The first article from my Rubicon research project is now published in the Journal of Refugee Studies and can be accessed here. The migration policy, securitization and governance of the asylum landscape has greatly changed in Italy over the past five years. The implementation of the hotspot approach and the European Union relocation programme has characterized two of these significant changes. This article examines how recent (2016–17) Eritrean arrivals in Italy experienced and responded to … [Read more...]
Memorials to people who have died and to those missing during migration: a global project
I am happy to share that I am part of this important new project led by Ann Singelton and funded by the World Universities Network (WUN) Research Development Fund. Migration across the globe has resulted in the deaths or 'missing' status of hundreds of thousands of people. How the impact of loss on such a scale is recognised and understood is a major social challenge; from a baseline appreciation of what this means within the context of our shared humanity, to cognisance of the human impact of … [Read more...]
Deciding Which Road to Take: Insights into How Migrants and Refugees in Greece Plan Onward Movement- MPI Issue Brief
In 2015, faced with a mounting humanitarian crisis on its borders, the European Union introduced a plan to relocate some asylum seekers from overburdened Greece and Italy to other EU countries. Yet Member States’ reluctance to make concrete relocation pledges and asylum seekers’ resistance to being moved to destinations they viewed as less desirable meant that a year on, far fewer had been relocated than was originally envisioned. As EU policymakers debate new proposals to deal with future … [Read more...]
Preventing a Monsoon Health Crisis in Bangladesh
Praem Mehta and Katie Kuschminder The human rights violations and targeted violence against Rohingya communities in Rakhine State, Myanmar have forced over 687,000 people to flee to Bangladesh since 25 August 2017. As of 30 March there are now more than 898,000 Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded, inadequate camp conditions in Cox’s Bazar. The crisis is thus far from over. With the monsoon season imminent, heavy rains and flooding will increase the vulnerability of camp residents, … [Read more...]
Boris Johnson Wants ‘Safe, Dignified Return’ for Rohingya – Why it’s Way too Early to Mention ‘Return’
Since 25 August 2017, 688,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh in one of the worlds worst humanitarian crisis of 2017. The Rohingya are a minority group that have long been persecuted in Myanmar, with new waves of violence and burning of villages beginning in August 2017 as an ethnic cleansing. The UK has pledged 59 million pounds to the crisis and Boris Johnson has visited both Bangladesh and Myanmar this week to promote ‘safe, dignified return’ for the Rohingya. Late last … [Read more...]