Women’s Refugee Commission urges  these children be provided protection in Haiti while reunification efforts are made

NOTE:
Read the press release. 
Read recommendations for the U.S. government to protect children in Haiti developed by the Women's Refugee Commission and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).
The following organizations are among the organizations that are working with children in Haiti: International Rescue Committee, Save the Children and UNICEF.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued guidelines for humanitarian parole for orphans who have been screened, identified for adoption eligibility and were matched with families in the United States before the earthquake. Children who were in the final stages of adoption by American families should be brought to the United States as expeditiously as possible.

The Women’s Refugee Commission applauds the agency’s prompt response and efforts to protect children who were on the eve of an adoption when the crisis hit.

However, the Women’s Refugee Commission has heard numerous accounts of children being removed from Haiti who were not in the final stages of adoption and who do not meet the Department of Homeland Security’s current criteria for evacuation. Such reports are deeply troubling because in many cases they run contrary to the best interest of the children.

Despite a well-intentioned desire to assist children during a time of crisis, protective mechanisms must be established and respected to ensure that children who can be reunited with family are able to do so and that unsafe adoptions and trafficking of children do not occur.

As previous crises have demonstrated, many children who are separated from their families during an emergency are not, in fact, orphans. It can take considerable time before registration and tracing efforts identify and reunite children with their parents. Even if parents are deceased there may be other family members who are willing and able to provide care. Removing children from their communities in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake can further compromise their well-being by leading to unnecessary, permanent separation from their family and support network.

The urge to take action to remove children from a situation like the one in Haiti is understandable. “It’s tempting to want to airlift children out of Haiti, getting them out of harm’s way immediately,” says Michelle Brané, director of detention and asylum program at the Women’s Refugee Commission. “But it’s important to remember that in the chaos currently plaguing the country, many thousands of people, including parents and children, are searching for their family. Removing children from countries too quickly after an emergency has been shown to jeopardize family reunification efforts, create additional instability for children and increase the risk that children will fall into the hands of traffickers and other ill-intentioned individuals who have been known to exploit these situations.”

Even before the earthquake, there were many children in Haitian orphanages who were not actually orphans and who maintained close relationships with their families. It is not uncommon for parents or caregivers to send their children to orphanages for better care and security. This only underscores the importance of fully assessing children’s situation and needs before making any placement decisions. According to Brané, “it is generally in the best interest of children to receive services and protection on the ground in Haiti. While it is likely that there will be children in need of loving families in the future, we strongly recommend that in the near term individuals who wish to help the children of Haiti contribute their resources and time to organizations such as the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children and UNICEF, which have proven expertise in meeting child protection needs in a time of crisis.”

The Women’s Refugee Commission recommends that the U.S. government consider the following measures to protect Haitian children:

•    Immediate family reunification services: Priority must be given to child registration, family tracing and family reunification services to reunite children with their parents or customary caregivers.

•    Protection in-country: Foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations and concerned individuals must support the efforts of the United Nations and international organizations to meet the protection needs of children in-country.

•    Temporary Evacuation as a Last Resort: If children must be evacuated out of Haiti because their protection needs cannot be met in-country, the evacuation must be carefully documented, they must be registered with the proper authorities and all efforts must be made to reunify them with family before any adoption proceedings are considered.

•    Children with urgent medical needs: Children with needs that cannot be addressed by the emergency medical care delivery efforts in Haiti should be transported to the U.S. or wherever they are able to access appropriate medical care. Available family members should be allowed to travel with them.

•    Children in mixed family status: There are mixed status families in Haiti in which one or more member has authorization to legally enter the United States but others do not. These families are being forced to choose between leaving their children behind because they lack the proper authorization, or remaining in Haiti. The U.S. must allow mixed status families to enter the United States together.

•    Expedite I-730s for Haitian refugees and asylees: Refugees and asylees in the U.S. have the right to bring a spouse or unmarried children under the age of 21 into the U.S. under the I-730 Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition. This process should be expedited for all Haitian refugees and asylees in the U.S. so that their children and spouses can reach the safety of the U.S. more quickly.

•    Children interdicted at sea: These children should be properly screened, in compliance with international law, to ensure their lives are not in danger if they are returned.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appointed Dr. Dora Schriro,* one of the country's foremost experts in correctional policies, to review the detention and deportation system. Dr. Schriro was tasked with providing recommendations and met with the Women's Refugee Commission's Detention and Asylum Program several times seeking out such advice.

The Immigration Detention Overview and Recommendations report was released by the Department of Homeland Security October 6th. It is the most comprehensive review of the immigration detention system to date.

The Women's Refugee Commission recognizes the Obama administration's commitment to the overhaul of the current detention system and will continue to advocate for the much-needed reforms and the implementation of recommendations made in this report.

Read more about the report.

* Ms. Schriro left DHS in late 2009. Phyllis Coven is the Acting Director of the Office of Immigration Detention Policy and Planning.

Women, Peace and Security: United Nations Works to Protect Women and Girls

The United Nations Security Council has taken another step forward in global efforts to end violence perpetrated against women and children in conflict. The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution September 30, 2009 urging member states to take effective steps to halt the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war. Resolution 1888, sponsored by the United States, which holds the presidency of the Security Council this month, calls for a Special Representative to the Secretary General, who is charged with driving and coordinating the UN’s efforts to address sexual violence in conflict, efforts which have been sorely lacking. The Security Council must now ensure this leader has a strong mandate to deal substantively with women, peace and security issues, thus ensuring the effectiveness of the position. This resolution builds upon two previous resolutions on Women, Peace and Security: 1325 and 1820.

Representing the United States and leading the Security Council in their vote on SCR 1888, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: “The dehumanizing nature of sexual violence doesn’t just harm a single individual or a single family or even a single village or a single group. It shreds the fabric that weaves us together as human beings, it endangers families and communities, erodes social and political stability, and undermines economic progress. We need to understand that it holds all of us back.”

Displaced Women and Girls at Risk of Sexual Violence

Sexual violence affects millions of people, particularly women and girls. This is exacerbated in conflicts and in situations of displacement. Sexual violence is frequently a military tactic used by armed groups to terrify opponents, demoralize individuals, destroy families and communities, and force families to flee their homes. This type of violence takes many forms, including sexual slavery, kidnapping, forced recruitment, forced prostitution and, most commonly, rape.

In situations of displacement, refugee women and girls must venture out of their camps in search of firewood and food. Every time they leave their camps they are at risk of rape, beatings, even death.

Sexual violence during conflict remains vastly under-addressed due to weak national mechanisms for the protection of women and inadequate health and social support services. Many still view sexual violence as an inevitable, if regrettable, consequence of conflict and displacement.

Women's Refugee Commission's Key Role in UN Resolutions

The Women’s Refugee Commission has been working on these issues for many years through our advocacy work at the United Nations Security Council, our fuel and firewood initiative and reproductive health program. With the adoption of this new resolution, we celebrate the fact that some of these efforts have been realized.

In 2000, we, as a member of the Women, Peace and Security Working Group, along with other women’s human rights defenders and peace organizations, successfully advocated for the landmark Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Resolution 1325 demands better protection and promotion of women's human rights in conflict situations and seeks to ensure their engagement in matters of peace and security.

We also advocated for and welcomed the follow-up resolution 1820, adopted in 2008, to advance efforts to prevent and respond to the use of sexual violence. Security Council Resolution 1820 states that sexual violence is a crime that concerns the entire international community and is a security issue that demands a security response. UNSCR 1820 states unequivocally that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide.” It outlines the fact that the prevention of sexual violence is inseparable from the empowerment of women. Women must be consulted and closely involved in all measures taken on their behalf.

These resolutions have resulted in a greater awareness of the specific concerns of women and girls in conflict. An increasing number of authorities at the international and national levels have since demonstrated political will to address their obligations highlighted in 1325 and 1820. Tangible, positive change in the lives of most of these women and girls nevertheless remains elusive, particularly regarding their protection from sexual violence in conflict, and their participation in peace talks.

The Women's Refugee Commission is mourning the death of chair emerita Dr. Beverlee Bruce.

Beverlee joined the board of the Women's Refugee Commission in 1991 and was chair from 1995 to 1999. She participated in many organizational delegations to assess the needs of refugee and displaced women and children and led the Women's Commission delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995. Beverlee was a social anthropologist, development specialist and educator. She had served as the Program Director at the Social Science Research Council and earlier, as U.S. Peace Corps Director and as Chief Technical Advisor for the United Nations Self-Help Village Development Project in Liberia.

Beverlee taught at the City University of New York, Temple, Harvard, Northeastern and Howard Universities, as well as at the Universities of Massachusetts/Boston, California/Los Angeles, the University of Liberia/Monrovia and at Marymount Manhattan and Wellesley Colleges. At the time of her death, Beverlee was on leave from her position as adjunct professor at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University. She was awarded a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University. She received her BA in English from California State University-Los Angeles and an AA in Drama from Los Angeles City College.

Beverlee had also served on the Boards of the Coalition for an International Criminal Court, the Friends of Liberia, the Global Policy Forum, the International Rescue Committee, the Refugee Women's Network, Solar Cookers International, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and the Women's Foreign Policy Group.

We will miss the boundless energy and generosity of spirit Beverlee brought to everything she did, including her tireless work on behalf of refugee women and children around the world.

Beverlee's obituary in the New York Times can be seen here.

Women's Refugee Commission Mourns the Death of Founding Director Mary Anne Schwalbe

A memorial service for Mary Anne will be held Friday February 26 at 6:00 p.m., Madison Avenue Presbyterian at 73rd Street and Madison Avenue, New York City.

It is with deepest sadness that the Women's Refugee Commission announces the passing of its dear colleague Mary Anne Schwalbe, who died September 14th.

Mary Anne was the founding director of what was until this year called the Women's Commission, leading the organization from 1990 to 1994. She was an eloquent, devoted and tireless advocate for women, children and adolescents affected by war and persecution. She had visited refugees in settings around the globe, including in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sudan and Thailand, touching the lives of all she met.

Prior to working at the Women's Commission, Mary Anne was an educator, who served as Director of Admissions at Harvard and Radcliffe. She was the first woman president of the Harvard Faculty Club. In New York she was the Director of College Counseling at The Dalton School and then the Head of the Upper School at The Nightingale-Bamford School. She received numerous awards for her work in education and for her humanitarian work.

Mary Anne was loved, admired and respected by all who knew her. She inspired countless women and girls to get involved in refugee issues. She will be sorely missed.

Read Mary Anne's obituary in the London Times here and a death notice in the New York Times here.

The Women's Refugee Commission is saddened to learn of the death of Senator Edward Kennedy.

“Over the course of his career, Senator Kennedy was a steadfast champion for the rights of the world’s least fortunate, including refugees from Vietnam to Iraq and asylum-seekers making a new life in the U.S.,” said  Carolyn Makinson, executive director of the Women's Refugee Commission.

The Women's Refugee Commission is one of the organizations recommended by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in their new book, "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide," published in September 2009 by Alfred A. Knopf. We are also listed on the online New York Times Magazine on August 14, 2009 as an organization that supports women in the developing world.

The Women’s Refugee Commission congratulates Mary Robinson on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on August 12, 2009. As an organization dedicated to the protection of women and children displaced by conflict, the Women’s Refugee Commission deeply appreciates Mary’s unwavering support for the right of every person to live in freedom and dignity. She is a champion for the most vulnerable and an indefatigable advocate for women’s rights. We are proud to join Mary’s many friends and colleagues around the world in congratulating her on this much deserved honor.

Women’s Refugee Commission Still Concerned about Continued Detention of Families at Berks Facility

The Women’s Refugee Commission is thrilled to learn that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will stop detaining families at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas as part of newly emerging plans for significant changes to U.S. immigration detention policy. This announcement, coupled with the administration’s ongoing review of the detention system and emerging understanding that the current criminal model of immigration detention is inappropriate for civil detainees, is an encouraging first step away from the punitive methods of immigration detention that underwent a significant expansion over the last five years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. —The Women’s Refugee Commission welcomes the introduction of the “Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act” (HELP for Separated Children Act), which will reduce the number of children who are separated from their parents as a result of immigration enforcement actions. The bill, introduced by Representative Lynn C. Woolsey (D-CA), includes critical safeguards to help preserve the family unit and reduce the strain immigration enforcement is placing on our foster care system and U.S. citizen children.