The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organisation with a mission to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people. JRS undertakes services at national and regional levels with the support of an international office in Rome. Founded in November 1980 as a work of the Society of Jesus, JRS was officially registered on 19 March 2000 at the Vatican State as a foundation. JRS programmes are found in over 50 countries, providing assistance to refugees in refugee camps, to people displaced within their own country, to asylum seekers in cities and those held in detention. The main areas of work are in the field of Education, Advocacy, Emergency Assistance, Health and Nutrition, Income Generating Activities and Social Services. At the end of 2007, more than 500,000 individuals are direct beneficiaries of JRS projects. More than 1,400 workers contribute to the work of JRS, the majority of whom work on a voluntary basis, including about 78 Jesuits (priests, brothers and scholastics) and 66 religious from other congregations. These figures do not include the large number of refugees recruited to take part in the programmes as teachers, health workers and others. JRS is also very much concerned with Advocacy and Human Rights work. This involves ensuring that refugees are afforded their full rights while in exile and during repatriation as guaranteed by the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and working to strengthen the protection afforded to Internally Displaced people (IDPs). It extends to lobbying for and promoting greater international protection and human rights legislation, either through participation in international campaigns and coalitions or through membership of international fora such as the UN Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC). JRS also contributes to refugee research at the University of Oxford. At Oxford, the
'Pedro Arrupe Tutor' overseas research undertaken in the name of JRS as well as facilitating the formation of personnel at JRS. The main tasks of the Tutorship include conducting research, teaching and consultancy concerning refugees and
forced migration for church agencies, other non-governmental organisations and for governments. |
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