Crises

Central African Republic

CAR crisis remains dire - and neglected< (IRIN, 6 June 2013)

International neglect of the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) is partly to blame for the dire humanitarian and security situation there, say officials. The crisis affects the country’s entire population of 4.6 million and has left tens of thousands in need of emergency shelter, healthcare and food aid.

Syria

Statement by Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, on new EU funding for Syrian humanitarian crisis< (ECHO, 6 June 2013)

President Barroso's announcement of 400 million euros additional funding for the Syrian humanitarian crisis is not only welcome but timely and urgently needed.

Tomorrow the United Nations agencies will launch a fresh appeal for international donations to fund their life-saving activities in Syria and neighbouring countries. It is vital that donors step up to the plate.

Humanitarian NGOs: fund Syria response now before it’s too late< (7 June 2013)

A group of 21 international aid agencies working in six countries directly affected by the Syrian crisis calls on the international community to dig deep and be generous in responding to the UN’s new Syria and refugee response appeals, being launched today.

While the priority must be to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, the need for humanitarian aid keeps spiralling as the conflict escalates and threatens stability in neighbouring countries, the members of the Syria INGO Regional Forum (SIRF) said today.

Conflict in Syria reaches new levels of brutality <(OCHA, 4 June 2013)

The United Nations commission of inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic is presenting its latest report on the human rights situation in Syria. The Commission found that war crimes and gross human rights violations continue to be perpetrated on an ever larger scale as the violence escalates.

Should the West intervene in Syria? <(PODCAST: BBC Radio 4, 5 June 2013)

The arguement rages in the western world, the people in that nation in the meantime suffer. The range of views of what should be done is of course are wide, from "it would be madness "through to "we have a moral duty", and there is plenty room for uncertainty in the middle ground as well.

U.N.: War crimes happen daily in Syria< (VIDEO: CNN, 4 June 2013)

CNN's Christiane Amanpour looks at how human rights activists are documenting war crimes in Syria.

Amid Syrian crisis, Iraqi refugees in Jordan forgotten< (IRIN, 6 June 2013)

Up to 10 years after fleeing violence in their country, many Iraqi refugees living in Jordan are poor, failing to integrate, and unable to return home or get resettled in a third country.

Their condition - already worsening due to funding cuts in recent years - is now being overshadowed by the Syrian refugee crisis, leaving them increasingly vulnerable, even as more Iraqi refugees flee to Jordan every month.

Syria: Losing Out On Education< (Save the Children, 4 June 2013)

In any humanitarian crisis, normality is the first victim; in a war zone, all ordinary needs are quickly engulfed by new imperatives: food, shelter, safety and basic health become paramount.

Migration

Next Time Someone Tells You That Immigrants Are Destroying Our Country, Show Them This< (VIDEO: Upworthy)

This nice British lady is kind enough to do the math on what's wrong with our thinking on immigration so you don't have to. She curses a little, but only because she's quoting a faulty argument.

Treatment Still Harsh for Roma in France< (NYT, 3 June 2013)

In the last three weeks alone, the French police have dismantled Roma encampments in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris, and along the Var River west of Nice. In Lyon, 200 Roma were temporarily housed in a gymnasium when someone set fire to their squat in a disused factory, killing two women and a 12-year-old.

MEPs to vote on new asylum rules< (European Voice, 6 June 2013)

The European Parliament will vote next week on the final pieces of legislation to complete the Common European Asylum System.

The policy consists of five proposals, one of which was approved last year. Justice and home affairs ministers are expected to approve the other four at a meeting today (6 June) in Luxembourg.

UN Special Rapporteur criticises the EU use of detention as deterrent for irregular migrants< (ECRE, 31 May 2013)

The systematic use of detention of irregular migrants and asylum seekers has come to be viewed as legitimate across the EU, despite EU legislation stipulating that detention only be used as a last resort, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, François Crépeau, said this week, presenting the findings of his latest report at a conference at the European Parliament hosted by PICUM, in association with Amnesty International, the Open Society Foundations and the Greens-EFA European Parliamentary group.

New MPI Brief Examines How Senate Bill Would Reshape Permanent U.S. Legal Immigration System< (Migration Policy, 6 June 2013)

New MPI Brief Examines the Significant Ways in Which the Permanent U.S. Legal Immigration System Would Be Reshaped Under the Senate Bill WASHINGTON – A new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis issued today finds that the legal immigration system proposed under legislation expected to be debated in the Senate next week would retain a strong emphasis on family unification while growing skills-based immigration more than fourfold, contrary to the perception that a new focus on employment-based immigration would come at the expense of family-based immigration.

Switzerland enforces new quotas for EU workers< (BBC, 1 June 2013)

Quotas on the number of EU citizens working in Switzerland have come into effect for one year.

Switzerland, which is not an EU member, says immigration has reached unacceptable levels, with foreigners making up a quarter of the population.

Countries Seek Entrepreneurs From Silicon Valley< (NYT, 5 June 2013)

A bold new billboard looms over U.S. 101, the highway that runs through the heart of the global technology industry. “H-1b problems?” it reads. “Pivot to Canada.”

That sassy invitation is directed at the thousands of foreigners having trouble getting temporary visas, known as H-1b’s, to work in the United States. Canada’s new so-called start-up visa offers them the prospect of permanent residency and with it, the country’s relatively low business taxes and public health insurance.

Bhutanese refugee receives Gates scholarship <(The Washington Post, 2 June 2013)

When Divesh Rizal laced up his roller skates during Senior Fun Day, the next few moments would speak volumes about the young man’s perseverance and determination.

“It was clear he had never been on skates before, but that didn’t matter,” said Marsha Williams, Rizal’s counselor at Parkdale High School in Prince George’s County. “He didn’t care that he fell. He kept on going. Then the kids were cheering. But that speaks to who Divesh is. He doesn’t give up.”

Rizal, who graduated from Parkdale High School on Friday, came to the United States less than two years ago with his father and two younger sisters, all refugees from Bhutan. He said he started at the school feeling alienated, as many immigrants do.

Turkish unrest sends ripples across Arab world< (Financial Times, 3 June 2013)

The series of popular protests against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has gripped an Arab world that has looked to Turkey as a stable model of Islamic democracy.

Images of police firing tear gas on protesters in Turkey’s cities have filled airwaves and newspapers across the region, resurrecting memories of the Arab spring two years ago.

Modern-day Slavery

Turning childhood dreams into a decent future <(ILO, 6 June 2013)

In a hot and bustling Jakarta suburb, a group of young girls – and one boy – charm me with their songs, dances, messages, and laughter. Like other healthy teenagers around the world, they sing and dance to the music of Justin Bieber and Bollywood, text their friends and family, chatter about trends, their dreams and aspirations.

Kachin conflict boosts trafficking, report says< (IRIN, 5 June 2013)

Women in Myanmar’s northern Kachin State are increasingly susceptible to human trafficking, said a new report released on 5 June by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT). “Thousands of young women are at risk,” KWAT spokesperson Julia Marip told IRIN.

Timbuktu’s slaves liberated as Islamists flee <(The Washington Post, 1 June 2013)

Her light-skinned master no longer beats her with a camel whip. He no longer makes her work from dawn to night without pay. He fled with his family four months ago, along with the Islamists who briefly ruled this historic city.

Campaign: End Slavery Now! <(PHOTOS: ILO)

More than 20 million women, men and children are trapped in slavery all over the world. Prominent artists, athletes and activists are teaming up with the ILO to End Slavery Now and so can you. Every action counts!

Photocredit © UNHCR/ A. Blazy / May 2013
UNHCR / G. Beals / May 2013