Women's Refugee Commission - Blog

Women and Girls Suffer Most as Angola and DRC Continue Their Dispute

ariana@zunostudios.com (Annerieke Smaak) — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:41:23 +0000

This blog is an update on a blog written in 2011 on the ongoing crisis in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with women and girls continuing to face sexual attacks.

“We were eighteen women and eight small children in a cell. Men came all the time to demand sex from women. They had different uniforms, blue, khaki, black...They shared us among them, in turns… If you refused they beat you with whips. They raped us inside the cell and told us simply to close our eyes. The children who were with us cried a lot.” —Congolese migrant detained in a jail in Angola

This horrifying account describes an ongoing cycle of human rights violations and alarming violence against women and girls in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Many of the attacks are against Congolese who had fled to Angola and are now being detained and thrown out of the country. This violence has become a fact of life for many undocumented women and girls.

An Overdue Step in Protecting Detained Immigrants From Rape and Sexual Assault, But More Work Remains

ariana@zunostudios.com (Katharina Obser, Program Specialist, Advocacy) — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:31:37 +0000

Nearly 10 years ago, Congress passed, in a bipartisan vote, the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). This was the first legislation to call for a zero-tolerance approach to sexual assault and rape in any kind of confinement throughout the United States. Immigration detention and juvenile custody were expressly included in the recommendations that were subsequently issued by the Prison Rape Elimination Commission.

Last week the Justice Department issued its long-awaited regulations in regard to PREA. And although these particular regulations will not apply to immigrants held under the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, the White House issued a memorandum on the same day calling for any federal agency with jurisdiction over confinement facilities to work with the Justice Department to develop their own regulations in compliance with PREA.

Read the entire blog in the Impact section of the Huffington Post website.

Girl Refugees -- From The Hands of Smugglers to Community Leaders

ariana@zunostudios.com (Denise Restauri) — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:28:34 +0000

“To get into the United States, I swam across the river in south Texas, in the middle of the night in my underwear, carrying a plastic bag filled with dry clothes.” This was the beginning of Olga Cantarero’s harrowing journey from Nicaragua to the United States — fearing for her life at the hands of her smugglers. Olga’s story is filled with tragedies and triumphs.

When Olga was 19, her work as a volunteer for the Red Cross was seen as subversive and, with her life at risk, she was forced to flee her native Nicaragua. She endured a dangerous journey through Mexico across the border to Texas – she walked throughout the night with no food or water, passing the bodies of women and children who had died on their journeys to freedom. She now works with immigrant and asylum-seeking girls in Texas, girls ages 13-17 who faced persecution in their home countries or suffered similar traumas during their own difficult journeys to the United States.

Read the entire blog on the Forbes.com website.

At Cipriani: 2012 Women Refugee Voices of Courage

ariana@zunostudios.com (James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation) — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:28:03 +0000

Actress and humanitarian Liv Ullmann kicked off the Women's Refugee Commission's 2012 Voices of Courage Awards luncheon at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City on May 4 with a story about a young boy she met in a refugee camp many years ago. He told her he only cried when it rained so he would not dampen the spirits of the other children. The gala honored intrepid women who are improving the lives of refugee women and girls, and featured corporate and humanitarian leaders such as PepsiCo's Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi; former CFO of JPMorgan Chase Dina Dublon; Afghanistan's award-winning Dr. Sakena Jacoobi; and young refugee women from Sudan, Congo and Nicaragua.

Read the entire blog on the Impact section of the Huffington Post website.

Notes from the Field: Learning about Somali Refugee Girls in Ethiopia

ariana@zunostudios.com (Elizabeth Cafferty, Senior Advocacy Officer) — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:23:47 +0000

Jennifer Schulte, Program Officer, Youth and Livelihoods, and Elizabeth Cafferty, Senior Advocacy Officer, recently visited the Sheder and Aw Barre refugee camps in the Somali area of Ethiopia to learn more about the adolescent girls living there. This is the first in a series of blogs exploring the status of displaced adolescent girls--an extremely vulnerable population.

Sheder refugee camp is an hour and a half outside of Jijiga, the regional capital of the Somali area of Ethiopia. The road to Sheder is rocky, and along the way we passed sheep herders, camels, picturesque one-room stone houses and other homes shaped like wigwams, but constructed of what seemed to be layers of heavy cotton and tarpaulins. The camp itself is home to 11,500 refugees who have fled conflict and famine in Somalia and, with the support of the Ethiopian government and the international community, live with greater stability, but much poverty.

Q&A "New Kids" author Brooke Hauser on refugee teens in America

Wed, 02 May 2012 20:52:17 +0000

Journalist Brooke Hauser is the author of “The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens” — out in paperback this week. The book, which grew out of an article that Hauser wrote for The New York Times, chronicles a year in the life of five students at the International High School at Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, NY.

In a recent email interview, Hauser focused on the experience of one group of courageous young newcomers: refugees who have fled war, persecution and political upheaval.

Read full blog posted on The IRC website.

An Interview With Our 2012 Voices of Courage Honoree Dina Dublon

ariana@zunostudios.com (Ashley Chapman) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:19:25 +0000

Dina Dublon is a pioneer in advancing women and promoting gender equity in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds. The first (and to date the only) female CFO of JP Morgan Chase, Dina Dublon is currently a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and a member of the Board of Directors of Microsoft, PepsiCo, Accenture and the Global Fund for Women. Dina is also a trustee of Carnegie Mellon University and Chair Emerita of the Women’s Refugee Commission.

How did you become interested in the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) and issues concerning refugees in general?

In 1999, my friend Maha Muna was the deputy director of WRC, and we spoke often about how aid was not being provided to refugees from the perspective of the recipients of such aid—close to 80 percent of whom are women and children. When she asked me to join her on a small mission to Rwanda with WRC to interview women in refugee settings, I jumped at the chance.

An Interview With Our 2012 Voices of Courage Honoree Rim Tekie Solomon

ariana@zunostudios.com (Ashley Chapman) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:30:03 +0000

The daughter of Eritrean parents, Rim Tekie Solomon fled Sudan and crossed the Sinai Desert on foot with her mother and five younger siblings. When she first arrived in Israel, she lived in a detention center, taught herself Hebrew and translated for other detainees. She is now 20 years old and works as a translator with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the African Refugee Development Center (ARDC). Rim also volunteers with the Hagar & Miriam project, helping young asylum-seeking women who are pregnant or new mothers through an initiative called “African and Israeli Women in Friendship and Motherhood.”

New York City: A Place of Freedom and Frustration for Resettled Youth

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:06:01 +0000

“Now I know who I am and what I can do for myself. I feel I can do great things for myself, my family, my country and for women!”

“I wouldn’t have become independent in traveling alone in years of living at home as a young woman. I have learned and grown in New York City.”

“I am now more confident and straightforward. I know more and can take care of myself.”

These reflections were shared by young women from Afghanistan, Burma and Bhutan who now live in New York City, where 450 refugees were resettled and an even greater number of people were granted asylum in 2010. Like these young women, many displaced youth and their families find new freedoms and opportunities in New York, but others have trouble making their way in the overwhelming city.

An Interview With Our 2012 Voices of Courage Honoree Olga Cantarero

matthew@zunostudios.com (Ashley Chapman) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:53:55 +0000

After working as a Red Cross volunteer, Olga Cantarero fled her native Nicaragua. She endured a harrowing journey through Mexico and across the border to Texas, fearing for her life at the hands of her smugglers. She now works at the International Emergency Shelter in Los Fresnos, Texas, with juvenile immigrants who faced persecution in their home countries or suffered similar trauma during their own difficult journeys to the United States.

It’s Time for a New Approach in Handling Immigrant Children

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:27:32 +0000

Often I get asked by friends and family what I mean when I say I advocate for policy reform on behalf of unaccompanied migrant children. Usually I explain that I monitor immigration detention programs for kids and use my findings to promote better laws and procedures that reflect the children’s best interests. My friends and family are usually surprised by two things: 1) that we detain these children at all and 2) that every year more than 10,000 children and youth make the risky journey to the U.S. alone. When they ask me why these children are coming on their own, I always share the story of Jesus.*

Uganda today: The legacy of Joseph Kony and the LRA

ariana@zunostudios.com (Christine Betters of The IRC) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:34:19 +0000

The first time I traveled to the north of Uganda as the International Rescue Committee’s country director, I attended a meeting of a village saving and loans association. These are small groups whose members—primarily women—meet each week and encourage each other to save money and make very small, short-term loans to try out business ideas. The IRC has started these associations across northern Uganda as a low-cost way to provide financial services to the poor in rural communities—areas where formal banks are reluctant to invest.

Since I was new, the group had many questions for me. “Where did I come from?” America. “How many children did I have?” Three. An appreciative nod went through the crowd as big families are still valued in this part of the world and I was well on my way to having one. “Did I love Uganda?” Yes, very much. “When would I be back?” Soon, but I couldn’t say exactly when. When it came my turn to pose a question, I asked people to raise their hand if they had been displaced during the war. Almost everyone in the group raised their hands, as did most of our staff members.

This offhanded request yielded a response that really moved me and put our work in that region into context. It brought home the extent to which the crisis had gripped northern Uganda from the late 1980s until 2006.

Read the full blog on The IRC website.

A Priceless Investment: Protecting and Empowering Adolescent Refugee Girls

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:48:31 +0000

This year's International Women's Day theme is "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures." On this day, we think of the many adolescent girls and other young women we have met in countries torn apart by armed conflict who somehow, against the most staggering odds, are working to create better lives for themselves.

These young women are generally quite clear about what they need to succeed--education, health care, stability and a promise for a brighter future. Betty, a 17-year-old girl who lived in a displaced persons camp in northern Uganda, spoke for many when she said, "A generation without education is doomed. We need assurance, we need to be heard and to participate, we need a future."

Read the full blog, posted on the Huffington Post, here.

Time for Purposeful Action to End Sexual Violence in Conflict

ariana@zunostudios.com (Elizabeth Cafferty, Senior Advocacy Officer) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:01:19 +0000

“Sexual violence, and the long shadow of terror and trauma it casts, disproportionately affects women and girls.” These stark words appear in UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s recently released report on sexual violence during conflict. On Thursday, February 23^rd, I attended the UN Security Council’s open debate convened to consider this report, which documents brutal mass rapes, deliberate attacks on civilians and forced virginity tests on peaceful protestors, amongst other atrocities.

Prioritizing Reproductive Health, Empowering Women and Girls

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:26:26 +0000

Next week, delegates from around the world will gather in New York City for the 56th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Every year, leaders meet to assess where the world stands on gender equality, and how far we have come -- and need to go -- in advancing women's rights.

This year's theme is the empowerment of rural women and their role in ending poverty and hunger, which very much resonates with the Women's Refugee Commission's work. Millions of women and girls displaced by conflict and natural disasters are currently living in camps or rural villages and settlements in remote areas, often in the most precarious conditions. They, too, deserve the opportunities and the tools to contribute to the well-being of their families and the development of their communities. And when we invest in displaced women and girls, we are also making a long-term investment in peace and stability when conflict ends.

Read the full blog, posted on the Huffington Post's Global Motherhood section, here.

Unaccompanied Children Must be Protected by the Prison Rape Elimination Act

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:01:24 +0000

Each year, tens of thousands of children cross the United States border—most travel alone or with strangers. Many are fleeing violence, sexual abuse or abandonment and are seeking protection and asylum here; others come to be reunited with family members living in the U.S. On their journey, these children are vulnerable to rape and assault, and an alarming number of them become victims of traffickers and smugglers. Once here, these children must be protected from further abuse and trauma.

Calling for Help: How Cell Phones Help Protect Children’s Rights in the DRC

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:43:36 +0000

Photo by: Anne Edgerton, OCHA

Stories of horrific violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are all too common; however, there are even more attacks—especially on women and children—that we don’t hear about. Villages, especially in the eastern provinces, are often raided by armed groups. Women and girls are raped and need immediate medical assistance; but health facilities are scarce. Boys and girls are abducted to be used as soldiers or porters. Girls are taken to be cooks and wives. These villages are isolated and have almost no means to defend themselves. Despite a 2008 peace agreement, the DRC’s eastern provinces continue to be plagued by violent conflict. And civilians face egregious violations on a daily basis.

Pregnant and Displaced: Double the Danger

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:21:18 +0000

"There were no means of transport, so they prepared a bicycle. She lost a lot of blood and when she arrived at the district hospital, she wasn't paid much attention. Around 6 a.m., both the mother and baby died. I witnessed it. The woman was 38 years-old." These are the words of a man from the Kisumu district in Kenya, describing a pregnant woman in his community who had died while giving birth during the post-election violence that rocked the country in early 2008.

This kind of scenario plays out every day, around the world; more than 350,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth every year. Ninety-nine percent of these deaths occur in developing countries, where the lack of access to quality health care and information results in high fertility rates and closely spaced births, increasing women's and girls' risk of death and disability. Indeed, pregnancy can be a matter of life or death for women and girls in these places; and, their infants' lives are in jeopardy as well.

Read the full blog, posted on the Huffington Post's new Global Motherhood section, here.

Building a Better and Safer Haiti for Women and Children

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:23:37 +0000

Last week marked the second anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, which brought massive destruction and loss of life and resulted in the initial displacement of more than 2 million people. Even before the earthquake, life was often harrowing for impoverished women and girls, and this remains true today. On this anniversary, I cannot get out of my mind a comment a Haitian woman made to my Women’s Refugee Commission colleagues who visited the country in the months after the quake: “Everything got worse, especially for us women.”

Two years after disaster struck, it is hard to say that anything has gotten better for the Haitian women and girls who remain displaced.

Read the full blog, posted on AlertNet, here.

Building Trust: Protecting Children in Colombia’s War

ariana@zunostudios.com (Yvonne Kemper, Watchlist Officer) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:29:40 +0000

Children like this girl express a deep desire for peace. More than 10,000 boys and girls have been pulled into Colombia’s war between guerillas, paramilitary units and government forces. Photo by: Niousha Mission

At first, she said, they treated her “like a queen.” But shortly after recruiting then-nine-year-old Sofia from a small village in Colombia, the guerilla fighters began beating and raping her.

“For me, I didn’t have a childhood,” Sofia told us. ”It is a childhood that I do not wish for anybody.”

Sofia, whose real name is withheld for her protection, was in the hands of the armed group for five years. She is one of more than 10,000 boys and girls who have been pulled into Colombia’s decades-old war between guerillas, paramilitary units and government forces. Children like Sofia are lured into armed groups under false promises of money, glory and a job. Now, her name has been added to a “black list,” along with the names of others to be killed. As she knows where the rebels keep their money and how they recruit people, she says that it is more convenient for them to see her dead than alive.

U.S. Launches National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security

ariana@zunostudios.com (Elizabeth Cafferty, Senior Advocacy Officer) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

It has been an encouraging few weeks for advocates working on issues related to the role of women in peacebuilding, reconstruction and recovery processes. On December 10, three courageous women, two from Liberia and one from Yemen, inspired people everywhere when they received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo for their efforts to bring peace to their countries. And yesterday, President Obama released the first-ever U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

Landmark Refugee Conference Puts Tackling Sexual and Gender-based Violence at Top of the Agenda

dianaq@wrcommission.org (Rachael Reilly) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:36:37 +0000

"I will do everything possible to uphold and strengthen UNHCR’s corporate commitment to address sexual and gender-based violence and to support states in ensuring access of survivors to justice,” declared UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, as he opened a historic ministerial meeting to mark the 60^th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 50^th anniversary of the 1961 Statelessness Convention on December 7 and 8 in Geneva. One hundred and forty six countries attended the event, more than 70 of them represented at ministerial level, including the presence of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Skills To Survive: Providing Refugee Women The Right To Work

dianaq@wrcommission.org (Samuel Witten) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:53:21 +0000

Women's Refugee Commission Board member Sam Witten writes about why he considers Human Rights Day (Dec. 10) a particularly important opportunity to reflect on the need to protect and preserve the human rights of refugee women, who are so often the victims of abuse and gender-based violence and who frequently suffer from an utter lack of economic opportunities. Read his blog on Huffington Post.

Putting Care of Survivors of Sexual Assault in the Hands of Local Communities

nicoler@wrcommission.org (Elizabeth Cafferty) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:59:00 +0000

When Hillary Clinton arrived in Burma (Myanmar) on November 30, she became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit in 50 years. Her visit underscored the United States’ support for the country’s recent governmental reforms. It also called attention to a country in which sexual violence is rife. Decades of war and military rule in the border regions–home to the country’s ethnic minorities–have systematically destroyed the fabric of society, impoverished and uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and left the health and education systems in complete disrepair. In these border states in particular, women and girls have been increasingly targeted by government forces, who use rape as a weapon of war and operate with complete impunity.

It's Time to Protect Women and Children in Immigration Detention From Rape

ariana@zunostudios.com (Michelle Brané, Director, Detention and Asylum Program) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:13:24 +0000

Michelle Brané has a new blog out on the Huffington Post calling for the protection of immigrant detainees held in U.S. custody from sexual assault.

Invisible and Overlooked: Refugees with Disabilities

nicoler@wrcommission.org (Sarah Costa, Executive Director) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:59:07 +0000

As the world marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, it is gratifying to be able to share encouraging developments related to the well-being of the estimated 4 million refugees and internally displaced people who are living with disabilities today. But there is much more that the international community must do now to protect this highly vulnerable population.

Read Sarah's Huffington Post blog here.

World AIDS Day: “Getting to Zero” in Humanitarian Settings

ariana@zunostudios.com (Jennifer Schlecht, Program Officer, Reproductive Health) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:25:03 +0000

Sandra Krause, Director, Reproductive Health, looks at the condom dispenser in Eldoret Showground, Kenya

Today on World AIDS Day, the Women’s Refugee Commission celebrates the progress that has been made in addressing the epidemic, while acknowledging the distance still left to go. This year’s theme, “Getting to Zero,” in honor of UNAIDS’ (the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS) multi-year vision of achieving “Zero New Infections. Zero Discrimination. Zero AIDS-related Deaths,” speaks to a shifting reality of what is possible. We embrace this vision and draw attention to humanitarian settings, where HIV vulnerabilities are prevalent and under-acknowledged—and yet critical to this vision.

Globally, 33.2 million people are living with HIV. Two-thirds of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and women and adolescent girls account for more than 60 percent of people living with HIV. In developing countries—particularly those in, or recovering from, humanitarian crises—HIV and AIDS continue to have devastating impact. Extreme poverty, loss of livelihoods, lack of support networks and decaying health and legal systems all contribute to increased risk of infection.

A Call to Action: It’s Time to End Violence against Women

nicoler@wrcommission.org (Sarah Costa, Executive Director) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:25:43 +0000

This week, we mark the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign. 16 Days, an international campaign launched in 1991 by Rutgers University’s Center for Women's Global Leadership, mobilizes people and organizations to take a stand against gender-based violence. The campaign begins on November 25th, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, reminding us this is an issue that affects women around the world. The very name “16 days of activism” calls on us to do whatever it takes to stop the violence. Twenty years after the initial launch of the campaign, our collective efforts and commitment are more vital and needed than ever.

Children Left Behind: Number of Children in Foster Care Due to Parents’ Detention Climbs

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:33:06 +0000

Maribel was driving in Virginia with her one-year-old child when she was pulled over by a police officer, who asked to see her driver’s license. A Mexican citizen living in the U.S. without a visa, Maribel was arrested for driving without a license. She was quickly transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and agreed to be deported. Maribel only wanted to take her child—a U.S. citizen—with her. Her child, however, was placed in foster care because Maribel was not allowed to make the child care arrangements of her choosing. More than three months later, the child remains in state custody. Maribel is unable to comply with the requirements that the state child welfare agency established as a precondition to get her child back because she is in immigration detention awaiting removal from the country. She is afraid that she will be deported soon and will be unable to take her child with her; she’s trying desperately to make sure this doesn’t happen, but there are many obstacles in her way.

When War Stops, the Impact on the Environment Lives On

ariana@zunostudios.com (Ariana Zuno) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:47:47 +0000

Erin Patrick, senior program officer of our Fuel and Firewood Initiative has a new blog out featured in the Huffington Post, disscusing the negative impacts of conflict and displacement on the environment.

An Inside Look At Women, Peace and Security

ariana@zunostudios.com (Elizabeth Cafferty, Senior Advocacy Officer) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:28:17 +0000

Photo by: Mariangela Bizzarri

On Friday, October 28, the UN Security Council met for its annual debate on Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. It was the 11th anniversary of the adoption of the resolution and the theme of this year’s debate was Women’s Participation and Role in Conflict Prevention and Mediation. We tweeted a few highlights from the morning session of the debate, but this important annual event deserves some additional consideration.

Since the passage of this resolution in 2000, there has been increased attention to women, peace and security issues by the international community as well as by the media. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize last month to three women peace activists (two from Liberia, one from Yemen) contributed further to this. The Nobel Committee’s announcement recalled Hillary Clinton’s comments at last year’s open debate, “…women’s participation in these activities is not a ‘nice thing to do’…Including women in the work of peace advances our national security interests, promotes political stability, economic growth and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

Women Play Vital Role in Peacemaking

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:08:04 +0000

The Women's Refugee Commission met with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during a delegation to Liberia

Like women’s rights and peace activists around the world, I was thrilled earlier this month when I heard that the Nobel Committee had chosen to honor President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, peace activist Leymah Gbowee, also of Liberia, and pro-democracy campaigner Tawakul Karman of Yemen with the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

These women have worked tirelessly and with great courage to bring peace and stability to their countries. It is especially fitting that this tribute comes in the month that we mark the 11^th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on Women, Peace and Security. This landmark resolution acknowledged the distinct impact of armed conflict on women and recognized women’s vital role in conflict resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

Let's Not Give up on Immigration Detention Reform Quite Yet

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:42:02 +0000

It has been two years since the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) John Morton announced plans for significant reform of ICE's immigration detention system, moving from a penal model towards civil detention more appropriate for administrative immigration detainees. The announcement was welcomed by the Women's Refugee Commission and advocates around the country, who had been saying for years that ICE's system was archaic, inefficient and cruel....In the past several months my staff and I have visited a number of detention facilities. We came back from each visit extremely disappointed and disheartened. The reality is that despite efforts at policy change in Washington, not much has changed on the ground.

Read Michelle Brané's call for immigration detention reform in this Huffington Post blog.

Alabama’s new law and the impact on immigrant families

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:44:49 +0000

Fifty years ago, Alabama found itself at the center of a national battle for justice and civil rights. The bus boycotts, freedom rides and efforts to integrate schools and universities are widely looked upon as watershed moments in the march towards equality. The history books tell us that progress on this front has been significant and sustained. Yet once again, Alabama is a focal point in a controversy over civil and human rights, the outcome of which could have far-reaching implications for families and communities across the country.

Protecting Women and Girls from the Impacts of Disasters

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:03:32 +0000

REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro, courtesy Trust.org-AlertNet

Today the Women’s Refugee Commission joins other organizations in marking Disaster Risk Reduction Day, and the critical role that this work plays in reducing the health and protection risks of women and girls in crises. Natural disasters now account for 42.3 million of the world’s displaced people. The impact of such disasters has expanded over the past two decades, and they are now responsible for half of the globally displaced. As an organization that has spent more than 20 years advocating for an effective, gender-sensitive response to disasters, we understand the pivotal role that preparation can play in protecting and empowering the most vulnerable populations in the midst of crisis—women and girls.

Notes from the Field: Simple Solution Saves Mothers’ Lives in Rural Tanzania

nicoler@wrcommission.org (Nicole Rajani, Communications Officer) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:59:11 +0000

Congolese refugee, Suzanna, with her daughter Lea at Nyarugusu Camp, Tanzania.

Six months ago, 30-year-old Suzanna came to the health facility at Nyarugusu Refugee Camp to deliver her child. She arrived during the early stages of her labor, but after giving birth to her daughter, she bled heavily. She then went into shock and fell unconscious. Fortunately, health staff at the camp facility had access to what’s called the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment and wrapped her in it. Soon after, her blood pressure returned to normal and she woke up; she was surprised, and thrilled to see her daughter. “Without the garment,” she told us later, “my life would have been lost.”

There are many challenges in the settings where we work, but it is so encouraging when you see highly effective, simple solutions put into action. That was definitely the case when I visited the Kigoma region in Tanzania recently with our director of reproductive health, Sandra Krause. Hosted by Dr. Abdelhadi Eltahir and Jayne Lyons of Pathfinder International and Dr. Ernest Athumani of the Tanzania Red Cross Society, we were there to look at how they are introducing the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment to the region.

Immigrant Detainees Languish in Notorious Etowah County Detention Center

ariana@zunostudios.com (Jennifer Podkul, Program Officer, Detention & Asylum) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:59:20 +0000

The Etowah County Detention Center in Gadsden, Alabama, houses immigration detainees along with county inmates. The facility, which on any given day houses over 300 immigrants, is notorious for poor conditions. It is hours away from any immigration court or international airport , despite only housing people who have final orders of removal from the United States. Many of the detainees have been held here for months, if not years.

Etowah should be closed for two reasons. First, the facility is inappropriate for civil detention. It is a high security jail designed to hold dangerous criminals serving their jail sentences, not for civil offenders awaiting removal from the United States. Second, many of the detainees held at this facility cannot be removed from the United States, despite having been ordered removed, since they are victims of torture or persecution, or because the U.S. does not have an extradition agreement with the home country. The federal government should not ask taxpayers to foot the bill for this inhumane and unnecessary detention.

Looking Beyond Camps: Alternatives Offer a More Dignified Solution

daleb@wrcommission.org (Dale Buscher, Director of Protection) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:50:29 +0000

In a couple of recent New York Times articles (here and here), Tina Rosenberg addressed the situation of refugees who spend many years living in camps.

Housing refugees in camps, designed originally to be a short-term solution, has more often become a protracted life of misery for millions of refugees. Camps have been the quick fix and easy solution – not only for host governments, but also for the international humanitarian assistance community. It’s easier to feed and shelter refugees if they’re all together in one place. We can count them and decide assistance needs based on identifiable numbers.

At Risk of Deportation and Thrown Into the Clutches of Known Killers

dianaq@wrcommission.org (Michelle Brané) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:04:18 +0000

Read Michelle Brané's, Director of Detention and Asylum, piece in the Huffington Post, about Edmond Demiraj who, 10 years ago, agreed to testify against an Albanian mobster living in Texas who was charged, among other things, with human trafficking. In return for providing testimony, Demiraj, who was in the country without documentation, was promised safety for himself and his family. However, the accused Bedini jumped bail and fled to Albania. No longer needed as a witness, Demiraj was deported to his native Albania. Soon after, and perhaps not surprisingly, Bedini kidnapped, beat and shot him, as payback for his cooperation with the U.S. government. Miraculously, Demiraj survived.

Photo Blog: Taking Family Planning Door to Door in Muddy South Sudan

ariana@zunostudios.com (Mihoko Tanabe) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:52:20 +0000

Mihoko Tanabe, Program Officer, Reproductive Health Program, recently visited South Sudan to discuss family planning with people living in Malakal, right on the border with Sudan. Take a look at some of the pictures she took documenting her visit here, and also read her blog.

Notes from the Field: Improving Women’s Health in Haiti

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:17:48 +0000

As you drive away from the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city, tarp-covered shelters spread out in all directions. Across the country, these flimsy settlements are still home to some 600,000 Haitians displaced by the January 2010 earthquake.

A year and a half after the disaster, Haiti is still very much in crisis and its population as vulnerable as ever. As after any emergency, people try to continue with their daily routines: traveling to and from jobs in whatever mode of transport is available, visiting with friends and buying food at local markets. But this belies the fact that the country is still severely fractured by the devastation experienced 20 months ago. Amidst the damage, community-based organizations (CBOs) and international humanitarian agencies continue their efforts to rebuild Haiti and to better prepare the country for future disasters.

Notes from the Field: Taking Family Planning Door to Door in Muddy South Sudan

nicoler@wrcommission.org (Mihoko Tanabe) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Although it was warm and sunny the day I arrived in Malakal, South Sudan, I soon found out why the rainy season is notorious here. I was in the newly independent country in August to help assess our pilot project on community-based distribution of family planning services in the town of Malakal, which is right on the border with the North. We have been partnering with the American Refugee Committee since 2010 on a project looking at whether community-based distribution of contraceptives would be effective in a place like Malakal, where conflict and distance have severely limited access to health facilities in the past, and few people know very much about family planning. Our project engaged community workers and volunteers who informed their peers about contraceptive methods through home visits, health education sessions and radio shows. Over the last year, they offered information on family planning options, provided condoms and the contraceptive pill and referred those who were interested in other, longer-term or permanent, family planning methods to a health facility.

Working with a local team, we set out to meet with and survey community members to see if more of them were in fact using contraceptives than before and whether the project had indeed made a difference in their lives. Along the way, I came to understand some of the challenges this community faces.

Violence Against Women and Girls in the Horn of Africa: The Untold Story

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:43:36 +0000

Sarah Costa, Executive Director of the Women's Refugee Commission, has her blog, “Violence Against Women and Girls in the Horn of Africa: The Untold Story,” published in Huffington Post.

Lives in the Balance: No Time to Waste in the Horn of Africa

ariana@zunostudios.com (Samuel Witten and Kristin Wells) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:31:50 +0000

Women's Refugee Commission Board members explain why the world needs to act now to save lives in the Horn of Africa. Read their Huffington Post blog.

Sexual Attacks against Congolese Women and Girls Commonplace in Angola

ariana@zunostudios.com (Annerieke Smaak, Fuel and Firewood Intern.) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:11:22 +0000

WFP/Pia Skjelstad

“Sexual violence is systemically being carried out against Congolese women and girls in the context of expulsions from Angola to the DRC.”

These chilling words come from Margot Wallstrom, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and describe an ongoing cycle of forced expulsions targeting citizens of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has become a fact of life for many undocumented residents from those two countries. Unfortunately, the violent and repeated attacks on women and girls have received very little international attention.

Displaced and Disabled Persons Get Long Overdue Attention

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:28:41 +0000

Yesterday I was honored to accept, on behalf of the Women’s Refugee Commission, InterAction’s 2011 Disability Inclusion Award at their annual Forum in Washington, D.C. I am truly proud of the Women’s Refugee Commission’s groundbreaking work and our many accomplishments on behalf of displaced people with disabilities.

These are highly vulnerable individuals, who are rarely acknowledged. The World Health Organization estimates that between 7 and 10 percent of the world’s population lives with disabilities. Based on this, we can calculate that between 2.8 and 4 million of the world’s 40+ million displaced people are disabled. In fact, the percentage of people living with disabilities may be even higher among those who have fled civil conflict, war or natural disaster.

When Food Is Not Enough to Stop Famine

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:52:24 +0000

Read the Huffington Post piece by Senior Program Officer Erin Patrick on the cooking fuel needs of the thousands of Somalis fleeing famine and pouring into Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya.

Vaccination campaign reaches vulnerable refugee children in Kenya

matthew@zunostudios.com (Peter Biro of the IRC) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:13:48 +0000

Antonia Kamore, IRC community health program officer in Dadaab, vaccinating a young refugee against measles. Photo: Peter Biro/IRC

Hagadera, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya — Our car is skidding across the deep sand tracks that cut through Hagadera, one of three sites that make up the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp near the Kenya-Somalia border. More than 1,300 refugees, fleeing drought and famine in southern Somalia, are arriving every day in the already overcrowded camp. Under such conditions infectious disease can spread quickly.

This morning, I’m traveling with an IRC medical team that is vaccinating refugee children against polio and measles, part of a mass immunization campaign that aid groups are conducting in Dadaab. All told, some 120,000 refugee children under the age of five will be inoculated over the next five days, a quarter of them by the IRC’s medical teams.

“The Somali refugees are malnourished and very weak,” says Antonia Kamore, the IRC’s community health program officer, who is sitting beside me. “This makes them even more susceptible to disease.”

Youth Zones

ariana@zunostudios.com (Stephanie Charamnac, Communications Intern) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:27:02 +0000

Each year, millions of young people are affected by wars and natural disasters. With their worlds turned upside down, they often face huge challenges and are forced to assume adult responsibilities. Yet, in the midst of great adversity, young people manage to raise their younger siblings, put food on the table for their families, form youth groups and peace movements and contribute to their community in many positive ways. But, their stories are rarely told. The Youth Zones project allows these voices of struggle and survival to finally be heard.

For Immigrants, Is the United States a Safe Haven or Prison Ward?

nicoler@wrcommission.org (Michelle Brané) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:11:46 +0000

This blog was originally published on the Huffington Post.

Names can be misleading, and that is certainly the case with representative Lamar Smith's (R-Texas) new disturbing piece of legislation, the Keep Our Communities Safe Act. The bill, H.R. 1932, purports to make Americans safer by authorizing the indefinite detention of individuals who have been ordered to leave, but who cannot be deported either because they are stateless or because the United States does not have diplomatic relations with their country of origin (for example, Cuba and Iran). It also authorizes the prolonged detention of individuals whose cases are pending, which includes those with valid asylum claims and victims of human trafficking and torture, and denies them an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge.