Asylum Access Ecuador won a landmark victory when Ecuador’s Constitutional Court struck down key provisions of a restrictive refugee law, Decreto 1182, that had imposed serious barriers for refugees seeking safety in Ecuador. Read more about this success or read the official press release.
We launched our ‘Global Refugee Work Rights Report 2014: Taking the Movement from Theory to Practice.’ Co-authored by Asylum Access and the Refugee Work Rights Coalition, this report examines the laws, policies and practices pertaining to refugee work rights in 15 countries around the globe. Read more about the report or download the report.
Upon releasing the report, Asylum Access co-hosted a symposium at the UN Foundation in Washington, DC to share report findings. The reception was co-hosted by the Better World Campaign and in collaboration with the American Bar Association – International Refugee Law Section.
Global Legal Services Associate Director Amalia Greenberg-Delgado and Development Associate KT Helin-Glick visted AAE Quito and provincial offices to share experiences and successes with staff and discuss regional expansion.
Global Policy Officer Anna Wirth and AAT Community Outreach Coordinator Sharonne Broadhead had their articles published in the University of Oxford’s Forced Migration Review 48, highlighting the Kenyan High Court’s decision on urban refugee rights and the role of faith-based organizations in refugee assistance in Bangkok, respectively. Read Anna’s article and Sharonne’s article.
ED Emily Arnold-Fernández traveled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for a weeklong visit of AATZ’s office. During her visit, she met with refugee clients and provided trainings to AATZ staff. A few photos from the visit are available here.
AAE, Sin Fronteras I.A.P. de México and U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) were granted a thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and presented on “The Human Rights Situation of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Latin America” based on the 30th Anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration. To view photos form the hearing, please visit the IAHRC Flickr photostream.
Following the hearing, AAE and USCRI presented on the “Human Rights of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Americas” at a symposium at Georgetown University.
AAE Coordinator of Santo Domingo Luz Dely Viafara participated in a press conference organized by Ecuador’s National Assembly on the national development plan and presented on five of the main issues surrounding refugee and migrant populations in Santo Domingo, including access to housing, access to financial services, documentation, xenophobia and access to employment. AAE was joined by the Andean Parliament for Women’s Rights, Care Ecuador, UN Women and the Ecuador National Assembly.
Our webinar “Beyond Kids at the Border: Understanding A Regional Crisis” with Dr. David James Cantor of University of London’s Refugee Law Initiative and ED Emily Arnold-Fernandez explored the broader context surrounding the recent upsurge in refugee and migrant children entering the US, Asylum Access’s ongoing efforts to promote refugee rights throughout Central America and Mexico, and our plans to increase our legal assistance to refugees fleeing Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
AATZ Policy and Strategic Litigation Coordinator Erick Rutaihwa Mukandara’s article in the Tanzanian Guardian highlighted our recently published Global Refugee Work Rights Report 2014 and describes how Tanzania fares regarding the laws, policies and practices examined in the report.
AAE Community Legal Advocate Alberto Quiroga is interviewed (in Spanish) on Televistazo, an Ecuadorian news channel, about improvements to Ecuadorian refugee law following Friday’s decision by the Constitutional Court. The relevant news segment begins at minute 13:08, watch it now.
AATZ’s Know Your Rights workshop for refugees and asylum seekers was presented to a full house of participants who were informed about life in Dar es Salaam, their right to employment and housing, as well as information about obtaining legal status.
ED Emily Arnold-Fernandez’s article, “The Good Lie Obscures Important Truths,” was published in Forbes. The article presented the myths surrounding refugees’ realities as they attempt to rebuild their lives and integrate into the local economy of their host countries.
Global Legal Services Associate Director Amalia Greenberg-Delgado presented at a regional conference “A Global History of Modern Humanitarian Action” in Bogotá, Colombia. Her talk focused primarily on humanitarian intervention in response to Colombian displacement in Ecuador and the experiences of Colombian refugees.
In this article from Georgetown Law’s Fall Magazine, ED Emily Arnold-Fernandez describes her process in becoming a human rights advocate and, eventually, the Executive Director of Asylum Access (relevant pgs are 52-53).
ED Emily Arnold-Fernández discussed the ways we can achieve meaningful change for the world’s 16 million refugees and the importance of our recently released “Global Refugee Work Rights Report” in this Q&A session by UPENN’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy.
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