31 August 2011

Commentary re. Statelessness Convention Anniversary

Birthday Wishes Are Just the Beginning of the Journey... (Statelessness Programme Blog, Aug. 2011) [text]

No Country for Stateless People (Huffington Post, Aug. 2011) [text]

Protect Citizens from Statelessness: What Canada, US, and 10 EU Countries Can Do (MIPEX Blog, Aug. 2011) [text]

Q&A: Antonio Guterres, UNHCR High Commissioner for Refugees (Time.com, Aug. 2011) [text]

Q&A: Why Statelessness Destroys Lives – Expert (AlertNet, Aug. 2011) [text]

UNHCR Urges More Support for Statelessness Treaty on 50th Anniversary (UNHCR, Aug. 2011) [text]

Why the Convention on Statelessness Matters (Open Society Blog, Aug. 2011) [text]

[Photo credit: "Card and Candle," Statelessness Programme Blog, Aug. 2011]

Tagged Publications.

30 August 2011

50th Anniversary of the Statelessness Convention

The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness turned 50 today. As reported earlier, UNHCR launched a campaign against statelessness in advance of the anniversary. One priority is to promote accessions to both the 1961 Convention and its predecessor, the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, which are low compared to other treaties. As of June 2011, the former had 38 states parties while the latter had 66. For reference, this updated world map graphically displays the signatories of both.

For more background information, please refer to my new statelessness research guide. For current updates, check in with UNHCR's Facebook page and the Statelessness Programme's Twitter feed.

29 August 2011

Upcoming APSA Meeting

The American Political Science Association (APSA) will hold its annual meeting on 1-4 September 2011 in Seattle, WA. Browse the (very long) program for relevant panels and papers or use the search feature.

Several titles that may be of interest to readers are listed below. Some of the papers are already available online, and more will no doubt be posted in the near future.

Border Interventions: A Response to Refugee-Influx? [info]

Displacement within and across Civil Wars [info]

Forgotten Conflicts: Need Versus Political Priority in the Allocation of International Humanitarian Assistance [info]

Human Trafficking, Organized Crime and Border Control: Vicious or Virtuous Cycle? [text]

The Persona of Personhood: Asylum Courts and the Performance of Legal Subjectivity [info]

Political Competition and Refugee Policy [text]

Refugees, Conflict and Ethnic Power Relations [text]

The Right to Political Community: From State of Nature to the Nature of Statelessness [info]

The Specter of Exceptional Membership: Welfare Reform, Race, and Refugee Status in America [info]

The State, Statelessness, and the Case for Cosmopolitanism [info]

UNHCR and Refugee Rights Protection in Ecuador: The Effects of Non-State Institutional Innovation on Peacebuilding and Human Security [text]

Unpacking the Question of Rights for Environmental Refugees: What If Securitization is Not the Only Thing to Blame? [text]

Victim or Villain? The Sexual Politics of Victims' Rights and Migrants' Rights in the "War on Trafficking" [info]

When Family Members are the Persecutors: The Impact of Political Asylum Cases on the Discourse of International Women's Human Rights [info]

Who is a Refugee?: How International Institutions Adapt at Implementation [info]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

26 August 2011

New Research Guides

I have added tabs for three research guides to the header of this blog. The tab for Stateless People provides access to "Statelessness: A Web Research Guide," a new resource compiled for the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

The tabs for IDPs and Refugees link to two research guides originally published on LLRX.com, but which I have now updated.

I hope you find them useful. And I hope to be online next week. But if this blog happens to go quiet, it will because of hurricane Irene!

Tagged Publications.

Protracted Displacement

The Refugee Studies Centre (RSC), Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) collaborated on a research project designed to "to assist policy makers in unlocking conditions of protracted displacement, the scale and dimensions of which demand an urgent global response."

One initial result is the publication of these three case studies:

  • Unlocking Protracted Displacement: Central America's 'Success Story' Reconsidered, Working Paper, no. 77 (RSC et al., Aug. 2011) [text]
  • Unlocking Protracted Displacement: An Iraqi Case Study, Working Paper, no. 78 (RSC et al., Aug. 2011) [text]
  • Unlocking Protracted Displacement: Somali Case Study, Working Paper, no. 78 (RSC et al., Aug. 2011) [text]

Other recent items on this topic from other sources include:

Assisting Refugees in Protracted Refugee Situations: A Never-ending Story? (e-International Relations, Aug. 2011) [text]

Long-term Refugee Encampment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Left Untouched by Human Rights Law? (Africa at LSE, July 2011) [text]

Protracted Displacement in Afghanistan: Will History Be Repeated? (Refugee Cooperation, Aug. 2011) [text]

[Image credit: Protracted Refugee Situations Infographic, U.S. Dept. of State, Feb. 2011]

Tagged Publications.

New Publications

EU Initiatives Supporting the Integration of Third-country Nationals (European Commission, July 2011) [text]

Field Guide to Humanitarian Mapping, 2nd ed. (MapAction, July 2011) [text]

Living Hand to Mouth: Protection Funding and Coordination in South Sudan, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 218 (UNHCR, Aug. 2011) [text]

"Notes from the Field: Mortality Among Refugees Fleeing Somalia - Dadaab Refugee Camps, Kenya, July-August 2011," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 60, no. 33 (Aug. 2011) [text]

Refugee Roulette, European Style (IntLawGrrls, Aug. 2011) [text]

Uprooted and Unrestored: A Comparative Review of Durable Solutions for People Displaced by Conflict in Colombia and Liberia, PDES/2011/09 (UNHCR, Aug. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issue of RSQ

The latest issue of Refugee Survey Quarterly (RSQ) is now available. Contents of vol. 30, no. 3 (Sept. 2011) include the following:

  • Migration and Climate Change: An Overview [abstract] [working paper]
  • The Recast Process of the EU Asylum System: A Balancing Act Between Efficiency and Fairness [abstract]
  • Resettlement in Solidarity: A New Regional Approach Towards a More Humane Durable Solution [abstract]
  • Sex Trafficking or Sex Work? Conceptions of Trafficking Among Anti-Trafficking Organizations in Nepal [abstract]
  • Case of M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece: A Catalyst in the Re-thinking of the Dublin II Regulation [abstract]
Tagged Periodicals.

25 August 2011

Campaign against Statelessness

Today, in advance of the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness on 30 August 2011, UNHCR has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the statelessness issue. Read this media backgrounder and new brochure for an overview, browse the photo galleries for a photo essay by Greg Constantine, and listen to one stateless woman's story.

Here are some additional resources:

"Draft Guidelines on the Detention of Stateless Persons: An Introductory Note," Equal Rights Review, vol. 7 (2011) [full-text]

"Guidelines on the Detention of Stateless Persons: Consultation Draft," Equal Rights Review, vol. 7 (2011) [full-text]

Note on International Protection: Addendum - Note on Statelessness, UN Doc. No. A/AC/96/1098/Add.1 (Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, June 2011) [text]

Stateless People: Living in Limbo (AlertNet) [access]
- A special report on statelessness with facts and figures, multimedia, blog posts, and links to resources.

Stateless (ExpressO, 2011) [text]
- Advocates the implementation of a universal identification card for stateless persons, in the spirit of a Nansen Passport.

Statelessness in Central Asia (UNHCR, May 2011) [text]


New Publications on Asylum/US, Climate Change & Migration, Protection/Somalia, Refugee Definitions

Climate Change and Migration: Rethinking Policies for Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (UNU-EHS & Munich Re, April 2011) [text]
- Includes "Vulnerability and Population Displacements due to Climate-Induced Disasters in Coastal Bangladesh" and "Climate Change and Institutional Change in UNHCR."

Fear and Loathing in the Asylum System, Part Deux (The Asylumist, Aug. 2011) [text]
- Part 1 was included in this post.

Think Protection! A Protection Mainstreaming Tool for Drought, Famine and Displacement in Somalia (Somalia Protection Cluster, Aug. 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]

United States v. Malenge: Prosecutorial Discretion and the Problem of Non-Self-Executing Treaties in the Adjudication of Criminal Charges Against Asylum Seekers (ExpressO, 2011) [text]

Who Are Refugees? (ExpressO, 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Periodical Issues

Citizenship Studies, vol.15, no. 5 (2011) [contents]
- Special issue on "Boundaries of Belonging: Deportation and the Constitution and Contestation of Citizenship."

Disasters, Virtual Issue on Famine (Aug. 2011) [full-text]
- This issue "brings together a number of seminal articles on previous famines in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere." Articles will be available until 24 Nov. 2011.

Disasters, Virtual Issue on Refugees and the Displaced (June 2011) [full-text]
- "To mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, this special issue of Disasters features a selection of the most relevant and original articles about refugee and displacement issues published by the journal over the past 35 years." Articles will be available until 31 Dec. 2011.

International Journal of Human Rights, vol. 15, no. 7 (2011) [contents]
- Mix of articles, including "Human rights and the rightless: the case of Gaza refugees in Jordan."

Kakuma News Reflector (Aug. 2011) [full-text]
- Mix of articles in this blog-format news service from Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya.

Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law, vol. 13 (2010) [contents]
- Mix of articles.

Tagged Periodicals.

24 August 2011

New Publications on Dam Displacement/Ethiopia, Monitoring Food Security, Needs Assessments, Refugees/ECOWAS, Refugees/US

Community and Household Surveillance in North Western Tanzania: Programme Outcome Monitoring in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp (UNHCR & WFP, June 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]

Operational Guidance for Coordinated Assessments in Humanitarian Crises (IASC, Feb. 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]
- Provisional version.

Protecting Refugees and Other Persons on the Move in the ECOWAS Space (UNHCR, Jan. 2011) [text]

Rebuilding Livelihoods after Dam-induced Relocation in Koga, Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia, Working Paper, no. 83 (Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung, Aug. 2011) [text]

Refugees and Asylees in the United States (Migration Information Source, Aug. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.


23 August 2011

New Publications on COI, Detention, EU Asylum Policy, Law School Clinics, Refugee Children Resources

Commentaries on the UK Border Agency's Operational Guidance Notes (Still Human Still Here, 2010-2011) [access]
- Series produced by the Asylum Research Consultancy for the Still Human Still Here coalition; the aim of the commentaries is to "identify inconsistencies and omissions between the available country of origin information and case law and the conclusions reached in the most recent OGN."

Law School Clinics: A Crucial Resource for Asylum Seekers (Human Rights First Blog, Aug. 2011) [text]

Legal Framework and Standards relating to the Detention of Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants: A Guide (International Detention Coaliation, July 2011) [text]

The Recast of the EU Asylum Procedure and Reception Directives (ILGA Europe, July 2011) [text]

Resources Guide for Legal Practitioners Working with Refugee Children (ILPA, May 2011) [access]

Tagged Publications.

New "Insider" Book on UNHCR

I just came across this book in Amazon:

Breaking the Rules: Working for the UN Can be Fun. And It Can also Do Some Good Provided One is Ready to Lie, Fib, Obfuscate and Break All the Rules (Aug. 2011) [info]

It's by Alexander "Sacha" Casella, a former UNHCR official who now writes for the Asia Times. The only third-party information I have found on the book so far is this article in the Swiss-based Journal21.

So has anyone read it?


Tagged Publications.

New Multimedia

Basic Facts about Statelessness (Tilburg Univ., Aug. 2011) [access]
- Produced by the Statelessness Programme.

Famine in Somalia (The Guardian, Aug. 2011) [access]
- Podcast of discussion with three experts on the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Home Sweet Home (Women for Refugee Women) [access]
- Photographs taken by destitute refugee women in the UK. On exhibit through mid-September.

Nowhere People: The World’s Stateless (Greg Constantine) [access]
- See photos online and find out where upcoming exhibitions will be held (currently photos are on view at UN HQ).

Protracted Displacement (RSC) [access]
- Two podcasts available, one launching a policy briefing on the subject, the other focusing on Sahrawi displacement.

SnagFilms [access]
- Repository of free documentaries on a wide variety of international topics.

Understanding Europe's Asylum and Immigration Policy (TV Europa, July 2011) [access]
- Interview with Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen.

Vol spécial (Fernand Melgar) [info]
- Documentary on the forced deportations of failed asylum seekers in Switzerland.

YouTube Channel (Refugee Research Network) [access]
- A collection of videos of presentations at various refugee-related meetings.

[Image credit: Exhibition Announcement, Refugees International]

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

22 August 2011

Focus on Australia

The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) has just released A New Approach: Breaking the Stalemate on Refugees & Asylum Seekers, a report "which comprehensively critiques Australia's refugee and asylum policies and finds they are inhumane, ineffective and expensive."

Other recent items relating to Australia include:

  • Asylum Seekers and Refugees: What Are the Facts? (Australia, Parliamentary Library, updated July 2011) [text]
  • Tampa: Ten Years on (FlagPost, Aug. 2011) [text via BROCAP]
  • UNHCR-IDC Expert Roundtable on Alternatives to Detention, Canberra, 9-10 June 2011 [co-chair statement] [summary report]

In addition, here is an update on the status of the Australia-Malaysia refugee agreement:

The deal was signed:
  • Arrangement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Malaysia on Transfer and Resettlement (25 July 2011) [text]
  • Operational Guidelines to Support Transfers and Resettlement (Govt. of Australia, July 2011) [text]

Commented on:
  • Australia, Malaysia: Refugee Swap Fails Protection Standards (Human Rights Watch, July 2011) [text]
  • A Dangerous Trend: Violating the Asylum Principle (Refugees International, July 2011) [text]
  • UNHCR Statement on the Australia-Malaysia Arrangement (UNHCR, July 2011) [text]

And then suspended:
  • Injunction against the Government’s Malaysian 'Arrangement' (Castan Centre for Human Rights Law's Blog, Aug. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.


Climate Change & Migration

Forthcoming books:

Climate Change and Migration: Security and Borders in a Warming World (OUP, Sept. 2011) [info]
- "Focusing on climate-induced migration from Africa to Europe, [Gregory] White shows how global warming's impact on international relations has been significant, enhancing the security regimes in not only the advanced economies of the North Atlantic, but in the states that serve as transit points between the most advanced and most desperate nations. Furthermore, he demonstrates that climate change has altered the way the nations involved view their own sovereignty, as tightening or defining borders in both Europe and North Africa leads to an increase of the state's reaches over society."

The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society (OUP, Sept. 2011) [info]
- Included is the chapter "Climate Refugees and Security: Conceptualizations, Categories, and Contestations," in which the authors "question the validity of the climate refugee category, arguing that far from providing succor and solace to the most vulnerable communities within the global South, the climate refugee is a subject of securitization. The most dominant perspective remains a realist (state-centric), militarist narrative, and the climate refugee is constructed, at best, as a victim of a global polity with no human agency--a political entity outside sovereignty--or, even worse, as an environmental criminal or terrorist" (p. 279).

New publications:

Fraternity, Responsibility and Sustainability: The International Legal Protection of Climate (or Environmental) Migrants at the Crossroads (SSRN, April 2011) [text]

"Protecting People Displaced by Disasters in the Context of Climate Change: Challenges from a Mixed Conflict/Disaster Context," Tulane Environmental Law Journal, vol. 24, no. 2 (Summer 2011) [abstract]

Q&A: Climate-Driven Migrants Raise Thorny Legal Issues (Inter Press Service, Aug. 2011) [text]
- Interview with Jane McAdam.

Unpacking the Question of Rights for Environmental Refugees: What If Securitization is Not the Only Thing to Blame?, Paper prepared for the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, 1-4 September 2011 (posted Aug. 2011) [text via SSRN]

Upcoming event:

Climate Change and Migration in the Asia-Pacific: Legal and Policy Responses, Sydney, 10-11 November 2011 [info]
- "The aim of this conference is to present research by leading international academics and officials from affected countries on climate change and migration/displacement to an Australian audience, with a particular focus on the impacts of climate change in the Pacific region. It will cover themes such as: Conceptualizing climate change-related movement; The nature of movement – what does the evidence tell us?; Legal protection frameworks; 'Migration with dignity'; Relocation and land tenure; Statehood; and Institutional responses."


20 August 2011

Colombian IDPs/Refugees in Ecuador

These two reports on refugees in Ecuador came to my attention around the same time:
  • In the Shoes of Refugees: Providing Protection and Solutions for Displaced Colombians in Ecuador, New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 217 (UNHCR, Aug. 2011) [text]
  • UNHCR and Refugee Rights Protection in Ecuador: The Effects of Non-State Institutional Innovation on Peacebuilding and Human Security, Paper prepared for the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, 1-4 September 2011 (posted Aug. 2011) [text via SSRN]

Since I have not posted much on the refugee situation in Ecuador, I thought I would take a look to see what else was available. First, here's a profile of the refugee groups in Ecuador and UNHCR's work there. Some other relevant titles I came across include:

Colombia's IDP Crisis: Caught in the Crossfire (World Politics Review, Feb. 2011) [text]

Colombian Refugees Struggle to Rebuild Lives in Ecuador (Episcopal News Service, June 2011) [text]

Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation – Ecuador 200275: Assistance to Refugees and Persons Affected by the Conflict in Colombia (WFP, 2011) [text]

A Refugee in Their Own Country: The Fate of the Colombian IDPs (UNRIC, Aug. 2011) [text]

Refugiados Urbanos en Ecuador: Estudio sobre los procesos de inserción urbana de la población colombiana refugiada, el caso de Quito y Guayaquil (FLACSO, May 2011) [text]

"To Have Work Is to Have Life": Refugees' Experience with the Right to Work in Ecuador (Asylum Access, March 2011) [text]



Tagged Publications.

19 August 2011

Publications on Humanitarian Response, Indonesia, New Zealand, Refugee Narratives, Uganda, Urban Displacement

Do Natural Disasters Really Lead to Forced Migration? Evidence from Indonesia (SSRN, Aug. 2011) [text]

Homophobia and the Governance of Sexuality in Uganda: The Concomitant Implications for Forced Migration (York University, June 2011) [text via SSRN]

New Zealand's Refugee Sector: Perspectives and Developments, 1987-2010 (New Zealand Dept. of Labour, 2011) [text]

Recognition and Narrative Identities: The Legal Creation, Alienation and Liberation of the Refugee, ANU College of Law Research Paper No. 11-22 (Australian National University, Aug. 2011) [text via SSRN]

Selected Bibliography: Displacement to Urban Areas (UNHCR, updated Aug. 2011) [text]

Sex and Age Matter: Improving Humanitarian Response in Emergencies (Feinstein International Center, Aug. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day is commemorated each year on August 19, the anniversary of the devastating attack on the UN HQ in Baghdad. As OCHA notes, "The day recognizes the sacrifices and contributions of those who risk their lives to give others help and hope. It is also about inspiring the spirit of aid work in everyone." This year's theme is "People Helping People."

Check out the WHD web site to learn how you can help!


For more information, browse these subject labels:



18 August 2011

Palestinian Displacement

As announced on the PRRN Blog, the Institute of Palestinian Studies (IPS) recently launched a Special Focus page on "Palestinian Refugees: The Human Cost of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict." The page provides links to the full-text of "selected Journal of Palestine Studies articles about Palestinian Refugees that analyze their origins, present circumstances, and future prospects."

Other recent publications on Palestinian refugees and IDPs include:

The Legal Dimension of Migration: The Palestinian Case, CARIM Analytic and Synthetic Notes 2011/28 (Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration, March 2011) [text]

Occupied Palestinian Territory: No End to Internal Displacement (IDMC, July 2011) [text]

Palestinian Refugees in the Levant: Alternate Theories for Disparity in Treatment, Thesis submitted for MA in Security Studies (Naval Postgraduate School, June 2011) [text]

"The 'Protection Gap' and the Palestinian Refugees of the Gaza Strip," Chapter in Gaza–Palestine: Out of the Margins (Birzeit Univ., 2011) [text]
- Scroll to p. 126.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

More September Opportunities

(corrected)

CFP: Refuge [info]
- Refuge has extended its deadline for articles on Iraqi refugees to 2 Sept. 2011.

Towards a More Comprehensive Common European Asylum System: The Role of EASO, Brussels, 14 September 2011 [info]

16th International Metropolis Conference, Azores, Portugal, 12-16 September 2011 [info]
- The theme is "Migration Futures: Perspectives on Global Changes."

Mental Health in Complex Emergencies, Nairobi, 25 September–2 October 2011 [info]
- Seven day certificate course.

CFP: Refugees, Asylum Law, and Expert Testimony: The Construction of Africa & the Global South in Comparative Perspective, Rochester, New York, 12-15 April 2012 [info]
- The deadline for submitting an abstract is 30 Sept. 2011.

17 August 2011

New Periodical Issues

Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies, no. 1 (2011) [full-text]
- Mix of articles including "Culture-Sensitive and Resource Oriented Peer (CROP) Groups as a Community Based Intervention for Trauma Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study with Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Chechnya."

Conflict Trends, no. 2 (2011) [full-text]
- Focus is on climate change.

European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 13, no. 3 (2011) [contents]
- Focus is on "irregular migration."

Field Exchange, no. 41 (Aug. 2011) [full-text]
- Mix of articles.

Hommes et Migrations, no. 1291 (mai-juin 2011) [contents]
- Focus is on "Diasporas sri lankaises: Entre guerre et paix"; includes "Les récits de vie des demandeurs d’asile tamouls."

Journal on Internal Displacement, vol. 1, no. 2 (Aug. 2011) [open access text with registration]
- Second issue of new journal; articles include "Beyond Squatters’ Rights: Durable Solutions and Development in Monrovia, Liberia," "Africa’s Last Colony: Sahrawi People – Refugees, IDPs and Nationals?," "Internal Displacement: A Study of Homelessness in the City of Toronto," and Managing Rehabilitation and Resettlement of the Involuntary Displaced People: Lessons from Selected Narmada Project in India."

Protection Cluster Digest: The Newsletter of the Global Protection Cluster, vol. 1 (2011) [full-text]
- First edition of this "communication tool with humanitarian workers implementing the Cluster Approach at the global and field levels."

Refugee Watch, no. 37 (June 2011) [contents]
- Mix of articles including "Security among the Refugees and Quality of Life: Case of Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees Living in Camp in Tamil Nadu," "Practising the 'Guiding Principles' for Development's Displacees: Problems and Prospects," and "Rethinking 'Women' in Forced Displacement."

Tagged Periodicals.


Publications on Children, Health

Field Handbook for the Implementation of UNHCR BID Guidelines (UNHCR & IRC, Aug. 2011) [text]
- Serves as a "a complementary source of guidance" to the UNHCR Guidelines for Determining the Best Interests of the Child (2008).

Health in Complex Emergencies: Trends in 8 African Countries (CRED, 2011) [text]

"Mental Health of Displaced and Refugee Children Resettled in High-income Countries: Risk and Protective Factors," The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 10 Aug. 2011 [free full-text available with registration]

Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers (WHO, Aug. 2011) [text]

Refugees in Regional Victoria: Implications for Regional Health Care Services (Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria, 2011) [text via Brocap]

"Trauma, Exile and Mental Health in Young Refugees," Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, vol. 124, Suppl. s440 (Sept. 2011) [free full-text]

Tagged Publications.


16 August 2011

Law/Policy Items

"Consultation During Rule-Making: A Case Study of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulation," Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, vol. 28, no. 2 (2010) [text via SSRN]

Displacement in Libya: Humanitarian Priorities (Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Aug. 2011) [text]

The Implications of the US Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy for National Policies: The Case of Malaysia, NTS Alert (Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, Aug. 2011) [text]

New BIA Decision Will Harm Asylum Seekers (The Asylumist, Aug. 2011) [text]

New Instructions and Statistics on Interim Measures (ECHR Blog, Aug. 2011) [text]

"Well-Founded Fear of Persecution Among Women Seeking Asylum: Lessons Learned from the Law of Rape," New Mexico Law Review, vol. 40, no. 3 (Summer 2010) [full-text]

Tagged Publications.

Asylum Fraud in the U.S.

The New York Times and the New Yorker have both run stories recently that highlight examples of fraudulent claims for asylum in the U.S. Here are some blog responses to the allegations:

Are Asylum Seekers Lying When Their Testimony is Inconsistent? A Personal Story (Caring for Survivors of Torture, Aug. 2011) [text]
- Note: This post includes a link to a story that presents a UK perspective on "bogus" asylum seekers.

Defining Persecution to Minimize Fraud (IntLawGrrls, Aug. 2011) [text]

Fear and Loathing in the Asylum System (The Asylumist, Aug. 2011) [text]

The New Asylum Fraud Myth and the Story That Isn't Being Told (National Immigrant Justice Center Blog, Aug. 2011) [text]

A Reader’s Guide to Asylum Coverage in the Wake of DSK: Another Look at the Numbers (Andy Rasmussen's Blog, July 2011) [text]

On the NYT site, see also comments from various debaters on how the asylum system can be fixed.

Tagged Publications.

New Blogs

The COMPAS Blog [access]
- "Every week we will provide information and discussion points about work taking place at COMPAS, what researchers are thinking about, and reactions to migration issues taking place globally."

ecoi.net blog [access]
- The aim of this blog is to "inform about new developments regarding ecoi.net’s work, important new publications and about news in the field of COI research."

Refugee Caselaw Blog [access]
- New feature launched when the Univ. of Michigan Law School's Refugee Caselaw site was re-vamped.

Right to Work for Asylum Seekers and Refugees [access]
- "[A] tool to promote the right to work of persons in need of international protection." Use it to find relevant caselaw, reports, and other information.

Statelessness Programme [access]
- Provided by Tilburg Law School; "an informal space for exchanging views on statelessness doctrine, cases and developments in the field." The Twitter feed highlights current news and information.


15 August 2011

Theses

Since theses and dissertations are popping up more regularly on my information radar, I decided to add a link to all posts that reference these items in the sidebar under "Special Features."

  • Anywhere But Here: Locating the Border and Narrating Asylum Seekers under Australia's Policy of Territorial Excision, Thesis submitted to Faculty of Law (McGill University, Nov. 2010) [text]
  • HIV Services for Refugees in Egypt: An Evaluative Study, Thesis submitted to Center For Migration and Refugee Studies (American University in Cairo, May 2010) [text]
  • Livelihoods and Family Formation among Eritrean Refugees in Cairo, Thesis submitted to Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (American University in Cairo, Jan. 2010) [text]
  • Mortality in the Darfur Conflict: A Study of Large-scale Patterns Based on a Meta-analysis of Small-scale Surveys, Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (Université catholique de Louvain, Feb. 2011) [text]
  • Palestinian Refugees in the Levant: Alternate Theories for Disparity in Treatment, Thesis submitted for MA in Security Studies (Naval Postgraduate School, June 2011) [text]
  • The Sahrawi Refugees and their National Identity: A Qualitative Study of How the Sahrawi Refugees Present their National Identity in Online Blogs, Thesis submitted to Faculty of Social Sciences (University of Oslo, May 2010) [text]
  • The UNHCR and Its Role in the Debate on the Refoulement and Interception of Refugees on the High Seas, Thesis submitted to the Department of International Relations and European Studies (Central European University, 2011) [text]
  • Utilization of Higher Education: A Review of Employment Challenges and Job Practice among Refugees in Norway, Thesis submitted to Faculty of Education (Oslo University College, May 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.


Age Assessments

The Welsh Refugee Council has just produced a research report entitled "Young Lives in Limbo: The Protection of Age Disputed Young People in Wales." The issue of age assessments of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum has been addressed fairly regularly in the literature recently, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Here are some other references that I have come across:

"Age Determination of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Minors in the European Union: A Health Law Perspective," European Journal of Health Law, vol. 18, no. 1 (2011) [abstract]

Age Assessment Practices: A Literature Review & Annotated Bibliography (UNICEF, 2011) [text]

Assessing Age or Assessing Needs: A Literature Review of Age Assessment of Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (Univ. of Copenhagen, 2010) [text]

"Assessing Chronological Age of Unaccompanied Minors in Southern Italy," American Journal of Forensic Medicine & Pathology, Advance Access, 30 June 2011 [abstract]

"How Old Are You? Ethical Dilemmas in Working with Age-Disputed Young Asylum Seekers," Practice, Forthcoming Article, 5 Aug. 2011 [abstract]

Methods for Assessing the Age of Migrant Children Must Be Improved (Human Rights Comment, Aug. 2011) [text]

"A New Approach to Age Assessment of Unaccompanied and Separated Children: Current Practices and Challenges in the UK," Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter, no. 11 (Jan. 2011) [text]

Negotiating Childhood: Age Assessment in the UK Asylum System, Working Paper, no. 67 (RSC, Nov. 2010) [text]

For reports addressing issues related to unaccompanied minors more generally, browse these previous blog posts.

Tagged Publications.


12 August 2011

New Publications on Cessation Clauses, Clinical Guidelines, Denationalisation, DRC, Refugee Children & Mental Health

"Evidence-based Clinical Guidelines for Immigrants and Refugees," CMAJ, Early Release (27 July 2011) [full-text]

Humanitarian Action, Early Recovery and Stabilisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, HPG Working Paper (ODI, Aug. 2011) [text]

Refugee Children at "High Risk" of Mental-health Problems (IRIN, Aug. 2011) [text]

Reviewing the Application of the Cessation Clause of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in Africa, Working Paper, no. 76 (RSC, August 2011) [text]

Should Citizenship Be Conditional? Denationalisation and Liberal Principles, Working Paper, no. 75 (RSC, July 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.