Detailing the findings of the rapid assessment of gender-based violence (GBV) suffered in camps,[1] the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Christian Children’s Fund (CCF) said the women had repeatedly expressed fears of sexual violence…
In 2008, the Brazilian National Committee for Refugees (CONARE) celebrates its 10th anniversary. Created by the 1997 Refugee Act, CONARE is an inter-ministerial and inter-institutional body which works to determine refugee eligibility, promote refugee-related public policies, design and evaluate resettlement…
International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s involvement in the problem of human trafficking in Japan dates back to 1996 when it published a report exposing the unacceptable situation of Filipino women trafficked to Japan. That report and earlier warnings by NGOs…
Many asylum seekers suffer from health problems arising from their flight and the violence that preceded it: most often problems of physical movement and mental and psychiatric problems such as depression, fear and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research on Iraqi…
The capacities of tertiary institutions within Afghanistan are very limited and, with some three million Afghans still in Pakistan and Iran, the need for higher educational opportunities – via DAFI or other avenues – for Afghans in neighbouring countries remains…
Colombia has a long history of conflict-induced displacement. Most displaced persons, estimated to be as many as four million,[1] seek refuge internally, in a constant flow from rural areas to the fringes of Colombia’s expanding cities. In 1997 Congress passed…
A strategic partnership between the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)[1] and Muslim Aid (MA)[2] in Sri Lanka, now formalised into a worldwide partnership agreement, offers a model for effective, community-based, culturally appropriate and sustainable assistance provision. In 2006, a…
Over the last decade, the UK government has identified tackling social exclusion as a central objective, setting up a Social Exclusion Unit and in 2003 launching the National Action Plan (for Social Inclusion). A 2004 report by the Unit identified…
The difficulties faced by humanitarian agencies in Burma are far from unique to that country. In Burma, Iraq, Darfur, Uganda, Chechnya and other countries, the space for humanitarian action is being increasingly restricted, due either to increasing violence against humanitarian…
Early returns of IDPs are often pushed by impatient negotiators seeking good news from stalled processes but the premature return of displaced persons in the absence of security and sustainability can lead to new displacement and further instability. IDPs themselves…