All posts by behbond

Request for information: family reunification

For the website: www.refugeelegalaidinformation

I have just visited AMERA Egypt –http://www.refugeelegalaidinformation.org/egypt-pro-bono-directory, and was alerted to the need for ALL legal aid NGOs in the global south to know how to reunite refugee children with their families who may be in any other host country.

I looked briefly at  http://separated-children-europeprogramme.

org/separated_children/about_us/

contacts/index.html and could find no information even about family reunification in Europe.

It is a challenge, but if www.refugeelegalaidinformation is to provide lawyers with complete information they need, it  needs to give information for lawyers on how to reunite families? who to contact? for each country where there are refugees.

The thing that most ‘shocked’ me was that those (‘westernized’ children’s workers) dealing with the affected children did not seem to be aware of the fundamental principle of the importance of kinship ties throughout life for those (the majority of the world) socialized in the values of those outside ‘westernized society’. Workers with separated children may be without the skills required for family reunification where this should be their first emphasis.

Can you reply to me, barbara.harrellbond@gmail.com and Arya Somers AMSomers8@aol.com, if you are able to provide and write up accurate information on family reunification to your country; you are a lawyer or an NGO workers who can assist with this process to your country from another and are prepared to offer such services.

 

Dr Barbara Harrell-Bond

298 Banbury Road, Flat 2

Oxford OX2 7ED, UK

Phone: +44 1865 424 697

Mobile: +44 79 0620 3368

Skype: barbara.harrellbond

http://www.refugeelegalaidinformation.org

 

Uganda/Rwanda

Uganda has been forcibly repatriating Rwandans over the past year (see www.refugeelawproject.org), Uganda,Rwanda,and UNHCR have annunced they are to sign the Cessation clause by the end of the year. But Uganda has been receiving refugees who are fleeing persecution in Rwanda over the past months. Worse still, Rwandan operatives are active in Uganda bringing great insecurity to refugees and those claiming asylum from Rwanda. Persons who have well-documented examples of experiences of insecurity of refugees in Rwanda are encouraged to send these to me at Barbara@fahamu.org, marked CONFIDENTIAL. These will be used to assist a group of judges to build a cdase against the signing of the cessation clause, Anyother use of the information received will be redacted so as to protect the anonimity of the individual named. Thank you. Barbara Harrell-Bond