JULY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7, 2020
CRN11_Newsletter_Vol2Iss7_July2020_Final
WELCOME: REOPENING SCHOOLS
Dear Colleagues:
Welcome to the CRN 11 July 2020 Newsletter: volume 2, Issue 7.
Society is conflicted with when and how to reopen schools in the middle of COVID-19. While schools in South America, Europe, and Asia are gradually beginning to reopen, some leaders are politicizing the process, while others lack a public health safety measure to prevent the ongoing spread of the virus. Central to this ongoing debate is equitable access to quality education for displaced children. What will reopening schools look like for internally displaced and refugee children living on camps?
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees states that the schooling of 1.6 billion children and youths around the world has been disrupted due to COVID-19. For displaced children this disruption not only affects access to education but also the suspension of meals programs which could also affect their nutrition and health status.
In many instances, displaced children are denied access to education by their host countries. According to Human Rights Watch, approximately half of the 1.5 million school-aged Syrian refugee children living in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon do not have access to formal education. Notwithstanding, it is the resilience of displaced children that must be highlighted.
In Dadaab, home to over 200,000 refugees, community radio is being used to help children learn. The idea of distance learning for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is being explored. In Gaza Strip, after five months locked down and 78 cases of COVID-19, hundreds of thousands of children returned to school on 8 August 2020.
With such zeal and determination, we support and continue to advocate for equal access to quality education of displaced children globally.
Veronica Fynn Bruey and Steven Bender
DISPLACED PEOPLES’ RIGHTS AND PROTECTION
The United Nations’ Secretary-General’s Briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in Lebanon on 10 August 2020 calls for robust international support for all people in need in Lebanon, especially women and girls who are most vulnerable in times of crisis. The Secretary General further stated that it is important that a credible and transparent investigation determine the cause of the explosion and bring about the accountability demanded by the Lebanese people. More information available here.
The United Nations’ Secretary-General’s message on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August 2020 highlights the devastating impact COVID-19 has on more than 476 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Acknowledging their extraordinary resilience, the Secretary General enumerated the entrenched inequalities and stigmatization that Indigenous Peoples face. They include but not limited to, encroachment on their territories by illegal miners and loggers; threats and violence; and inadequate access to healthcare, clean water and sanitation. More information available here.
On 6 August 2020, in a video message to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, the United Nations Secretary General stated that even Seventy-five years after a single nuclear weapon caused unspeakable death and destruction upon Hiroshima, the effects linger to this day. He warned that a world without nuclear weapons seems to be slipping further from our grasp as a web of arms control, transparency and confidence-building instruments established during the Cold War and its aftermath is fraying. He admonished that the division, distrust and a lack of dialogue has threatened to return the world to unrestrained strategic nuclear competition. Therefore, he repeated his to call for States to return to a common vision and path leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons. More information available here.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees released a statement on the death of a transgender asylum seeker in Guatemala. According to the UN Refugee Agency, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and related movement restrictions, violence and persecution against people on the basis of their gender and sexual orientation continues unabated. Giovanni Bassu, the UNHCR Regional Representative for Central America and Cuba, said: “We express our deep condolences to the family and loved ones of this woman who was trying to rebuild her life in Guatemala after being forced to flee her country due to violence and persecution.” More information available here.
On 10 August 2020, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) released an employer guidance for measures to protect migrants during COVID-19. Migrant workers are susceptible to job loss, salary cuts, and various health and safety concerns. Unlike local populations, migrant workers often are far from family support networks. They face language and/or cultural barriers and often lack social protection. Many suffer from discrimination. Meanwhile, overseas economies that rely on financial contributions from migrant workers—especially low- and middle-income countries—face a steep decline in cross-border remittances. In response, ICC and IOM have published a set of guidelines for employers highlighting the private sector’s role in addressing the specific challenges of migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. More information available here.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund press release on 6 August 2020, some 80,000 children are displaced due to the Beirut explosion. According to UNICEF’s latest information: 1) there are numerous reports of children who have been separated from family members, some of whom are still missing; 2) at least 12 primary healthcare facilities, maternal, immunization and newborn centres in Beirut have been damaged, impacting services for nearly 120,000 people; 3) a children’s hospital in the Karantina area, which had a specialized unit treating critical newborns, was destroyed, inter alia. More information available here.
GENERAL CALLS: CRN 11 EVENTS
The Journal of Internal Displacement—Call for Submissions
Theme: ‘A Crisis within a Crisis: Global Pandemics and Displacement’
Publication: January 2021 (Volume 11, Issue 1)
Submission Deadline: 1 September 2020
The Journal of Internal Displacement is now accepting submissions for its January 2021 (Volume 11, Issue 1). We are particularly interested in topics on global pandemics and displacement: SARS, Ebola, H1N1 and COVID-19. Download the Call for Papers here.
The Journal of Internal Displacement (ISSN 1920-5813 Online), established in 2009, is the only scholarly and inter-disciplinary platform for raising the profile of displaced populations through discussions, critical dialogue, emerging themes, reflections and explorations on a wide range of topics and regions around the globe. The JID promotes free and open access and does not charge authors for submissions. Visit our website to submit a paper or subscribe for free.
Call For Members: Research and Development Committee
CRN 11 is currently recruiting members to join Magdalena Krystyna Butrymowicz who leads the Research and Development Committee. Those interested, please email Magdalena: magdalena.butrymowicz@upjp2.edu.pl. Deadline: Open
Call For Volunteers: Newsletter Editor
CRN 11 is currently recruiting volunteers to lead the Advertisement and Promotion Committee. Those interested, please send a cover letter and CV to veronica.fynnbruey@tuki-tumarankeh.org.
Deadline: Open
Interested in making the best use of your time during COVID-19 lockdown? Apply for the CRN11 newsletter editor position. Submit a cover letter and CV to veronica.fynnbruey@tuki-tumarankeh.org and benders@seattleu.edu. Deadline: Open
Become a CRN 11 Research Collaborator
Interested in being a bona fide research collaborator with CRN 11? Email veronica.fynnbruey@tuki-tumarankeh.org for details on how to apply. Deadline: Open
Invitation to be a Guest Blogger for CRN 11
Do you have an interesting story to tell about internal and international migration and displacement? CRN 11 is eager to share your piece as a guest blogger for our monthly newsletter. Please submit your stories to veronica.fynnbruey@tuki-tumarankeh.org and benders@seattleu.edu. Deadline: Open
RESEARCH, AWARDS, AND SCHOLARSHIPS…
International Fund for Agricultural Development, Call for Nominations – Indigenous Peoples Awards 2020. Deadline: 20 August 2020.
University of South Australia, Scholarships for International Applicants 2020-2021. Deadline: 31 August 2020.
University of Peace, Master of Laws in Transnational Crime and Justice. Deadline: 6 September 2020.
University of Pretoria, Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program. Deadline: 31 August 2020.
American University in Cairo, Graduate School of Education Fellowships 2020 – 2021. Deadline: 03 November 2020.
University of British Columbia, Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2020 – 2021. Deadline: 13 November 2020.
UQIDAR joint-PhD Program 2020, Australia and India, University of Queensland. Deadline: 31 December 2020.
La Trobe University, International Scholarships 2021. Deadline: 31 December 2020.
Near East University, Scholarship Programs 2020-2021. Deadline: 31 December 2020.
Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Scholarships Program 2020-2021. Deadline: 31 December 2020.
Trinity University, International Student Financial Aid 2020. Deadline: 15 February 2021.
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
The Migration Conference 2020
The Migration Conference Organizing Committee cordially invite you to submit abstract(s) to the 8th conference in the series which will take place on 9 to 11 September 2020, South East European University campus, Tetovo, North Macedonia.
The 6th International Conference on Conflict, Violence and Development
Due to the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the VI International Conference “Conflict, Violence and Development”, organized by the Institute of Social and Economic Studies (IESE) will take place on 15th and 16th September 2020, in Maputo, Mozambique.
Utrecht University, The Netherlands: Connecting Europe Project
Utrecht University, The Netherlands and Connecting Europe Project Conference, Migrant Belongings: Digital Practices and the Everyday, 4-6 November 2020, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
German Historical Institute
Annual Academic and Policy Symposium, Contested Meanings of Migration Facilitation: Emigration Agents, Coyotes, Rescuers, and Human Traffickers, 16-17 November 2020, Washington, DC.
Colloque international de l’APAD 2020 (Postponed)
Colloque international de l’APAD 2020, Circulations in the Global South: Ethnographic Explorations of Globalized Exchanges (Les Circulations Dans le Sud Global: Ethnographies des échanges Mondialisés), 08-11 December 2020, l’ Université of Lomé, Togo. For more information contact: colloque@apad-association.org.
The Centre for History of the University of Lisbon
The Centre for History of the University of Lisbon, 11th Iberian African Studies, African Transits in the Global World: History and Memories, Heritage and Innovation, 21-23 January 2021, Lisbon, Portugal.
Freedom Network USA Human Trafficking Conference
The 2021 Freedom Network USA Human Trafficking Conference, 25-26 March 2021, Washington DC, USA.
Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration, and Development
Visit the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development, Maastricht University, The Netherlands for a list of events on Migration.
PUBLICATIONS
Sudha Rajput, Internal displacement and conflict: The Kashmiri Pandits in comparative perspective (25 August 2020).
Christian Lehmann, Aiding refugees, aiding peace? (09 July 2020).
Katharine M. Donato and Elizabeth Ferris, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Special Issue on Refugees and immigrant integration: Unpacking the research, translating it into policy (01 July 2020).
Diego Esparza, Jessica Lucas, Erique Martinez, et al., Movement of the people: Violence and internal displacement (06 June 2020).
Alexander Betts, Naohiko Omata, Olivier Sterck, The Kalobeyei Settlement: A self-reliance model for refugees? (13 April 2020).
Onur Altindag and Neeraj Kaushal, Do refugees impact voting behavior in the host country? Evidence from Syrian refugee inflows to Turkey (01 January 2020).
IN THE NEWS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Floods drive over 650,000 Somalis from their homes in 2020 7 August 2020.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, IOM, UNHCR mourn death of 27 people off West African coast (7 August 2020).
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Refugee Olympian Yiech Pur Biel named UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador (4 August 2020).
John Oliver, Last Week Tonight: China and Uighurs (26 July 2020).
AFP, Refugee author Behrouz Boochani granted asylum in New Zealand (24 July 2020). Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/arts-books-culture/refugee-author-behrouz-boochani-granted-asylum-in-new-zealand-864933.html
Dana Feldman, Netflix’s ‘Stateless’: Why this should be on everyone’s to-watch list (20 July 2020)
Michael Fox, Indigenous mothers in Brazil mourning their children’s deaths seek closure (10 July 2020).
Leonardo Benassatto and Adriano Machado, Brazil military moves to protect Indigenous Peoples from COVID-19 deep in Amazon Forest (30 June 2020).
International Organization for Migration, COVID-19: Policies and Impact on Seasonal Agricultural Workers (27 May 2020).
Aljazeera, Yanomami Indigenous teen with coronavirus dies in Brazil (10 April 2020).
SEND US YOUR NEWS AND EVENTS
Displaced Peoples (CRN11) newsletter is published monthly. The Newsletter is a venue for sharing information regarding displaced peoples, broadly defined. Your contribution to the monthly newsletter is crucial to its sustenance, success and quality. To contribute to the Newsletter, please contact Veronica Fynn Bruey and Steven Bender: veronica.fynnbruey@tuki-tumarankeh.org and benders@seattleu.edu. To subscribe or unsubscribe visit CRN 11 Displaced Peoples.