Around 60% of Burma’s estimated 50 million population are ethnic Burman. The rest belong to a myriad of ethnic groups – who are generally called ‘national minorities’. While the country is administratively divided into seven divisions and seven national minority…
A decade of armed conflict has left around 200,000 people internally displaced in Nepal. According to article 8.1.11 of Nepal’s recently introduced IDP policy, all IDPs are entitled by law to vote. However, the policy does not clarify whether IDPs…
Thailand hosts some 477,000 asylum seekers and refugees; in 2006 there were 10,000 new arrivals.[1] The majority come from Burma and live in nine refugee camps along the Thai- Burma border. Urban refugees are often from Laos, Nepal and Sri…
For African refugees, family separation is often an unintended result of forced migration, with family members compelled to follow different routes or to flee based upon available opportunities or resources. However, it can also be a chosen temporary strategy, such…
State-instigated violence in the 1990s in Kenya left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. Today some 430,000 IDPs[1] live in abysmal conditions. This is in spite of the fact that Kenya has an IDP support network, a vibrant civil…
Under the scheme, asylum seekers presently on the island of Nauru will be considered for resettlement in the US, if recognised as refugees. At the same time Cubans and Haitian refugees currently held in Guantanamo Bay will be resettled in…
Researchers from the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) supported by the Geneva International Academic Network (RUIG/GIAN),[1] have studied seven past and future Olympic host cities. Their report shows that little has changed since 720,000 people were forcibly…
Sharla Musabih came to the UAE from the USA in 1983 to be with her Emirati husband. In 1991 she took in a woman who was a victim of domestic violence. What initially appeared to be an isolated case revealed…
Looking through evaluations published in 2005 and 2006, it is clear that humanitarians still acknowledge a significant 'accountability deficit.' International NGOs took on fresh criticism for their performances in response to the Asian tsunami, despite efforts to address long-standing weaknesses.…
Capacity building to ensure the provision of quality sexual and reproductive health services (RH) in emergencies is a key component of the RAISE Initiative.[1] As emergencies become longer-term in nature, it is essential that – alongside the initial emergency response…