| Heavy downpours in Bangladesh expose monsoon risks for Rohingya. The first signs of the coming monsoon season are being felt in south-eastern Bangladesh, where more than 150,000 Rohingya refugees are at risk from flooding and landslides. Following showers on Wednesday, a heavy downpour on Thursday quickly flooded low-lying areas and made access more difficult, according to Save the Children. Further rain showers are forecast over the next few days, but the monsoon season won’t begin in earnest for another month. IRIN reports that although extensive work is underway to relocate the most vulnerable and shore up landslide-prone areas, aid groups fear there isn’t enough time or funding to fully prepare for the coming storm season. | | |
| Airstrikes hit Yarmouk camp near Damascus. Reuters reports that live state television footage on Friday showed plumes of smoke billowing across the area where the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees is located south of the capital. Islamic State militants, who have been in control of the area for nearly three years, were reportedly given 48 hours to withdraw from the area on Thursday. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has expressed deep concern for the safety of an estimated 12,000 Palestinian refugees who remain in Yarmouk and surrounding areas. In recent weeks, checkpoints into Yarmouk have been closed, cutting off aid to those trapped in the area. UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said on Wednesday that the already severe humanitarian situation in Yarmouk and surrounding areas was rapidly deteriorating, with supplies of food and medicine running low and no running water. | | |
| Anger on Greek islands at free movement only for new arrivals. Asylum-seekers stranded on Lesvos have launched protests in Mytilene at their continued confinement, reports Al-Jazeera. A court ruling on Tuesday lifted geographic restrictions for new arrivals to the Greek islands, who are now free to move onwards to the mainland. However, the ruling does not cover those who arrived in the country before 16 April 2018. More than 15,000 people living in overcrowded facilities on six islands are likely to view the ruling as unfair, warned refugee advocates. Meanwhile, the Greek government has submitted a bill that, if passed into law, could give the Greek Asylum Service authority to re-issue the restriction on movement from the islands. | | |
| First group of Darfuri refugees return from Chad. A group of 53 refugees were transported from Iridimi camp in eastern Chad last Saturday to a reception centre in Tina, in Sudan’s North Darfur state. They are expected to be the first of thousands of Sudanese who choose to return home in the coming months, after years spent living in Chad. UNHCR, Sudan and Chad signed a tripartite agreement on the voluntary repatriation of Sudanese refugees last year. As the security situation in Darfur has improved, more refugees and internally displaced people have expressed their interest in returning home. | | |
| Thousands of Syrian refugees evicted in Lebanon. A new report by Human Rights Watch notes that 3,664 Syrian refugees were evicted from their homes and then expelled from 13 municipalities between January 2016 and March 2018. HRW alleges that municipalities are targeting Syrian nationals for eviction based on their nationality or religion. UNHCR estimates that 13,700 Syrians were evicted in 2017, many of them due to failure to pay rent or other disputes with landlords. The evictions have caused refugees to lose income and disrupted children’s education. | | |
| From asylum-seeker to taxpayer. The Economist considers policies in different European countries that make it easier or harder for refugees to join the work force . In the Netherlands, rules that require elaborate certification and proficiency in Dutch as well as the prospect of losing government-paid benefits deter refugees from looking for jobs. Germany has a better record for getting refugees into work. Municipalities are given more leeway to adapt policies to local conditions, and asylum-seekers are often allowed to begin working before their asylum claims are approved. | | |
| This weekend, 60 football clubs across the UK will lay aside their rivalries to take part in Amnesty International’s Football Welcome initiative, which celebrates the contribution refugee players have made to the beautiful game. In this video, Watford FC and Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami speaks about the role that football played in easing his transition from Kosovo to Switzerland when he was a child. | | |
A recent study found that 70 per cent of refugees in Germany were employed after 15 years in the country, nearly as high as the native employment rate of 74 per cent. In the Netherlands, only 55 per cent of refugees were working after 15 years, compared to 80 per cent of natives.
| | |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment