An update from the UN Annual Consultations with NGOs This June, Asylum Access went to Geneva for the UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs with a big goal: to foster dialogue and learning about the use of strategic litigation as a tool to alter refugee laws and policies, ultimately shaping policies that would enable them to […]
Name: Abdelqader Bakir Office: Ecuador Age: 22 Hometown: Ramallah, Palestine What made you volunteer as a VLA? I am from Palestine, and I understand and have seen the reality of being a refugee through the lives of my father and his parents. I understand the pain and devastation that results from being forced to leave your country. I have […]
Those are the figures associated with Thailand’s Myanmar refugee population living along the Thai-Myanmar border. Myanmar refugees account for the majority of Thailand’s total registered refugee population, with a smaller number of urban refugees scattered throughout the country’s major cities. Asylum Access Thailand provides legal counsel and representation to urban asylum seekers and refugees in […]
The phenomenon of mixed migration is becoming increasingly important for countries along the migration route from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to South Africa. Refugees and migrants leave their countries of origin for different reasons, but they often follow the same routes or rely on the same smugglers to make their way across […]
Asylum Access Ecuador and the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) presented our new report on “Refugee Status Determination in Latin America: Regional Challenges and Opportunities” at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). Asylum Access has been preparing for the UN Annual Consultations with NGOs in Geneva. We’re organizing a panel session on […]
For every refugee, the refugee status determination (RSD) process is a necessary hurdle for a new beginning. They must first prove they fulfill the refugee definition laid out in the 1951 Refugee Convention to obtain protection from deportation and assert the right to seek safety. Despite its importance, RSD practices vary across nations and RSD […]
Published June 2013. Name: Felista John Office: Tanzania Age: 28 Hometown: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania How did you hear about Asylum Access? I heard about Asylum Access through the website. I had once met a VLA, so I already had a personal contact. I became very interested when she told me that Asylum Access worked with refugees. […]
A Letter from Asylum Access Ecuador With Decree 1182 unveiled in mid-2013, our work has been focused on reaching refugees quickly while they remained within the 15-day requirement to seek refugee status. With four staff, Asylum Access Ecuador’s Tulcán office opened its doors in September 2012 and quickly began working with refugee clients close to the […]
“At night I can hear my heart breaking.” This comment came from a single mother in our Iranian Women’s Community Support Group, describing the grief she feels over the childhood that her son is missing while they await refugee status in Bangkok. Urban asylum seekers in Bangkok have left trauma behind in their home country […]
An Eritrean refugee who moved to the United States with his family at age 12, Meb started running in high school and went on to become an Olympic silver medalist in the marathon in 2004. He is an elite American athlete, specializing in long distance running, and our featured speaker at Soiree 2013: Olympic Successes. […]