Refugees and Migrants

Thousands of Burundian refugees are under mounting pressure to return to their country where they would be at risk of death, rape and torture, said Amnesty International in a report out today.

Conform or flee: Repression and insecurity pushing Burundians into exile launches after two East African countries stopped automatically granting refugee status to Burundian asylum seekers. Tanzania stopped in January, and Uganda in June this year.

The Burundi government has been pressing refugees to return. On a visit to Tanzania in July – his first foreign visit since a coup against him failed two years ago – Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza called on the more than 240,000 refugees there to return home. His comments were echoed by President John Magufuli of Tanzania. Other senior Burundian officials have taken the same message to Uganda’s refugee settlements.

“While the Burundian government says all is well and urges refugees to return, more Burundians continue to flee the country due to repression and insecurity,” said Rachel Nicholson, Amnesty International’s Burundi researcher.

Authorities must not “push-back” Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar Refugees sent back to face certain persecution Thailand should provide refugees formal legal status and protection

With the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis developing on its doorstep, Thailand must take concrete action to reverse its long-standing failure to offer protection to those most in need, Amnesty International said today as it launched a report revealing gaping holes in the country’s refugee policies.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place outlines a number of failures by the Thai government in policy and practice that have a devastating impact on refugees both within the country and seeking safety there. These include Thailand’s long-standing practice of using its navy to repel boats carrying thousands of desperate Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis; as well as its forcible return of refugees and asylum-seekers to places where they risk torture and other serious human rights violations.

Responding to the news of the arrival of the first refugees into the USA from the Australian-run offshore detention centre on Papua New Guinea, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Anna Neistat, said:

“While it is heartening to see refugees who have endured so much uncertainty, pain and misery find safety in the USA, we cannot ignore those still mired in Australia’s cruel offshore detention system. There are hundreds of people, almost all of whom are recognized refugees, who still languish on Nauru and Manus Island. They, too, must be immediately moved to a safe country.

“Australia cannot shirk responsibility. It is principally responsible for the harm it has inflicted on these people and has a duty to bring them to safety. However, if there are other countries who can step up where Australia is failing, then there may still be hope for the victims of an inherently abusive policy that has denied these people dignity for so long.”

 

 

Families that are fleeing conflict are often separated along the way, and sometimes they have to make difficult decisions about where to stay. This can be a huge source of stress for refugees when they are resettled, as they are constantly thinking about the family members they have left behind. Louai’s story here shows just how important connections to family elsewhere are.

Some countries allow for families to reunited, which means that refugees can bring over family members if they can help support them.

Today, find out what your government’s policy is on family reunification. See if there is any way you can tell your politicians to allow more families to be reunited.

To see why this is important, here is Randa and Sham’s story.

Do you have children, or do you have links to a school in your community? Perhaps you’re a teacher or work in a school in some other capacity?

If you can get your local school involved and interested in supporting refugees, you might be really surprised by the results.

For teachers, talking about refugees provides a way for children to experience the wider world around them, by hearing people’s stories and imagining how they would feel in a similar situation.

For parents, you might be surprised at how engaged the children become with the issues, and just how much they get out of it.

Watch teachers, pupils and parents at Edmison Heights School in Peterborough, Canada, talking about what how they all loved doing their bit for a local refugee family.

On 20 September, across more than 200 cities in 60 countries, musicians, artists, activists and local communities came together in a statement of support for the world’s refugees.

Give a Home, a collaboration between Amnesty International and Sofar Sounds, saw living rooms across the globe play host to more than 300 special performances from some of the world’s leading musicians.

The gigs, which included performances from Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sandé, Jessie Ware, Rudimental, Sauti Sol, Freshlyground, Ludovico Einaudi, the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, Mashrou’ Leila, Faarrow and many more, were all about celebrating a single message of solidarity: Refugees are welcome.

At a time when the plight of refugees the world over is in the headlines on a daily basis, and with governments pursuing ever more restrictive policies to keep refugees out, it’s a message that’s more urgent now than it’s been in most of our lifetimes.

What are you good at? You may find that one of your key skills is actually something you could share with refugees.

Do you speak another language? If there are refugees that need help with interpreting, you could volunteer your skills and make a vital difference.

Perhaps you are a teacher of your native language? It is crucial for refugees to learn the language in the country they want to settle in, so you could volunteer to teach them, even in the short-term.

Whatever your skills are – maybe you’re good at fixing bikes or cars, you enjoy cooking or sewing, or are really good with spreadsheets – you can volunteer this information to your local refugee support group and they can find a way of using your skills to benefit refugees.