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Dispatches No. 264
Up | July 30, 2009
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
SUDAN: SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RATES MORE THAN TREBLED
On 7 July, the UN Children's agency (UNICEF) announced that school enrolment rates had trebled since the 2005 peace agreement.
According to the authors of the report, Socio-economic and cultural barriers to schooling in Southern Sudan (2008), only 20 percent of children attended school during the war and only one percent of girls finished primary school. After the launch of the Go-To-School initiative in 2006, enrolment has risen from the wartime estimate of 343,000 to more than 1.3 million by the end of 2007. The data for the report was collected between August and October 2008.
However, rates for girls remain far lower than those for boys. The low female enrolment rate was attributed to socio-cultural values, norms and practices, aggravated by economic hardship. In some communities, boys were missing school because they had to look after cattle or go fishing, noted the study, while girls in some schools experienced sexual harassment, early pregnancy and child-to-child violence.
The region has the lowest school enrolment rate in the world, considerably off-track in view of attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. Schools still lack adequate sanitary and other facilities, as well as trained teachers.
The JRS contribution, small but significant
In 2008, JRS provided education services to more than 40,000 students, teachers and parents in 78 primary and 16 secondary schools in three border counties in southern Sudan. Teams distributed educational and other materials, and supported parent-teacher associations and training to teachers.
In the last 18 months, some 240 teachers have received ongoing JRS in-service training and a further 232 have been supported to attend teacher training colleges. In certain areas, JRS is a major provider of education services. For instance in the border county of Kajo Keji, since 2001 three quarters of the teachers have been trained by JRS.
In addition, this year JRS offered an additional two-week intensive course for 150 secondary school students sitting public examinations in nearby Uganda. Six teachers, selected on the basis of their qualifications, experience and reputation, offered intensive classes in English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geography. The course is primarily for students from JRS-supported schools, but students from other schools are also admitted to available places.
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CHAD: INSECURITY CONTINUES TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM
On 17 July, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) complained of the presence of armed groups in refugee camps in the east of the country.
In response, the local authorities of Amdjaras, the main town near Oure Cassoni, promised to investigate the claims.
Their main concern is a lack of respect for the civilian nature of refugee camps by rebel groups. Humanitarian organisations say that rebels are entering camps armed and ignore requests by Chadian police. Experts fear that the presence of rebels risks turning the camps into targets, putting the lives of refugees and humanitarian workers in danger.
The same armed groups have been accused of targeting the camps to enlist children and raping refugee women and girls when they go out in search of firewood and water. In addition, banditry remains a big threat to security in the region due to the availability of weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles.
Security infrastructure insufficient
Unfortunately, the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) does not have sufficient numbers of troops to cover the whole territory under its mandate. Troops are sent to Oure Cassoni camp on an ad hoc basic. While the force should have 5,200 troops, only 2,800 have arrived, three hundred of whom are in the Central African Republic. Camp security is maintained by an 850-strong UN-trained and equipped Chadian police force, unable as yet to impose itself fully over the armed rebels.
Since 2003, nearly 240,000 refugees have fled to eastern Chad from the western Darfur region of Sudan, along with approximately 45,000 refugees from the Central African Republic. Another 180,000 Chadians have been displaced by fighting in the east.
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: MINERAL TRADE FUELS WAR
Massive profits from the mining trade are fuelling the war in eastern Congo. This the conclusion of the latest report, Faced with a gun, what can you do?, by the international NGO, Global Witness Limited, published on 20 July.
In many parts of the Kivu provinces armed groups and the Congolese army control the trade in tin ore, gold, coltan and other minerals. These groups have had unrestricted access to the minerals and been able to establish lucrative trading networks, consequently sustaining this bloody war.
According to Global Witness, the militarisation of mining has been tearing the country apart for more than 12 years. The report describes how all the warring parties have carried out the most horrific human rights abuses, including widespread killings of unarmed civilians, rape, torture, looting, recruitment of child soldiers to fight in their ranks and forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Despite the fact that the suffering caused by the illicit exploitation of minerals has been well documented for years, no effective action has been taken "to stop this murderous trade" On the contrary, the warring parties have consolidated their economic bases and have become increasingly entrenched.
Corporate responsibility
Nobody escapes blame for what is happening in the Congo: rebels, the military, national and foreign companies and governments. The report highlights how at times the rebels and the military groups divide up the spoils, negotiating de facto control over different areas and transit through enemy territory. The report also cites interviews with traders who admit that all their colleagues buy illegal mined minerals despite the consequences. These minerals are later sold to multinationals which are fully aware of their providence and the consequences of their actions.
Global Witness wrote to 200 companies and found that most had no controls in place to stop ‘conflict minerals' entering their supply chain. It says governments, including the UK and Belgium, are undermining their own development assistance and diplomatic efforts to end the 12-year conflict by failing to crack down on companies based within their borders.
For a full copy or summary of the report see http://www.globalwitness.org/fwag/
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ASIA PACIFIC: HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO BE ESTABLISHED
On 20 July, the Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced the establishment of a commission to monitor human rights in member states.
The commission, called ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, is expected to be formally established at the upcoming summit of the regional bloc on 23 October.
It will comprise one government-appointed representative from each member country and will be charged mainly with promoting and protecting human rights awareness in member states. The role of the commission, however, could be strengthened over time.
The body would not investigate or prosecute human rights violators, according to the terms under discussion. Instead, it would take a "constructive and non-confrontational approach" to promote and protect human rights. There is no provision in the draft for human rights experts to sit on the body.
The glass is half full or half empty
The reaction by civil society groups has been mixed. Some have described it as toothless, while others consider it a step in the right direction.
The exact powers the new commission will possess are unclear. However, the agreements states it will take into account the "special circumstances" of the ten members.
Critics say it will not have the power to investigate or punish human rights abusers, such as Burma. They also highlight the lack of an independent authority to investigate member states and the requirement that any action undertaken be conditional on the unanimous agreement of member states. Thai government officials have responded to criticisms maintaining it is better to make a start than to leave this hanging with no progress at all.
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COLOMBIA: INCREASE IN US MILITARY PRESENCE
According to Reuters news agency, Colombia President, Alvaro Uribe, defended a plan to increase the presence of US troops in the country.
Uribe described the deal as necessary to help Colombians regain their right to live in peace. According to local newspaper reports, a deal will give the US access to three bases in Colombia to be used for anti-narcotics surveillance flights. It is believed that the agreement will not raise the number of uniformed US military personnel above the 800 currently allowed.
Left-wing leaders from Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicarargua and Venezuela have all responded negatively to the possibility of an increased US presence in the region.
Human rights obligations not an optional
Human Rights Watch, in a statement at the end of June, urged President Obama to ensure that the existing human rights conditions on military aid are enforced.
The US-based NGO highlighted some of its human rights concerns in the country, including allegations of wiretapping of political rivals, verbal attacks and intimation of critics, frequent extrajudicial killings of civilians attributed to the army and increased activity by new armed paramilitary groups responsible for targeted killings and the forced displacement of civilians.
Despite the fundamental role of the institutions of justice in investigating and dismantling paramilitary groups, the statement continued, Uribe has repeatedly taken steps that could undermine investigations into paramilitary influence within the political system.
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UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
SUDAN: WORK WITH CONGOLESE REFUGEES SOLIDIFIES
In three months what started off as a once-off material assistance programme to Congolese refugees has grown into the latest JRS intervention in southern Sudan.
At the end of April, JRS staff in the Sudanese border town of Yei began providing educational and material assistance to children from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Initially, 39 teachers started primary school classes under a tree in Nyori refugee settlement more than 30 kilometres from Yei. JRS soon started providing teaching materials, such as blackboards, chalk, exercise books and pens, to the group, pending the commencement of a larger scale education programme funded by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) for 1,000 primary school children.
However, by last June, 12 refugees had also started teaching secondary school children in the afternoons. Recognising their potential and their vulnerability, 12 girls were selected for inclusion in the JRS sponsorship programme, starting their secondary studies at Yei Girls boarding school at the start of the second term.
Education activities lead to other interventions
This small start has subsequently spawned other activities. Other refugees in the settlement have been admitted into the JRS catechism training courses and to the livelihood programmes. In the latter they learn how to make soap and are provided with a small loan to start a business. In addition, JRS also cooperated with the local Caritas in the donation of food and non-food items to the refugee population.
In order to promote solidarity with the Congolese refugees, JRS added the Nyori primary school, a government school adjacent to the refugee settlement, to the list of 19 primary schools it assists in Yei County. Although support is currently limited to field visits and in-service training to teachers and administrators, JRS is studying the possibility of supporting the construction and renovation of classrooms and the provision of school furniture. It is hoped that the school will open its doors to the refugee population in the future.
Since the beginning of 2009, more than 7,700 Congolese individuals have fled to southern Sudan, leading to the establishment of the Nyori refugee settlement. The families have each been assigned 20 square metres for housing and 30 square metres for farming. Basic healthcare is provided by Medecins Sans Frontiers. Due to ongoing security fears associated with the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), activity over the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the knock-on effect on farming activities and food availability, the number of refugees is expected to increase.
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BELGIUM: DETENTION DEVASTATES LIVES
The detention of undocumented migrants and failed asylum seekers has become the rule rather than the exception. This is one of the conclusions of the latest report, "Twelve months in detention, twelve lives shattered", produced by a coalition of NGOs in Belgium.
The report, published on 20 June, coinciding with World Refugee Day 2009, details the hardships experienced by 12 migrants in Belgian immigration detention centres. The cases were collected during 2008 by staff of Belgian NGOs who regularly visit detained undocumented migrants.
Abuses nothing new
According to the organisations responsible for producing the report, Amnesty International, CIRE, JRS Belgium and Vlaanderen Vluchtelingenwerk, 2008 was not an exceptionally bad year. Regrettably, they continued, the NGOs have seen situations like this in the past and today nothing has changed in this respect. These 12 accounts forcefully demonstrate that these detention policies are having a devastating affect on the lives of asylum seekers and migrants. However, every year, it is not just 12 people who are detained in closed centres, but close to 8,000.
The practice of detention can only be understood as part of the country's asylum and immigration policy. These 12 accounts, the report concludes, illustrate the impasse of a policy obsessed by the "fight at any cost against illegal immigration". It is unacceptable to continue down this road. Alternatives are possible, the authors add.
The report also lists a number of other negative aspects of Belgian policy towards asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. The NGOs condemned the policy of routine detention of asylum seekers at borders. Moreover, children, the organisations say, continue to be detained, albeit in smaller numbers than in the past. Finally, the report accuses the authorities of holding a number of detainees in isolation and of detaining individuals who are suffering from serious psychiatric disorders, with detention itself blamed for generating psychological problems. According to the human rights organisations, in the last 12 months, four people have died in immigration detention centres.
Government fails to engage constructively
While the Belgian authorities almost immediately set out to discredit the report, they have as yet not attempted to engage with the organisations on the substance of the accusations contained therein. On 22 June, in an article to the Belgian newspaper 'De Standaard', the Home Affairs Minister responsible for asylum and migration, Annemie Turtelboom, questioned the reliability of the information provided in the report.
"Beyond the experience of the detainees, we refer to Belgian, international, human rights laws and the opinions of other international organisations, which continue to condemn the policy of isolation and expulsion carried out by Belgian authorities. Just last week [mid-June] the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Mr Thomas Hammarberg said that much progress must be made in Belgian detention centres so that human rights may be respected", the NGO alliance subsequently stated in a public statement on 25 June.
For copies of the last two reports on detention by JRS Belgium and close partners see http://www.cire.irisnet.be/ressources/rapports/chronique-centre-web.pdf and http://jrseurope.org/docs/aide-juridique-court-web.pdf
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PORTUGAL: DESTITUTION NEEDS TO BE PUT ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA
On 23 July, JRS Portugal called on the authorities to highlight the issue of the destitution of migrants and refugees in the country and to put it on the political agenda. Once policies are developed, the country should promote them within the EU.
According to JRS Portugal Director, Andre Costa Jorge, migration and asylum policies should be agreed at European, and not national, level. However, he added, they should not be left only in the hands of politicians. Civil society organisations and the Church should play a role in developing and implementing policies. The debate, continued Mr Costa, should not be limited to the seminar but should be extended to the public, political and media agendas.
Destitution violates human rights
At the JRS-organised seminar, entitled human rights and destitution, the participants, comprising anti-poverty and migration-related NGOs and state agencies in the areas of health, hospitals, immigration etc described destitution as a failure of the state to defend the rights of migrants and refugees. Even when their rights are explicitly recognised by the law, they agreed, its implementation is often hindered by a number of obstacles. The seminar focused on the realities on the ground for destitute migrants in the areas of housing, employment and health, issues considered crucial if the vicious circle of destitution is to be broken.
Within the context of the economic crisis, the participants agreed, the defence and promotion of human rights becomes particularly challenging. For this reason, JRS Portugal stated, organisations working with migrants needed to work closely together as destitution "affects the physical and psychological well-being of migrants."
Rosário Farmhouse, the High Commissioner for Immigration, spoke to the NGO participants of the importance of their trust and proximity to the migration populations and asked them to participate in the next national plan for the integration of migrants. Her words were echoed by the High Commissioner for Health, Maria do Céu Machado, who called for more investment in mobile health teams and a focus on diagnosis and prevention.
Next steps
The participants agreed to establish a working group on the issue, comprising field experts, academics and policy makers, to bring together the seminar's recommendations. They will be published and launched on 10 December, International Human Rights Day.
Funded by two foundations, the Network of European Foundations and the European Programme for Integration and Migration, it is coordinated by JRS Europe. In 2009, similar seminars also are taking place in Spain, Italy, Germany, Romania, Sweden, Malta, England and Ukraine, the conclusions of which will be presented in a conference organised in Brussels in 2010. The conclusions deriving from discussion within the various countries will be presented in an international conference to be held in Brussels in 2010.
In 2008, JRS Portugal provided health, legal, psychological, social and educational assistance to 6,700 individuals. Teams arranged and conducted nearly 3,000 job interviews for migrants, resulting in nearly 1,000 offers of employment.
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SPAIN: GIRL SOLDIERS IN SEARCH OF STOLEN DIGNITY
On 1 July, the Spanish Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (CSC) published a report on the special needs of former girl soldiers.
The report, Girl soldiers in search of stolen dignity, is based on papers presented at a conference organised by the Spanish CSC, of which JRS Alboan and Entrecultures are active members, on 12 February. After more than a year of discussions between the participants and the organisers, the report examines the implications and consequences of the participation of women and girls in armed conflicts, programmes of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), and the balance of experiences of DDR and girls and women. According to the Spanish CSC, this report, financed by the La Caixa bank, is a reference guide for DDR programmes for girls and women.
The one day conference brought together speakers from a range of governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations, including Entreculturas (JRS Spain), JRS West Africa, Save the Children UK, the UN Development Programme, the Spanish Foreign Office and former child soldier and activist, China Keitetsi.
Former child soldier speaks
In the report, China Keitetsi, child soldier from 8 to 18 years, speaks of her personal struggle to come to terms with the terrible things she has done. At last, "I have started to live again" she says. Her way of getting over the past is by doing something to "prevent other children from suffering from the atrocities" to which she was subjected. So much so that she divides her time between being an activist in Rwanda and living with her family in Denmark.
The speakers emphasised the special vulnerability of girl soldiers and how they are often forgotten about. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) are the first steps towards the process of ending conflict and establishing peace. Unfortunately, in the process of DDR, girls typically have been overlooked because they are not considered part of the category of "child soldiers".
Some girls go through the traumatic experience of having been abused for years, having been forced to have children with men who treated them violence. Typically, when these girls return home, many of them single mothers, they are treated with contempt. In many cases, girls have no alternatives to prostitution, and not infrequently they have thoughts of suicide. The speakers called for more attention to be given to the identification of and medical treatment to girl soldiers.
For a full copy of the report in Spanish see the Entreculturas website
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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: SPACE FOR IMPROVEMENT
More flexible responses are needed if the rights of asylum seekers awaiting decisions on their cases are to be safeguarded.
This was one of the key conclusions at a seminar organised by JRS Dominican Republic and the state agency, the general migration office (DGM), on 21 July.
According to the agencies present at the meeting, there is also a need to improve relations between Dominican civil society organisations and state agencies responsible for migration and asylum. If more space and opportunities for dialogue were to established, information and experiences could be shared and concrete proposals to deal with difficulties could be discussed.
According to JRS Dominican Republic, its offices have assisted 1,122 individuals in need of international protection. Of this number, only 569 have applied for asylum and only 36 has been recognised as refugees. Most of the 36 are Haitians; however, others from Colombia, Bosnia, Russia, Iraq and Sri Lanka have also been recognised as refugees.
Asylum seekers in limbo
The remaining 533 are still awaiting a decision on their application. Some have been waiting for more than five years. In the first six months of 2009, JRS has assisted only 10 individuals whose applications for refugee status have been admitted by the state national refugee office (ONR).
After signing the UN refugee convention and other regional American conventions on human rights and asylum, the Dominican authorities established the national commission for refugees (CONARE) in 1983. Following years of inactivity, CONARE held a meeting in April 2004 and recognised only four applicants as refugees.
Unfortunately, JRS continued, the consequences are dramatic. This limbo prevents children from continuing their studies, asylum seekers from accessing employment and families from integrating into Dominican society. JRS hopes that, with improved contact with the authorities, the commission will be revived and the backlog of cases will be processed.
The speakers at the meeting included Ms Anna Greene, from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) for the Caribbean and Central America, JRS Latin America and Caribbean Director, Fr Alfredo Infante SJ, Dr Ramón Saviñón from the DGM, Dr Benito Cruz, Director of Humanitarian Aid for the Catholic Service for Development and Assistance and Ms Lourdes Antuan, Head of Refugee Assistance for JRS Dominican Republic.
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