Focusing on older refugees
In Africa, it is frequently older people who are left to nurse their own dying children and then to take care of their orphaned grandchildren. In Uganda, the total number of older refugees is 3,536, out of which 1,728 are…
Personal reflections from an older refugee
I can confirm this from my own experience living for three years 1994-1996 in two massive Rwandan refugee camps in eastern Zaire. At that time I also worked for UNHCR in humanitarian assistance. Older refugees have special needs but seem…
The breakdown of cultures in refugee camps
Viewed as both a way of preserving customs and of passing down tradition and values, interaction between older and younger generations is a vital component of life in Africa. In Angola, traditions which are most commonly handed down range from…
Facing adversity together: stowaways and helpers in Sangatte
Designed to house 800 people, in mid 2002 it accommodated some 1,300 people with irregular status. Of the 50 or so nationalities represented, the group of Iraqi Kurds is the largest, followed by Afghans and Iranians. The weekly influx of…
Who should watch over refugee law?
I am concerned, however, that having watched this matter languish for 50 years, activists may now feel the need immediately to build on this new commitment by endorsing some kind of a mechanism - even if only a minimally effective…
Improving resettlement support for Kosovan refugees in New Zealand
In 1999, UNHCR appealed for additional assistance for refugees fleeing the political crisis in the Balkans. The Albanian community in New Zealand also asked the government to help with the evacuation of their relatives from war-torn Kosovo. In response, the…
The role of the state in refugee integration and settlement: Italy and the Netherlands compared
In the course of research in 2000-2001 among refugees from former Yugoslavia in Italy and the Netherlands, I met a Bosnian medical doctor in Amsterdam. This 35-year-old fled to the Netherlands in 1992, became a Dutch citizen and was working…
Counting the cost: refugees, remittances and the ‘war against terrorism’
On 7 November 2001, Somalis around the world were shocked to find that the hawilaad offices they use to send remittances to their relatives were on the list of organisations suspected of links with Osama Bin Laden and al-Qa'ida. Without…
Female genital mutilation, asylum seekers and refugees: the need for an integrated UK policy agenda
A group at particular risk, especially in largely monocultural areas outside London to which refugees are being dispersed, are girls and women who have undergone, or are at risk of undergoing, female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is the range of…
IDPs and mobile livelihoods
Findings suggest that programmes for assistance to IDPs should take into more account the degree to which mobility forms part of people's livelihood strategies before, during and after violent conflicts. 'Tourists' or returnees? Back in 1999, in a migrant neighbourhood…