Refugee Diaspora

Photographic Exhibition - "Echoes From the Soul"

2008-05-30T21:40:00.015+01:00

In order to commemorate World Refugee Day, which is celebrated every June 20th, human rights photojournalist, Justo N. Casal is hosting a photo exhibition at:

Instituto Nacional de Antropologia y Pensamiento Latinoamericano, 3 de febrero 1378, Belgrano.

Watch the following video which shows some of the images -plus information about the exhibition- that will de displayed during the exhibit!

Video - "Echos From the Soul" - English Version

Video - "Ecos del Alma" - Spanish Version

On World Refugee Day, we ask you to remember the millions of refugees under our care who are trying to pick up the pieces of once-peaceful lives. As different as they are from each other, one thing connects them all: hope for a better future and a chance to restore lasting peace to their lives.
Source: UNHCR

Let us all together advocate for refugees' rights across the globe!!!
Respect their Humanity...no matter what!!!

Knowing the difference

2008-03-11T00:20:00.004Z

This is a very useful web-site to understand and distinguish legal terms within the refugees and displacement world:

Click on: Refugees & Displacement

UNHCR WEB VIDEOS

2008-01-14T13:57:00.000Z

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This link takes you to UNHCR's Multimedia web page where you can watch the latest WEB Videos produced by the UN refugee agency.

http://www.unhcr.org/static/home/webvideos.htm

Living in Their Shadows

2007-07-02T10:47:00.000+01:00

STAVANGER, Norway - For this Romanian immigrant, life is not easy at all. Once upon a time, he was offered a steady job here in Norway, but upon arrival to Stavanger he realised that the person who promised him that job, that new prosperity for him and his family, had left the country.

He is now on the streets of Norway experiencing a new style of life, the one he tried to avoid back home: begging for his survival and the welfare of his family.

Living in one of the most –if not the most- expensive countries in the world makes things ever harder. The hostility by the local population is eminent (check in the video in 2” how the locals treat him and what they say in his face, “Should I take it out”, with obscene gestures and mocking voices).

Refugee Diaspora implores every person around the world to respect, comprehend, tolerate and understand the so called immigrants and/or refugees. Do NOT see them just as numbers; see them as humans in need!.

Check the following treaties to see how these vulnerable people are "supposed" to be treated according to international law:

CONVENTION RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES

CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL MIGRANT WORKERS AND MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES

Training the Youth for a Peaceful World

2007-06-28T20:54:00.000+01:00

Refugee Diaspora’s Justo Casal participated in the training course dubbed “Media Citizenship” in Ballyloughran, Ireland during 5th-16th June.

The 11-day training course concentrated in strategic planning and campaigning, non-violent action tactics, media intervention, project management and networking. More than 20 voluntary and professional youth workers/leaders from both Eastern Europe and Caucasus, and European Countries attended this practical course which aimed to provide participants with the knowledge and know-how for creating effective and lost-lasting actions as well as coaching how to implement successful communication strategies and activities to improve the participants’ local realities.

Refugee Diaspora thanks immensely the organizers of the event, particularly to Lorenzo Nava, and wishes the participants all the best in their future endeavors.

Refugee Diaspora is willing to cooperate with its expertise in issues related to refugees and the displaced in Europe and around the world in order to maximize the human rights of the “voiceless” in their country of asylum where they face many challenges as immigrants.

Together, we can make the difference in the lives of these people who have fled their country of origin due to human rights abuses. Their future depends on how we treat them today!

4th Session of the Human Rights Council

2007-03-25T02:06:00.000+01:00

Refugee Diaspora is proud to announce its participation during the 4th Session of the Human Rights Council that was held from 12 to 30 March 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland .
For further information, check the following web page:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/

FAQ about the new U.N. Human Rights Council
http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/hrc/kit/kit-english.pdf

2006-06-20T02:47:00.000+01:00

WORLD REFUGEE DAY

World Refugee Day is celebrated around the globe on 20 June every year.

The theme for this year is:

"keeping the flame of hope alive" - a salute to the indomitable spirit and courage of the world's refugees.

In a message, the UNHCR High Commissioner Antonio Guterres said: "There is one common trait among the tens of millions of refugees that we at the UN refugee agency have helped over the past 55 years, it's the fact that despite losing everything, they never give up hope."

"World Refugee Day is part of that common effort as we gather on June 20 in cities and towns, in refugee camps and in remote settlements to pay tribute to the courageous, unwavering hope of the world's refugees – and to assure them that they are not forgotten," the High Commissioner said.

Click on WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2006 to see how the world is celebrating this date which aims to recognise the contribution which refugees make to the countries which are hosting them.

2006-03-19T00:27:00.000Z

Who is a refugee?

How many times have you had the chance to interact with an asylum seeker or a refugee? How much do you know about their problems at home? Have you ever listened to a refugee telling his or her story of why he or she had to leave his or her country of origin? Do you know what makes a refugee a refugee? What is the difference with an asylum seeker?
The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees is the key legal document in defining who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of states. The 1967 Protocol removed geographical and temporal restrictions from the Convention.

Article 1 of the Convention defines a refugee as:

"A PERSON WHO IS OUTSIDE HIS/HER COUNTRY OF NATIONALITY OR HABITUAL RESIDENCE; HAS A WELL-FOUNDED FEAR OF PERSECUTION BECAUSE OF HIS/HER RACE, RELIGION, NATIONALITY, MEMBERSHIP IN A PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUP OR POLITICAL OPINION; AND IS UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO AVAIL HIMSELF/HERSELF OF THE PROTECTION OF THAT COUNTRY, OR TO RETURN THERE, FOR FEAR OF PERSECUTION."

Refugees who ask for protection under the Refugee Convention in the UK are called “asylum-seekers.” The authorities - the Home Office - assess their claim against the Convention and decide whether they will officially recognise the person as a refugee. In the UK, recognised refugees are awarded Indefinite Leave to Remain as a Refugee (ILR). Those who are not recognised as refugees, within the terms of the Refugee Convention, but who can never the less demonstrate that they have a need for international protection or have other compelling reasons for not being removed, may be granted Humanitarian Protection (HP) or Discretionary Leave (DL). These forms of leave replace what was previously called Exceptional Leave to Remain (ELR).

Sharing your Experiences

2006-03-18T22:54:00.000Z

You can also be part of this web page that aims to change the behaviour of people towards asylum seekers and refugees.
If you are an asylum seeker, refugee or you work for an organization that deals with refugees, please send me your personal story or experiences so people, unfamiliar with this topic, can relate to your problems.
People who are not asylum seekers or refugees can also share their experciences with refugees as well as their point of view in this subject.

Have a look at the articles, stories and reports below:

United Kingdom

Bad press adding to the woes of asylum seekers by Aideen McLaughlin, the Sunday Herald, June 18, 2006.

Review on the definition of terrorism in UK law, by the Refugee Council, May 2006.

Helping by Understanding by Justo Casal - LLM International Human Rights Law student - Spaghetti Junction, the University of Central England magazine, Issue 3 May 06, pg 13.

Trust me, I'm a junior doctor: is asylum an excuse to ignore suffering? by Max Pemberton, The Telegraph, May 15, 2006.

UK wins Zimbabwean asylum appeal BBC News, April 12, 2006.

More than 2,000 children of asylum-seekers detained by Nigel Morris, The Independent, March 28, 2006.

In the hysteria over illegal asylum seekers, refugees like my Nepalese friend Tham are being let down by the system by Maureen Lipman, The Guardian, March 24, 2006.
Click on Special Report to read several articles on immigration, asylum and refugees issues in the U.K. (Source: The Guardian)

Israel

World Refugee Day 2006- Who Really Receives Protection? by Physicians for Human Rights, Scoop Independent News, June 22, 2006

Sudan
A Loss of Hope Inside Darfur Refugee Camps by Emily Wax, Washington Post, April 30, 2006
Darfur's children deserve our protection, by William Hague -shadow foreign secretary-, The Guardian, April 16, 2006.

Somalia

Somaliland's prosperous refugees return to invest in their country by Kitty McKinsey, UNHCR News Stories, March 24, 2006.

Kenya

Where Showing Skin Doesn't Sell, a New Style Is a Hit by Marc Lacey, The New York Times, March 20, 2006.

Please contact me on:
Justo Casal
asylum.refugees@googlemail.com