Recovered History Website Launch

On 23 August, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade

and its Abolition, Anti-Slavery International launches its newest

website. Recovered Histories <http://www.recoveredhistories.org/> provides

insight into the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the struggle between

those seeking to maintain the trade and those fighting for its

abolition.

The website contains over 40,000 digitised pages of literature on the

slave trade, Recovered Histories: Reawakening the narratives of

enslavement, resistance and the fight for freedom, makes Anti-Slavery

International's collection of literature on the Transatlantic Slave

Trade widely available on the internet for the first time.

The website chronicles enslavement as an institution and an enforced way

of life; the Middle Passage; and triangular trade. Included are

arguments condemning and supporting the slave trade, evidence gathered

to present to Parliament in the 18th and 19th centuries, illustrations

of life on the plantations, and details of slave uprisings in the

Caribbean and the attempts by many enslaved Africans to liberate

themselves and determine their own futures.

Video Arts Postcards

News from the Runnymede Trust:

Video Arts Postcards
Two groups of young people from around Newham in East London have taken part in the Video Arts Postcards workshops. Each participant used the five-day workshop to produce a one minute film chronicling their response to the legacy of the slave trade. A number of exciting opportunities to engage with the films are being developed and will be a main focus for Runnymede during October's Black History Month. To find out more about the project contact Marion

The Runnymede Trust - http://www.runnymedetrust.org/

The UN Security Council Approves New Peacekeeping Force in Sudan

News from Refugees International, (http://www.refugeesinternational.org/):

The UN Security Council Approves New Peacekeeping Force in Sudan

This past week marked a significant step for peace in the Darfur region of Sudan. The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the use of 26,000 peacekeeping troops for the Darfur conflict. The new force will supplement the current 7,000 AU troops sometime later this year. Resolution 1769 calls for “early and effective implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement” and authorizes the force to “prevent the disruption of its implementation and armed attacks, and thus to protect civilians, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Sudan.” Refugees International is calling on the United States to use its influence and resources to ensure this mission is successful by continuing to pressure the Sudanese to abide by and fully support the terms of the agreement. Refugees International Peacekeeping Officer, Mark Malan, cautioned that the effectiveness of the force will depend on how the force commander and his troops “will face the challenge of responding to threats in a hostile environment where there has been little peace and safety for more than four years.”

• Click here for Mark’s testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs about the new U.S. Africa Command
• Read RI's recommendations for the new peacekeeping force for Darfur

Iraqi Refugees: Bilateral Aid For A Growing Crisis

News update from Refugees International, (http://www.refugeesinternational.org/):

Iraqi Refugees: Bilateral Aid For A Growing Crisis

Over two million Iraqis have fled their homes for neighboring countries and an additional two have been uprooted from their homes internally. Iraq is now the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world, with over 50,000 new refugees flowing over neighboring borders every month. Most of the refugees, now in Syria and Jordan, are unable to access health care, employment, food, and affordable housing. Refugees International recently returned from its third trip to the region and is calling on the United States and other donor nations to provide adequate funding for the support of these refugees. By coordinating with host governments, bilateral assistance programs can ease the tensions that can arise between huge populations of refugees and their host countries. Without the support of the United States government, the international community, and the Iraqi government itself, the stability of the entire region and the future of Iraq are further threatened.

• Read our recommendations for increasing bilateral assistance for Iraqi refugees
• President's Corner: Click here to read our latest blog entry on Iraqi refugees

Asylum/Legacy: 'Case resolution' - 'care, protection and education'

The following news item is reproduced courtesy of Frank's List - http://www.frankslist.info :

Case resolution
----------

Update on case resolution: Q&A now on Home Office website – Case
Resolution is not an amnesty [August 2007]
In the week commencing 2 July 2007 the Home Office sent out a total of
6,000 letters and questionnaires to families with children in accordance
with its priority to address cases in receipt of support.
This briefing provides some basic advice about responding to these
letters.
http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/policy/briefings/2007/caseresolution.htm
Briefing:
"In July 2006 the Home Secretary announced that all asylum cases outside
the New Asylum Model1 will be resolved by June 20112. These cases,
formerly known as legacy cases and now called case resolution, are being
dealt with by the Case Resolution Directorate at the Border and Immigration
Agency (BIA). It is estimated that there could be as many as 450,000
such cases at all stages of the asylum determination process, hence the
need for a planned approach to their resolution."
http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/policy/briefings/2007/caseresolution.htm

Case Resolution Programme
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/applying/asylum/caseresolutionprogamme

Case Resolution Programme - FAQs
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/applying/asylum/caseresolutionprogammefaqs/


[02] Education
----------

Children of asylum seekers
- From autumn 2007, giving asylum children who have spent at least
three years in Scottish schools the same access as Scottish children
to full time further and higher education
- Working with Glasgow City Council to implement recent HMIE
recommendations on providing nursery places for 3 and 4 year-old
children of asylum families

This government believes that regardless of where they come from and why
any child living in Scotland should receive care, protection and
education.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007/08/03082811

Refugee Council Training & Conferences

REFUGEE COUNCIL TRAINING & CONFERENCES

Key issues in asylum
New summer date announced: 7 August in London
Hopefully the pace in your office is slowing a little as people take their summer holidays, giving you time to get round to those jobs you’ve been meaning to do for ages. Maybe you want to take this chance to pick up some new skills? In which case why not come along to our introductory course, 'Key issues in asylum', which covers the 2006 Immigration and Nationality Bill and the New Asylum Model.

Building Communities: equality and diversity in action
Leeds, 7 November 2007
London, 28 November 2007
With the recent publication of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion’s report 'Our shared future' and the launch in October 2007 of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, these important and timely conferences seek to clarify the legislative background to refugee integration and examine current policy and practice in this area. http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/eventsandtraining/conferences/buildingcommunities.htm

Iraqi Refugees

From Refugees International:

Iraqi Refugees: Time for the UN System to Fully Engage

"There is not enough attention on the fact that four million people have been displaced and they live in very, very difficult circumstances, some of them, both inside Iraq and outside Iraq."
- Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, April 17, 2007

Despite these words from the Secretary General, the United Nations has yet to respond adequately to the Iraqi refugee crisis. The UN regional response remains weak, and while the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plays an increasingly positive role, other UN agencies have failed to be proactive in their response to the crisis. Coordination between agencies is inadequate, and leadership from UN Resident Representatives on the issue of Iraqi refugees has also been lacking. The UN as a whole must put the Secretary General's words into action in the near future and exert the political and operational will to respond in a coordinated and effective manner to their needs.

Download a full PDFcopy of this policy recommendation.