DR Congo: Rights Panel Condemns Abuses Against Children
Asylum [Iraqi's, bringing them in one door, kicking them out of the other]
Three quarters of refugee women 'have been raped'
Asylum [Iraqi's, bringing them in one door, kicking them out of the other]
Three quarters of refugee women 'have been raped'
DR Congo: Rights Panel Condemns Abuses Against Children
[UKBA have resumed the detention and removal of UK/DR Congo children from the UK]
DRC Government Should Move Quickly to Stem Rights Violations
In its concluding observations on the state of children's rights in Congo, released on January 30, 2009, the UN body expressed grave concern that the Congolese government, through its armed forces, bears "direct responsibility for violations" and that the government has failed to protect children from rights violations by other non-state armed groups.
Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the Period Review of the DRC. In this submission to the committee, Human Rights Watch presents information on child soldiers, children in detention, sexual violence against girls, and abuses against street children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (submission attached HRWchildrenDRC.pdf)
* Continued presence of children in the ranks of the DRC armed forces and non-state armed groups, and new recruitment of child soldiers, including children who were formerly demobilized.
# Arbitrary arrest and detention without charge of children allegedly associated with armed opposition groups.
# Sexual violence against girls, including rape and prostitution, forced marriage, and discrimination against victims of sexual violence and their children.
# Human rights abuses against street children, including violence by the police and military; arbitrary arrest; and discrimination by families and communities.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child's new findings highlight the unbelievable suffering of children in Congo.
Human Rights Watch, February 4th 2009
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/02/04/dr-congo-rights-panel-condemns-abuses-against-children
Three quarters of refugee women 'have been raped'
Disturbing evidence of rape and sexual abuse among refugee women has been released today.
A report by the Refugee Council found three quarters of refugee women have been victims of rape, in their home country and in the UK, and 15 per cent became pregnant as a result of their ordeal.
Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council said: "We are all aware that rape and sexual violence are commonplace in conflict situations, and our project confirms this. However, what is truly shocking is that women continue to suffer when they come to the UK."
In addition to these horrifying statistics the report also found 22 per cent of women were sexually abused, 9 per cent have gynaecological problems as a result of the abuse they encountered and 5 per cent gave birth to a child as a result of rape.
The main countries of origin are; Sri Lanka, Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Somalia.
Rape is recognised under international law as a 'weapon of war'.
It often goes hand in hand with the physical violence carried out in countries undergoing a perpetual civil war.
The women who manage to escape these areas and come to the UK seeking asylum are often faced with other hardships such as destitution and a government that does not recognise their needs, the report says.
Full article: Blaine Williams, politics.co.uk, Thursday, 05, Feb 2009
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/policing-and-crime/three-quarters-of-refugee-women-have-been-raped--$1266319.htm
Asylum [Iraqi's, bringing them in one door, kicking them out of the other]
House of Commons / 3 Feb 2009 : Column 1041W
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090203/text/90203w0014.htm#09020356000005
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Iraqi and (b) Syrian refugees were included in the resettlement quota agreed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009; and how many candidates had been identified at the latest date for which figures are available. [252450]
Meg Hillier: Under the UK's agreement with UNHCR for the Gateway Protection programme, 500 Iraqi refugees will be resettled during the financial year 2008-09 and 500 during financial year 2009-10.
500 Iraqi refugees have been identified for resettlement under Gateway during 2008-09. No Iraqi refugees have been yet been identified for resettlement under Gateway during 2009-10.
The UK has no plans to resettle Syrian nationals under the resettlement quotas in either of the financial years 2008-09 or 2009-10.
End of Bulletin:
Source for this Message:
Human Rights Watch
House of Commons
Politics.co.uk
[UKBA have resumed the detention and removal of UK/DR Congo children from the UK]
DRC Government Should Move Quickly to Stem Rights Violations
In its concluding observations on the state of children's rights in Congo, released on January 30, 2009, the UN body expressed grave concern that the Congolese government, through its armed forces, bears "direct responsibility for violations" and that the government has failed to protect children from rights violations by other non-state armed groups.
Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the Period Review of the DRC. In this submission to the committee, Human Rights Watch presents information on child soldiers, children in detention, sexual violence against girls, and abuses against street children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (submission attached HRWchildrenDRC.pdf)
* Continued presence of children in the ranks of the DRC armed forces and non-state armed groups, and new recruitment of child soldiers, including children who were formerly demobilized.
# Arbitrary arrest and detention without charge of children allegedly associated with armed opposition groups.
# Sexual violence against girls, including rape and prostitution, forced marriage, and discrimination against victims of sexual violence and their children.
# Human rights abuses against street children, including violence by the police and military; arbitrary arrest; and discrimination by families and communities.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child's new findings highlight the unbelievable suffering of children in Congo.
Human Rights Watch, February 4th 2009
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/02/04/dr-congo-rights-panel-condemns-abuses-against-children Three quarters of refugee women 'have been raped'
Disturbing evidence of rape and sexual abuse among refugee women has been released today.
A report by the Refugee Council found three quarters of refugee women have been victims of rape, in their home country and in the UK, and 15 per cent became pregnant as a result of their ordeal.
Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council said: "We are all aware that rape and sexual violence are commonplace in conflict situations, and our project confirms this. However, what is truly shocking is that women continue to suffer when they come to the UK."
In addition to these horrifying statistics the report also found 22 per cent of women were sexually abused, 9 per cent have gynaecological problems as a result of the abuse they encountered and 5 per cent gave birth to a child as a result of rape.
The main countries of origin are; Sri Lanka, Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Somalia.
Rape is recognised under international law as a 'weapon of war'.
It often goes hand in hand with the physical violence carried out in countries undergoing a perpetual civil war.
The women who manage to escape these areas and come to the UK seeking asylum are often faced with other hardships such as destitution and a government that does not recognise their needs, the report says.
Full article: Blaine Williams, politics.co.uk, Thursday, 05, Feb 2009
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/policing-and-crime/three-quarters-of-refugee-women-have-been-raped--$1266319.htm Asylum [Iraqi's, bringing them in one door, kicking them out of the other]
House of Commons / 3 Feb 2009 : Column 1041W
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090203/text/90203w0014.htm#09020356000005 Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Iraqi and (b) Syrian refugees were included in the resettlement quota agreed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009; and how many candidates had been identified at the latest date for which figures are available. [252450]
Meg Hillier: Under the UK's agreement with UNHCR for the Gateway Protection programme, 500 Iraqi refugees will be resettled during the financial year 2008-09 and 500 during financial year 2009-10.
500 Iraqi refugees have been identified for resettlement under Gateway during 2008-09. No Iraqi refugees have been yet been identified for resettlement under Gateway during 2009-10.
The UK has no plans to resettle Syrian nationals under the resettlement quotas in either of the financial years 2008-09 or 2009-10.
End of Bulletin:
Source for this Message:
Human Rights Watch
House of Commons
Politics.co.uk
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