Crises

Afghanistan

As 2014 NATO pullout approaches, more Afghans flee their homeland< (Washington Post, 30 January 2013)

Two decades after Afghanistan witnessed one of the 20th century’s most dramatic refugee crises, a quieter exodus is gaining momentum. (…)

The flight reflects a growing fear that security will worsen after NATO’s military withdrawal by the end of 2014, a date that has taken on near-apocalyptic symbolism in parts of the country. Afghan officials have launched a campaign to warn against illegal migration, distributing brochures nationwide that feature photos of capsized boats and drowning Afghans.

Syria

More than $1.5 billion pledged for Syria humanitarian response – UN< (reliefweb.int, 30 January 2013)

Countries and regional organizations today pledged more than $1.5 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the conflict in Syria, exceeding the initial target set by the United Nations and its partners.

Syrian Opposition Leader Says He’s Open to Talks, With Conditions< (NYT, 30 January 2013)

Syria’s top political opposition leader on Wednesday expressed a willingness for the first time to talk with representatives of President Bashar al-Assad, softening what had been an absolute refusal to negotiate with the government in an increasingly chaotic civil war.

Israel launches airstrike in Syria< (NYT, Jan 30)

Israeli aircraft struck inside Syria on Wednesday for the first time since 2007, according to Western and Syrian officials, in a development that underlined the risk that the civil war in Syria could spill over into a wider conflict.

Syria: aid continues to reach those in need despite challenges <(ICRC, 29 January 2013)

The suffering of men, women and children has reached unprecedented levels across the country. As fighting escalates in different parts of Syria, gaining access to certain areas, such as Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Idlib, is becoming increasingly challenging. Nevertheless, food parcels, hygiene items, mattresses and blankets continue to be delivered and distributed across the country in cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. In addition, efforts continue to meet water and sanitation needs throughout Syria.

Palestinians

Palestinians look to aid agencies for survival <(Financial Times, 30 January 2013)

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, in particular, face great hardship, even if they have been there for decades, as most have. There is no social safety net provided by the state and they are dependent on aid agencies such as Interpal as well as the UN Relief and Works Agency. Indeed, without UNRWA, essential services such as health and education would probably not exist, or would exist at an even more basic level. Those refugees going into Lebanon from Syria don’t even have that basic level of support. Amazingly, UN member state donations to keep UNRWA afloat are entirely voluntary and the agency itself is struggling financially.

Mali

UN refugee agency prepares to assist possible returnees in Mali< (UNHCR 29 January 2013)

"We aim to open new presences in Gao and other cities in the north as soon as security conditions allow," said UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards, while noting that the presence of Islamist rebel troops and the resulting insecurity has hampered humanitarian access to the north.

Swiss tread carefully in Mali mediation efforts< (Swissinfor.ch, 30 January 2013)

Switzerland is trying to leverage its 35-year history in Mali, a priority country for Swiss development aid, to mediate between the government in Bamako and the Tuareg of the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA).

But French military intervention, a tense bilateral history and the MNLA’s former alliance with radical Islamist groups ensure the task ahead of the Swiss will not be easy.

Immigration

Sweden’s immigration system under strain from surge in Syrian refugees <(Washington Post, 30 January 2013)

Wisam Attiki was drawn by the tales of Nordic refuge: All he had to do was set foot in Sweden, his fellow Syrians said, and the rich, peaceful nation would let him stay.

Still, the 37-year-old from Damascus was surprised at how little fuss there was when he arrived last week at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport on a flight from Turkey. He said the Swedish border police showed sympathy when he confessed that his travel documents were fakes that he had bought for €9,000 ($12,000).

Immigration reform: Obama sees deal within six months< (BBC Worldservice, 31 January 2013)

President Barack Obama has said US immigration reform could be achieved within six months, in an interview with Spanish-language TV channel Telemundo.

The great escape: European migrants fleeing the recession <(The Guardian, 30 January 2013)

As the European economic crisis deepens, more and more people are leaving to seek a better life in emerging economies around the world. We speak to four who have moved abroad.

Migrants from Europe find plenty of jobs in Latin America, but bureaucracy stymies< (Associated Press, 26 January 2013)

Geologist David Rodriguez and actress Cristina Pascual, two of the nearly six million Spaniards left jobless in the European recession, fled to Latin America last year, figuring their futures would be brighter in the booming economies on this side of the Atlantic.

Instead, they found themselves stuck, facing so many bureaucratic hurdles that their only option was to work illegally, for much lower wages. Without a work visa, they couldn’t get a formal job. Without a job offer, no visa. And without a job and a visa, they had no way of securing an all-important tax-identification number, freezing them out of Chile’s booming formal economy. Trying to bend the rules can result in deportation for the worker, and fines for the company.

Boosting migrants' education< (China Watch, 16 January 2013)

The education authority in Beijing's Chaoyang district said it will shut down non-government run schools for migrant workers' children to ensure the students receive a better education.

Secret ballot for citizenship masked xenophobia< (swissinfo.ch, 30 January 2013 )

An analysis of naturalisation decisions taken in more than 1,400 Swiss communes between 1990 and 2010 has found a dramatic increase in the rates of acceptance since a 2003 court ruling which put an end to decisions by ballot box.

Political scientists, Dominik Hangartner of the London School of Economics and Zurich University and Jens Hainmueller of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published the study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, in which they compare the naturalisation systems used by different Swiss communes.

UN expert urges Spain to take greater steps against racism, discrimination during crisis< (Associated Press, 28 January 2013)

The U.N. expert on racism is urging Spain to take greater steps toward eliminating racist and discriminatory practices against migrants.

U.N. Special Rapporteur Mutuma Ruteere said Monday the chief problems in Spain included restricting access to health services, cases of police racial profiling, the treatment of migrants in holding centers and living conditions found in shanty-type camps.

UK Roma Children in Care <(BBC World Service, 31 January 2013)

The Roma are Europe’s biggest ethnic minority, and a substantial number of them have moved to Britain in recent years, taking advantage of the European Union’s open borders in order to seek a better life. However, it’s emerged that a disproportionate number of their children end up in the care of local authorities, temporary foster parents, or even being taken from their birth parents for permanent adoption by others. In this edition of Assignment, the BBC’s Simon Cox travels to the north of England to meet some of the country’s biggest Roma communities to find out why.

Census shows Britain transformed< (Financial Times, January 30)

Soaring immigration from eastern Europe and a gradual loosening of social mores transformed Britain over the past decade, as Polish became the country’s most common foreign tongue and married couples became the minority for the first time.

One million households – out of 23.4m surveyed – do not speak English as their main language and in London the proportion is more than one-in-five.

Misery of Pakistan's abandoned wives< (BBC WWorld Service, 31 January 2013)

An increasing number of Pakistani women say they have been forcibly separated from their children in the UK, and abandoned in their country of birth by their British husbands. The BBC's Tulip Mazumdar travelled to Pakistani-administered Kashmir to meet two such women. Their names have been changed for legal reasons.

The Path to English <(BBC World Service, 29 January 2013)

Bobby Friction talks to adults who are learning English from scratch in the UK. Many of them are immigrants or refugees from different communities and countries who arrive with little English and quickly have to adapt.

How do they feel living in a country where they were unable to communicate? How did they deal with everyday situations like getting on a bus, shopping, going to a school or visiting a doctor? And how did they learn English - both formally and informally?

Remittances: America is the big loser as France cashes< (The Guardian, 30 January 2013)

Some developed world countries are now net cash importers as professionals working abroad send money home

When the financial crisis arrived on the shores of Dubai and the workforce constructing the seemingly endless line of exotic hotels and private golf courses was told to down tools, it was a bigger blow to the villages of Pakistan and Bangladesh than the tiny emirate's treasury coffers. Almost all of Dubai's 2 million population comprises foreign nationals who send home 40% of everything they earn, according to the World Bank.

Why do Africans pay the most to send money home?< (The Guardian, 30 January 2013)

Migrants moving cash from Tanzania to Kenya pay average fees of 22%, but mobiles could make transfers cheaper and easier Look on it as an extra income tax. If you earn money here, but want your family back home to spend it, then you can reckon on giving a healthy slice of it to someone for doing very little.

Fees for remitting money vary wildly between providers and countries. African migrants, who sent almost $60bn (£38bn) in remittances last year, pay the most (pdf), according to the World Bank. On average migrants sending money home to Africa lose 12% to fees. Moving money between African countries can cost much more – sending money to Tanzania from neighbouring Kenya or Rwanda, for example, costs an average of 22% (or a $44 cut on $200 transferred).

Photocredit © UNHCR/ F.Noy / November 2012