Relative to their population size, five of the 20 countries most affected by disaster displacement are Small Island Developing States (SIDS).[1] Today a person living in one of these States is three times more likely to be displaced by a…
The number of unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras attempting to cross the United States (US) border has increased dramatically in recent years, growing from 2,304 in 2012 to nearly 47,000 in 2016.[1] Many are leaving their homes…
There is general consensus that displacement requires not just a humanitarian response but also a development response. There is less consensus, however, on what a development response actually is, and how it differs from a humanitarian one. The need to…
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada’s ‘Guideline 9: Proceedings before the IRB Involving Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression’ (SOGIE Guideline) has been in effect since May 2017. It addresses a number of the recurring concerns about asylum…
Of Colombia’s estimated population of more than 49 million, 1.5% are indigenous peoples. Under the Constitution of 1991, indigenous peoples are entitled to own the lands where they practise their culture. These indigenous territories, which are usually located in isolated…
In the context of the widespread violence associated with organised crime in Mexico, human rights defenders and journalists often become specific targets. Since the year 2000, at least 125 journalists have been killed in Mexico and another 21 have gone…
The Central America-Mexico-United States migration route is one of the largest in the world. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, every year some 500,000 people pass through Mexico.[1] For at least a decade, however, there have been clear changes…
Venezuela’s political, social and economic crisis, accompanied by increasing crime rates, has triggered widespread movement of Venezuelans to the state of Roraima in northern Brazil and elsewhere. Despite Venezuelan citizens being entitled (under a recent Resolution made for associate MERCOSUR…
Towns – especially border towns in countries of first asylum – are at the frontline of refugee displacement and are often where refugees settle or spend long periods of time. When refugees move into a town they change the fabric…
International refugee protection – as well as other forms of international protection – is designed to be temporary. The ‘cessation clause’ included in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, its Protocol and other international instruments in this…