RESEARCH

During the first world war, refugees began going to other countries to protect themselves against events happening in their home countries. The definition of a refugee has been changed over the course of history. Today, a refugee is any person who is outside of their own country and are unable to return to the country they are from because it is unsuitable and not safe to return to. The person seeking refuge has to go through a series of interviews before they are allowed to be considered a legal refuge in any given country. A government official or UNHCR officer interviews the asylum seeker and researches the situation in their country to see if they are eligible of becoming a legal refugee. A person may request asylum in any country outside of their own. The host country has primary responsibility for providing international protection.

9/19/2016

Refugees

9/22/2016

What began as peaceful protests in March 2011, have escalated into violence as the rebels began fighting back against the regime. As a result of this, the Syrians are fleeing to live in countries that are safe for them. While many of the refugees are going to Lebanon and Jordan, some are attempting the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean to Greece. Almost five million refugees are waiting approval from the united nations. According to the UN, more than half of the Syrian refugees are under the age of 18. In 2015, $8.4 billion was needed in order to meet the needs of all affected by the crisis. As the mercy corps work to accommodate the people waiting to seek refuge, there is still so much more that needs to be done.

9/26/2016

People Living In Terror Around Lake Chad

Currently in the Lake Chad region, there is a regional crisis. People are continuing to flee from the violence. In this area, the health care is very limited. The lack of essential drugs has forced many of the health centers to close. The MSF is responding to this crisis to the refugees and areas surrounding Lake Chad. There are attacks occurring at many places throughout the region, from marketplaces, schools, places of worships, which is causing widespread fear. People are feeling unsafe and they are unwilling to return to their homes. Something striking to me about this article is the fear that these people must be living in. They cannot even return to their homes because they are basically living in a war zone.

9/29/2016

Greek Islands

On the Greek islands of Lesbos, there is a wave of immigration. As the boats continue, volunteers work around the clock. More than 80 people have died in greek waters in the past month. It is tragic because the refugees go to Greece to survive and some of tragically died while on the journey to seek refuge. It has been difficult to keep supplies coming for the refugees and immigrants.

9/29/2016

Syria Deeply: Wall with Turkey

The wall between Syria and Turkey will soon become completed. The wall spans about 560 miles. Despite Turkey's open-border policy with Syria, the wall began construction to prevent illegal immigration from Syria into Turkey. They are doing this to mostly prevent the "Islamic State" from illegally entering into Turkey. The wall is expected to cost around $672 million. There will be adjacent watch towers protecting the wall.

10/3/2016

Clement and Aline Shabani: Youtube Video

This video tells the story of husband and wife, Aline and Clement Shabani. The couple was forced out of the Democratic Republic of Congo after they began to start a nonprofit in favor of woman empowerment. With the harsh reality of the Congo government, the couple had to flee the country to seek safety. They tell the listeners about what happened once the government pursued them. They had no option at this point, but to leave Congo and seek refuge elsewhere. The government was raiding their homes and threatening their families lives. They attempted to seek refuge in many countries before they finally made it to Providence. In Providence, they are now able to accomplish their dream of opening a female empowerment center. It was nice to hear this story because it is happy to see how even though they had to leave their home, the couple is still able to empower others in a different country.

10/3/2016

Detained, Deceived and Deported: Experiences of Recently Deported Central American Families

This article, explains how thousands of women and their children have fled other countries to seek protection in the United States. Many of their attempts to seek safety have resulted in detention, and deportation. In the article, it talks about first-hands accounts about the women and children when they returned to their home countries after being deported back. Upon arrival back to their countries they live in terror and they are scared to even leave their house. Many of these stories reflect the sadness and reality that these women are facing. While they are trying to seek safety, they are constantly being turned away from shelter.

10/6/2016

Clement and Aline Shabani: Youtube Video (second time watching for homework & new observations)

This couple is from the democratic Republic of Congo, and people are currently suffering a lot there. They were trying to help people there, specifically woman and girls. In DR Congo, the women do not have rights. The families in DR Congo, prefer to send their boys to school rather than the girls. The government came to take his wife because of the organization they were hoping to start to protect women. Following a lot of suffering, they tried to escape from the DR Congo.

Emotions- While watching the video interview, I was able to observe that when they talked about the lack of female rights, you could see their disappointment in their facial expression. It is upsetting to see as they talk about events that occurred. When Clement's is talking about when Shabani was taken, you can tell how difficult it is for him to recount what happened.

10/6/2016

World Focus: Rape as a Weapon of War in Congo

The video is based around a 58 year old woman, Georgina, who lives in a camp for people displaced by the war in eastern Congo. One day, she was on her way to gather up fire wood, when she was attacked by a group of men, who all raped her. Following the incident, her husband left her because "she had been with too many people." Following her husband leaving her, she now makes things to make a living. Many men in Congo worry about their wives getting raped in Congo because of diseases like HIV.

Justine Mastika runs a place for women that offers protection for victims and their children. She houses women who suffer from severe mental and physical problems from rape. They can all talk about their problems together, which helps them overcome. Since 2003, Justine has dealt with 8,000 cases of rape.