By Britanny Vanderhoof

Since the conflict in Syria began, over four million people have fled and are living as refugees in host countries. Humanitarian aid has been inconsistent and cuts to assistance programs have had devastating impacts on refugees. Refugees, although living safely in host countries, may face poverty, little or no access to medical care, and few educational opportunities. The situation is causing people to lose hope and forcing families to make the impossible decision of remaining in their current situation, risking return to Syria, or attempting to make the perilous journey to Europe. 

No one solution will address all of the challenges faced by Syrian refugees. However, allowing Syrians to work is one step that could help alleviate the stresses on families described above. Allowing refugees to work would reduce their reliance on aid and increase their ability to pay for services such as medical care. Despite the necessity and importance of allowing refugees to work, Jordan has instituted policies that prevent Syrian refugees from seeking legal employment. While Jordan is not the only host country to impose this restriction (Lebanon and Turkey have also instituted barriers to employment), this article will focus on the situation in Jordan as an example of problems facing the region.  

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December 02, 2015

By Megan Abbot

Libyans are frustrated with the slow pace of the UN-sponsored peace talks and are calling for further international assistance to support the country’s reconstruction efforts. The uprising against Qaddafi in 2011 united many different factions against the dictatorship, but the country has since devolved into civil war. Carlotta Gall reports for the New York Times that ordinary Libyans are frustrated by the government’s lack of progress toward peace-building, and that the process of constructing a new constitution during the civil war has been daunting. Warring factions have forced many people to flee Tripoli and Benghazi and to become refugees in Tunisia. 

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October 05, 2015

By Olga Symeonoglou

As the number of refugees entering European countries increases, the balance between the European Union’s authority and the sovereignty of its member states is threatened. Countries are divided on whether to be welcoming or to close their doors, begging the question: who makes the call? Some, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president François Hollande, and EU President Donald Tusk, are calling for an equal distribution of the refugees throughout the EU. Hungarian prime minister Vitor Orbán, insists that stricter immigration rules are in order and disagrees with the forthcoming EU proposal, which could include a requirement that countries who do not take in refugees give support to those who do. Hungary is one of the main entry points into Europe, and the Schengen zone.

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September 12, 2015

By Kristen McCannon

The United Nations has urged Kenya to reconsider plans to close down a massive refugee camp and force its 350,000 Somali inhabitants back to Somalia. The move comes in the wake of a deadly attack on Garissa University College by Shabaab-aligned extremists. The United Nations characterized the plan to oust the refugees as forced repatriation, which is illegal under international law.

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May 11, 2015

By Huiyu Yin

During wartime, normal people suffer the most. After four years of civil conflict in Syria, 3.8 million refugees fled from their homeland to neighboring countries, but now the neighbors have reached their limit. Turkey alone hosts 1.7 million refugees, while Lebanon is under the weight of 1.2 million. It is time for other countries in the region and around the world to share that burden.

From January 2012 through December 2014, the United States admitted only 335 Syrian refugees. The European countries also admitted very few . With no legal routs to seek protection in Europe, the refugees are increasingly willing to take the risk of illegal smuggling. An article on the Daily Beast urges the United States and the Europeans to take on more responsibility.

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March 17, 2015

By Katie Bacharach

Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court has begun a human rights inquiry into Australia’s immigration detention center on Manus Island, according the BBC. The probe will assess whether the conditions there meet human rights requirements under PNG’s constitution.

Australia sends asylum seekers arriving by boat for detention and processing in offshore camps in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific territory of Nauru. The conditions of these camps have been strongly criticized by U.N. agencies and rights groups. The investigation will examine what human rights these asylum seekers have, whether they are being granted those rights, and if not, how their rights can be protected.

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March 29, 2014

By Katie Bacharach

Onesphore Rwabukombe, a former Rwandan mayor, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in the Rwandan genocide, according to the BBC. 

He was found guilty of ordering the killing of between 400 and 1,200 people who had taken refuge at a church in Kiziguro, where Rwabukombe was the mayor at the time. He had been living as a political refugee in Germany since 2002. This was the first trial to take place in Germany in connection with the Rwandan genocide.

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February 22, 2014

By Elizabeth Gibson*

Deputy High Commissioner T. Alexander Aleinikoff

The United Nations’ refugee agency knows how to set up refugee camps, but finding long-term solutions to get refugees out of those camps is not easy.

The Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR, T. Alexander Aleinikoff,** presented the 34th Annual Thomas F. Ryan Lecture at the Georgetown University Law Center yesterday, and he emphasized that the international community needs to rethink its response to refugee situations.

“Non-solutions have become the norm and literally hundreds of thousands of refugees have become forgotten people,” he said. “We have to move away from the paradigm of dependence that currently defines the refugee regime.”

Protecting the rights of refugees and providing for their basic needs is the bread and butter of UNHCR’s work—and it’s crucial, lifesaving work. However, no matter how much of a success you might consider Thai camps that provide shelter, food, medical attention, and education for families fleeing persecution in Myanmar, it is worrisome that the camp is 35 years old and still relying on food aid, Prof. Aleinikoff said.

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November 22, 2013