http://www.jrs.net Latest News and Information Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:49:52 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130616105526 <h3><div align="right"><strong>World Refugee Day – press release</strong></div></h3> Rome, 18 June 2013 – After Syrian father, Abu Feras, whose eldest son was killed in crossfire, decided to bring the rest of his children and nieces to Naameh, Lebanon: "all I want for the future is to be able to go home safely with my children". This and other experiences of refugees and asylum seekers, forced to flee war, persecution and other human rights violations are told in the photo exhibition, Sanctuary and Sustenance, inaugurated this evening in the Church of Gesù by the Jesuit Refugee Service in commemoration of World Refugee Day on Thursday. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130616105526 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130618093143 Rome, 18 June 2013 – Peter Balleis SJ threw open the symbolic doors of Europe and individuals' hearts during his opening speech for World Refugee Day. The JRS international director emphasised symbolic importance of putting refugees on buildings in the centres of our cities. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130618093143 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130608085131 14 June 2013 – Commemorating this World Refugee Day, the Jesuit Refugee Service will organise a series of events illustrating difficulties facing and the resilience of refugees from some of the world's greatest crises in 2013. Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130608085131 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130606042817 Rome, 6 June 2013 – The Jesuit Refugee Service welcomed the latest report published today by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People as hugely significant to host communities receiving mixed flows of migrants and refugees. Thu, 06 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130606042817 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130528042009_a Sydney, 5 June 2013 — In an unprecedented effort to deter the arrival of asylum seekers who are in need of sanctuary, the federal Labor party has performed a dramatic u-turn and excised the entire Australian mainland from the country's migration zone. Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130528042009_a http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130603040457 Brussels, 04 June 2013 – Asylum seekers in Europe are often faced with EU rules that hinder their ability to seek asylum in an EU country where they would feel most protected. This is according to a new JRS Europe report, Protection Interrupted, released today. The report is based on interviews with 257 asylum seekers and migrants in nine EU countries. Tue, 04 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130603040457 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130603054505 Rome, 3 June 2013 – Pope Francis made the plea to extend hospitality and pursue justice for refugees during the final plenary session of the assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. Mon, 03 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130603054505 http://www.jrs.net/Prayers_Detail?TN=DTN-20130531025630 1 June 2013, Nijmegen – When there is a war or mass displacement, international relief organisations often rush in, help and after a while disappear again. The Church operates differently: it was there before the conflict, may have been part of the problem, hopefully is part of the solution and remains after the other organisations have left. Sat, 01 Jun 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/Prayers_Detail?TN=DTN-20130531025630 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130519111543 Brussels, 27 May 2013 – Morocco and Algeria, and the vast expanses of desert in-between, are a no-man's land for refugees and migrants who aspire to a life of freedom and safety in Europe. After a long and treacherous Saharan journey, it is only upon arrival to North Africa that they realise that the promise of protection in Europe is as illusory as a desert mirage. Mon, 27 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130519111543 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130517025736 Spokane, 17 May 2013 – As they embark on the next stage of their lives university graduates should remember the Ignatian principle of pursuing aspirations both for oneself and our interconnected world, echoed Peter Balleis SJ, International Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, in a speech in Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Fri, 17 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130517025736 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130517055154 Beirut, 17 May 2013 – The Jesuit Refugee Service welcomed the call by Pope Francis for enhanced dialogue and cooperation between the diverse ethnic and religious communities which constitute Lebanese society. The statement, issued following a meeting between the Pope and the President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman in early May, echoes the focus of the work of the Jesuit Refugee Service in the region since 2010. Fri, 17 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130517055154 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130514075751 Sydney, 14 May 2013 – The government decision to release families on bridging visas is a positive step, but the omission of the right to work will put asylum seekers at high risk of destitution, according to a statement by the Jesuit Refugee Service Australia earlier this week. Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130514075751 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130509023342 Nairobi, 9 May 2013 – Ever since the Kenya government decided last December to order all refugees living in urban areas to move to camps and ceased registration of asylum seekers in urban areas, fear and hardship have descended on the Kenyan capital. In particular Somali refugees, as well as Kenyans of Somali origin, have been subjected to increased harassment. Despite efforts by <a href="http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?docid=5102748e2" title="Reprieve for urban refugees in Kenya, but fear persists">Kenyan NGOs to block the implementation of the directive</a>, hospitality to refugees is at an all-time low. Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130509023342 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130503052752 Beirut, 3 May 2013 – The opportunity for a moment of peace and quiet has all but vanished in Damascus. As violence in the 4,000 year-old city escalates, accompanied by acute shortages of daily commodities, it becomes harder to enjoy the simple things in life, much less a family meal. Fri, 03 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130503052752 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130502085502 Bogota, 2 May 2013 – Significant increases in conflict between paramilitary, guerrilla and government forces have left more than 5,200 people displaced last year in Buenaventura, a district in southeastern region of Valle del Cauca. Despite increased forced displacement, the state has failed to guarantee assistance to the victims of violence in the region, according to a report by the Jesuit Refugee Service, Buenaventura: An Unanswered Humanitarian Crisis. Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130502085502 http://www.jrs.net/Prayers_Detail?TN=DTN-20130430102733 Masisi, 1 May 2013 – On his job contract it says he is a driver for the Jesuit Refugee Service team in the eastern Congolese town of Masisi. In reality Eradi Salumu is much more. The 39-year-old father of three has been forced to flee conflict in Congo on several occasions. Although he has never been formally recognised as a refugee, he has lived in exile in a number of African and European countries. Wed, 01 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/Prayers_Detail?TN=DTN-20130430102733 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130430101629 Washington DC, 30 April 2013 — Mai Aini refugee camp in northern Ethiopia is home to more than 13,500 refugees from neighbouring Eritrea. The Jesuit Refugee Service provides counselling and recreational services to the camp residents, and provides a library and study space to help the refugees cope. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130430101629 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130422084010 Beirut, 29 April 2013 - The road to the Lebanese village of Kafar Zabad is narrow, with potholes and deep puddles every couple of metres. Once a sleepy village in the Bekaa valley, close to the Syrian border, Kafar Zabad is now home to 150 Syrian families who have fled violence in their country. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130422084010 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130418103723 Rome, 24 April 2013 – With the escalation of the Libyan conflict in early 2011, thousands of migrants living in the country fled taking precarious journeys across the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the more than <a href="http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio/chi-specula-sui-profughi/2192935" title="Chi specula sui profughi">1.3 billion euros spent by the Italian authorities</a> to house the new arrivals, two years later many in need of international protection in Italy find themselves still in precarious circumstances. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130418103723 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130423092426 Washington DC, 23 April 2013 – With less than one university-trained teacher for every 280 Darfur refugees in Chad, the case for greater access to higher education is clear. To meet these needs, JRS plans to expand its provision of higher education from three to 10 sites by 2018. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130423092426 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130411081620 Delhi, 19 April 2013 – Most women don't want to talk about it. After all, there is nothing to talk about. "Yes, men touch us." "Men grab us when we walk to the market." "Men tell us we owe them our bodies for coming to their country."  For single women in New Delhi's Chin community, harassment is part of their daily life in India. Without language skills, resources, knowledge of their rights or legal status, the women have few outlets to report cases. Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130411081620 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130417102710 Bogotá, Rome, 18 April 2013 – When young mother Rosa Elvira Cely was found dead last year after being brutally tortured and raped by common criminals, <a href="http://ipsnoticias.net/nota.asp?idnews=100888">thousands joined a march in the Colombian capital to demand justice</a>. For a moment it seemed as if the general public had woken up to one of the most horrendous consequences of the more than 60-year conflict, widespread violence against women. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130417102710 http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130411013900 Rome, 11 April 2013 – The UN refugee agency and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), through its partner Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins initiative (JC:HEM), have signed an agreement to enhance higher education opportunities for refugees and other forcibly displaced people through online and on-site courses. Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20130411013900 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130408055850 Beirut, 8 April 2013 – Thousands of people living in the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud (Aleppo) were displaced last week following a surge in violence in the northern city. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130408055850 http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130405043204 Panama City, 5 April 2013 – Despite official commitment by the government to international protection and the desire of the forcibly displaced to integrate in Panamanian society, more often than not they find themselves marginalised in their host country. Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jrs.net/campaign_detail?TN=PROJECT-20130405043204