| Five aid workers in Greece cleared of migrant-smuggling charges. A judge dismissed the charges against three Spanish firefighters and two Danish volunteers who were in court on Monday on charges of trying to help migrants illegally enter Greece via the island of Lesvos. The five accused, who had taken part in various rescue missions in the Aegean until their arrest in January 2016, faced up to 10 years in jail. The Spaniards worked as volunteers for the association Proem-AID and the Danes for Team Humanity. “This is a strong signal to other NGOs,” said one of the Danish defendants, Salam Aldin. “Saving lives is not a crime, rescuing people is not a crime.” | | |
| Italy’s collaboration with Libyan coastguard faces legal challenge. A lawsuit filed in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) alleges that Italy’s collaboration with Libya to intercept and return refugees and migrants trying to reach Europe has led to grave human rights violations . The lawsuit, brought by the UK-based Global Legal Action Network, is based on the account of 17 survivors of a sinking boat who were returned to Libya in November 2017 after the Libyan coastguard intervened in an NGO vessel’s attempt to rescue them. At least 20 people drowned during the incident while, according to the lawsuit, those returned to Libya subsequently endured detention, violence and slavery. Under an agreement that GLAN describes as having had “catastrophic” consequences for refugees and migrants, Italy provides training, equipment and funding to the Libyan coastguard. | | |
| Myanmar refugees return home from Thailand. After decades living in camps in Thailand, 93 refugees returned to south-east Myanmar on Monday through a process that was jointly coordinated by the governments of Thailand and Myanmar, with support from UNHCR. They were the second group of refugees to return home from Thailand since October 2016. In a statement, UNHCR said conditions in south-east Myanmar allowed for voluntary returns, while the situation in Rakhine State is considered “not yet conducive for the return of Rohingya refugees”. | | |
| “Few prospects” for remaining refugees sent to Australia’s off-shore processing centres. Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, said on Monday that some 1,300 refugees and asylum-seekers who remain on Nauru and Manus may have to stay there indefinitely due to a lack of third countries willing to resettle them. An agreement with the United States to resettle up to 1,250 of the refugees has so far only resulted in 250 people leaving for the US. | | |
| How to start a technology revolution for refugees in East Africa. Entrepreneur and development practitioner Benjamin Hounsell writes that mobile technology and the internet offer an important opportunity to revolutionize the delivery of education and livelihood opportunities to refugees in East Africa. Based on his research for Samuel Hall at refugee settlements in Uganda and Kenya, Hounsell argues that given the appropriate training and improved infrastructure, refugees could access the global ICT job market. He writes that social enterprises that have already delivered results through ICT-driven learning in low-income communities in the region could bring a similar approach to refugee camps. | | |
| A group of Yemeni refugees living in Morocco have opened a kindergarten called “Hope”, where Moroccan and Yemeni children play together and their parents chat with one another at pick-up time. The initiative was possible thanks to a Moroccan law adopted in 2016 that allows refugees to establish their own cooperatives in order to start businesses. Another refugee cooperative in the process of being established will help 10 Yemeni women to open a restaurant specializing in Yemeni food. Another will focus on poultry-meat processing. | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment