Earlier this month about 600 immigrants at a detention centre on the island of Lesbos fell ill after drinking contaminated water from dirty pipes. Those who had fallen ill were not transported to a hospital. MSF ended operations at the Lesbos detention centre in September due to lack of cooperation from Greek authorities.
For further information see www.jrs.net/statement
Top^
ITALY: PHOTO EXHIBITION, A TRIBUTE TO THE FOUNDER OF JRS
In the late 1970s, as thousands of Vietnamese refugees risked their lives seeking safety, Fr Pedro Arrupe became convinced that the Jesuits, based throughout the world, were in a position to respond to this desperate situation. On 14 November 1980, coincidentally his birthday, he established JRS. As a tribute to his vision, JRS inaugurates a photo exhibition, A Man on Fire, on 9 November at 19.00, held in Chiesa del Gesù, Rome.
With his prophetic foresight, nearly thirty years later, JRS has become an international humanitarian organisation with projects throughout the world, serving approximately half a million refugees. Remaining faithful to its founding vision, to this day, the Jesuit organisation serves those in the most vulnerable circumstances, particularly where other agencies are not present.
The exhibition, marking the closure of the centenary celebrations of Fr Arrupe's birth, traces the history of this global service for refugees. The event will be preceded by a mass celebrated by the Fr General of the Society of Jesus, Adolfo Nicolás SJ. The exhibition closes on 28 November.
Top^
