Expert commentary, op-eds & interviews on refugee issues

Community & Insight

Insight, opinion and commentary on the global refugee crisis from a community of experts and voices from the ground.

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Civil Society Crucial for a Successful Summit

Austin Schiano Partnerships Manager, Give Me 5 Campaign

As part of our special series “The Road to UNGA,” Austin Schiano of the U.N.’s Give Me 5 campaign discusses the importance of engaging community-based actors to sustain long-term efforts to aid refugees and migrants. almost 4 years ago

Economy
Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

The Case for Migrants in South Africa

Zaheera Jinnah Anthropologist and Researcher, the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Centre for Migration and Society

Amid a spate of xenophobic attacks against migrants in South Africa, anthropologist Zaheera Jinnah defends their presence, arguing that they contribute to the labor market with their mixed skills and informal employment.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Abandonment and Violence in Calais

Bruna Kadletz Works with Displaced Communities

As part of our ‘Displaced and Disposable’ commentary series, social researcher Bruna Kadletz visited Calais and points out that if the camp and its social structures are shut, it will merely further traumatize refugees and displace the problem rather than solve it. almost 4 years ago

Crises & Conflicts
Op-Eds

Open Letter: ‘Resettlement, My Only Option to Live as a Gay Man’

Irakowze Fashion Stylist, Uganda

In this open letter, a Ugandan man who has been assaulted for being gay pleads to be resettled to a safe country. As in many African countries, homosexuality has been legislated against in Uganda; in 2009, one politician even attempted to introduce the death penalty.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Can Obama’s Pledging Summit Rescue Global Resettlement Policy?

Solon Ardittis Director, Eurasylum

As part of our special series ‘The Road to UNGA,’ Solon Ardittis of Eurasylum opines that President Obama’s leaders’ summit on September 20 could advance global resettlement policies, especially by encouraging private sponsorship.almost 4 years ago

Innovation & Technology
Refugee Voices
Q&A

The Making of the Refugee Paralympic Team

Assembling the first refugee team for the Paralympics in Rio was a reminder of the barriers faced by forced migrants. Team leader and experienced Paralympics organizer Tony Sainsbury talks about the struggle to make it happen.almost 4 years ago

Crises & Conflicts
Innovation & Technology
Q&A

South African Website to Crowdsource Reports of Xenophobic Violence

Migrant and tech experts in South Africa have set up a crowdsourcing platform for people to report xenophobic threats and violence, hoping to save lives and hold leaders to account.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Oxfam: ‘European Union is Proactively Doing Harm’

Claire Seaward Lead, Europe Migration Campaign for Oxfam

As part of our series “The Road to UNGA,” Oxfam’s migration campaign lead, Claire Seaward, claims that E.U. states’ deterrence policies are creating a “route of hell” to Europe, with tensions escalating among stranded asylum seekers.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Why We Need a Supranational Approach at the U.N. Migration Summit

Judith Vonberg Journalist and PhD Student, Migration

As part of our “The Road to UNGA” series, migrant rights advocate Judith Vonberg writes that the upcoming U.N. summit, already backsliding on promises to resettle refugees, risks missing an opportunity to radically redefine migrancy.almost 4 years ago

Health
Op-Eds

Despite Cash Aid, Congolese Refugees in U.N. Camp Still Go Hungry

Emily A. Lynch Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University

In the second part of her story on hunger among Congolese refugees in Rwanda, anthropologist Emily Lynch discusses an initiative to replace insufficient, poor-quality food rations with cash aid, and why refugees say it hasn’t helped.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

This Age of Migration: Europe’s Rising Militarization

Paul Currion Consultant

As part of our series “This Age of Migration,” Paul Currion argues that increasing militarization in Europe in response to the refugee crisis is akin to an autoimmune response that could attack the very body it is supposed to protect.almost 4 years ago

Refugee Voices
Op-Eds

A Different Olympic Story

Francesca Pierigh Media and Communications Assistant, European Council on Refugees and Exiles

Several thousand migrants and refugees are living in disused Olympic facilities in Athens. Representatives from ECRE and AIRE Centre visited in June and found strangely arbitrary differences in how parts of the camp are treated.almost 4 years ago

Health
Op-Eds

Congolese Refugees in Rwanda Battle Hunger

Emily A. Lynch Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University

Congolese refugees in Rwanda’s Gihembe camp have complained for years that U.N. food rations are making them sick. Emily Lynch, an anthropologist at Marquette University, describes how the refugees cope with hunger and sickness in the first of a two-part story.almost 4 years ago

Innovation & Technology
Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

The Nansen Passport – Time to Revive a Realistic Utopia

Stefan Wallaschek PhD Fellow, Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences

The groundbreaking document that helped Europe overcome past refugee crises could help once more, argues Stefan Wallaschek of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences. almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

‘Defining the Problem’ Will Impact Summit Success in New York: HRW

Bill Frelick Director, Refugee Rights Program at Human Rights Watch

In the first part of our series “The Road to UNGA,” Bill Frelick, director of HRW’s Refugee Rights Program, calls for protection of migrants “who do not qualify for international protection as refugees” in the lead-up to the U.N. Summit on Refugees and Migrants. almost 4 years ago

Refugee Voices
Op-Eds

The Long Wait at Piraeus Port

Francesca Pierigh Media and Communications Assistant, European Council on Refugees and Exiles

A joint delegation of representatives from the ECRE and AIRE Centre went on a fact-finding mission to Greece in June 2016, visiting the port in Piraeus, which had become an unlikely temporary home for several thousand migrants and refugees. almost 4 years ago

Education
Q&A

Teachers Have Moral Duty to Help Refugee Children

High-profile former British headteacher Rory Fox swapped British academies for muddy refugee camps in France to teach the children. He discusses how shocked he was at how little was being done to help them.almost 4 years ago

Economy
Innovation & Technology
Op-Eds

Microfinance: Startup Seed Funding for Refugees

Evan Easton-Calabria and Naohiko Omata Researcher, Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford

Urban refugees often fall between the cracks of aid organizations, but are ideal candidates for microfinance. But their circumstances need to be carefully vetted, say Evan Easton-Calabria and Naohiko Omata, authors of a global survey on microcredit. almost 4 years ago

Op-Eds

Can Old Traditions of Hospitality Counter Modern Disposability?

Bruna Kadletz Works with Displaced Communities

In the second part of our Displaced and Disposable series, social researcher Bruna Kadletz encounters astonishing examples of altruism towards some of the thousands of refugees on Lesvos, Greece, showing that ‘the other’ doesn’t have to be met with hostility.almost 4 years ago

Education
Op-Eds

When Refugees Work, Children More Likely to Attend School: HRW

Stephanie Gee Robert L. Bernstein Refugee Rights Fellow, Human Rights Watch

With 1.5 million school-age children missing school despite host countries’ best efforts, Stephanie Gee, refugee rights fellow at Human Rights Watch, explores how kids’ access to education depends on their parents’ right to work.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Long Read: Minor Miracle or Historic Failure Ahead for U.N. Summit?

Jeff Crisp Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatam House

In the lead-up to September’s U.N. summit on refugees and migrants, Jeff Crisp, associate fellow at Chatham House, warns that growing isolationism will prevent a successful initiative and further weaken refugee protection.almost 4 years ago

Innovation & Technology
Integration
Op-Eds

An Algorithm to Alleviate the Refugee Crisis

Will Jones and Alex Teytelboym Lecturer, the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford

Matching theory can drastically improve refugee resettlement, argue Will Jones and Alex Teytelboym, who have adapted algorithms used for school choice.almost 4 years ago

Integration
Laws & Policy
Q&A

Why Britain Chose to Partially Privatize Refugee Resettlement

Britain has agreed to private sponsorship of refugees. Tim Finch, one of the architects of the breakthrough, tells Refugees Deeply why it can help countries successfully expand resettlement programs.almost 4 years ago

Education
Op-Eds

‘To the Children of Syria, We Are Sorry’

Tom Fletcher Global Strategy Director, Global Business Coalition for Education

In an exclusive open letter addressed to the children of Syria, the former U.K. ambassador to Lebanon, and advisor to NGO Theirworld, Tom Fletcher, points to failures of the international community in keeping its promises to fund the education of Syrian refugees.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Australia’s ‘Atrocity’: The Mandatory Detention of Minors Continues

Kia Mistilis Freelance Journalist

The far-right One Nation party’s re-entry to the Australian parliament after 20 years is likely to entrench already harsh asylum policies that enjoy bipartisan support. These include the mandatory detention of children, writes Greek-Australian journalist Kia Mistilis.almost 4 years ago

Refugee Voices
Op-Eds

The Youngsters Turning the Crisis in Lebanon Into Living Theater

Eyad Houssami Founder and Director, Masrah Ensemble in Lebanon

Theater director Eyad Houssami works with an ensemble of teenage refugees in Lebanon using theater to help them build a vision of a better life. But their efforts have been partly overshadowed by the mounting loss of life among young refugees in Lebanon. almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Q&A

Australians ‘Starting to See Through Fear-Mongering’ Over Refugees

While recent elections in Australia backed the status quo, leading rights advocate Kon Karapanagiotidis says there are early signs that voters are viewing harsh refugee policies as political opportunism.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Amnesty: ‘Time for Change’ on Refugees

Salil Shetty Secretary-general, Amnesty International

On the 65th anniversary of the United Nations refugee convention, Amnesty International’s Salil Shetty warns against further delays in meeting the needs of the 65 million displaced – and calls for a global deal ahead of the U.N. refugee summit in September.almost 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Displaced, Dispossessed and Disposable

Bruna Kadletz Works with Displaced Communities

In this first part of a commentary series titled “Displaced and Disposable,” humanitarian worker Bruna Kadletz argues that current laws and social attitudes disenfranchise refugee populations to the point of dehumanizing them as expendable commodities. about 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

The ‘Hungry Road’ Leading to Calais

Bairbre Flood Irish Documentary Film Maker

Documentary-maker Bairbre Flood spent over four months in the Calais refugee camps, where more than 6,000 asylum seekers are stranded. If we’re going to come up with humane solutions, she says, why not start by challenging the prevailing language for displaced people?about 4 years ago

Integration
Op-Eds

A Conversation That Bridges Divides

Ralph Hancock Sheffield Pensioner and Chairman, Sheffield Conversation Club

In the last of our Brexit Aftermath series, Ralph Hancock explains how he and a team of volunteers turned an English-language conversation club into a living link between refugees and the local community.about 4 years ago

Economy
Op-Eds

‘Giving More’ Through Direct Cash Aid

Daniel Masterson PhD Candidate in Political Science, Yale University

In the second part of our series with the Issam Fares Institute on sustainable futures for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, researcher Daniel Masterson argues that cash aid frees refugees from dependence and enables them to become active contributors to local economies.about 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Oxfam: Richest Nations Ducking Duty to Refugees

Attila Kulcsar Humanitarian Media Officer, Oxfam International

As civil society organizations gather at the U.N. today to prepare for September’s summit on refugees and migrants, Oxfam launches the ‘Stand as One’ campaign, urging world leaders to guarantee displaced people safety, protection and sustainable futures.about 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

We Must Fight Proposed E.U. Resettlement Program

Malin Björk Member of the European Parliament for the Swedish Left Party

The long-awaited proposal from the European Commission for refugee resettlement is a “poisonous gift” and must be opposed, says Malin Björk, a special rapporteur to the European Parliament.about 4 years ago

Innovation & Technology
Op-Eds

Dutch App Lets You Interview Asylum Seekers

Klaas van Dijken and Ludo Hekman Partners, Butch and Sundance Media

An innovative interactive film in the Netherlands puts people in the interviewer’s chair at the asylum agency. Its producers discuss the importance of new forms of storytelling in breaking down barriers to understanding.about 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Q&A

Gyorgy Kakuk: ‘In the Footsteps of Refugees’

Journalist-turned-politician Gyorgy Kakuk has become an important voice on migration in Hungarian politics. Having followed refugee routes through the Balkans and worked with U.N. Missions in Kosovo and East Timor, he calls for imagination and pragmatism from Europe.about 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Q&A

Brexit: Avoiding the Wrong Conclusions

Britain’s vote to leave the E.U. is being widely linked to immigration. As part of our “Brexit Aftermath” series, Alexander Betts, head of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Center, discusses the nuances of the “leave” vote and what lies ahead.about 4 years ago

Integration
Op-Eds

Time to Get Tough on Integration

Clara Sandelind Lecturer in Politics, Huddersfield University

The framing of identity has been left to the populists for too long, argues Clara Sandelind, a Swedish-born British resident. National belonging and community can be fostered without playing to immigration fears.about 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Analysis: Lebanon Forces Illegal Status on Refugees

Dr. Maja Janmyr Affiliated Scholar, Issam Fares Institute

In the first part of our series with the Issam Fares Institute on sustainable futures for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Dr. Maja Janmyr discusses the precarious legal situation of more than a million people in the country, which intends to make sure they don’t stay.about 4 years ago

Laws & Policy
Op-Eds

Ban Ki-moon: Global Compact for Refugees

Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General, United Nations

Following a Brussels meeting with European leaders, United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon appeals for a new global compact on responsibility-sharing and safe, orderly and regular migration for refugees.about 4 years ago

Civil Society Crucial for a Successful Summit

Austin Schiano Partnerships Manager, Give Me 5 Campaign

The Case for Migrants in South Africa

Zaheera Jinnah Anthropologist and Researcher, the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Centre for Migration and Society

Abandonment and Violence in Calais

Bruna Kadletz Works with Displaced Communities

Open Letter: ‘Resettlement, My Only Option to Live as a Gay Man’

Irakowze Fashion Stylist, Uganda

Can Obama’s Pledging Summit Rescue Global Resettlement Policy?

Solon Ardittis Director, Eurasylum

The Making of the Refugee Paralympic Team

South African Website to Crowdsource Reports of Xenophobic Violence

Oxfam: ‘European Union is Proactively Doing Harm’

Claire Seaward Lead, Europe Migration Campaign for Oxfam

Why We Need a Supranational Approach at the U.N. Migration Summit

Judith Vonberg Journalist and PhD Student, Migration

Despite Cash Aid, Congolese Refugees in U.N. Camp Still Go Hungry

Emily A. Lynch Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University

This Age of Migration: Europe’s Rising Militarization

Paul Currion Consultant

A Different Olympic Story

Francesca Pierigh Media and Communications Assistant, European Council on Refugees and Exiles

Congolese Refugees in Rwanda Battle Hunger

Emily A. Lynch Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University

The Nansen Passport – Time to Revive a Realistic Utopia

Stefan Wallaschek PhD Fellow, Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences

‘Defining the Problem’ Will Impact Summit Success in New York: HRW

Bill Frelick Director, Refugee Rights Program at Human Rights Watch

The Long Wait at Piraeus Port

Francesca Pierigh Media and Communications Assistant, European Council on Refugees and Exiles

Teachers Have Moral Duty to Help Refugee Children

Microfinance: Startup Seed Funding for Refugees

Evan Easton-Calabria and Naohiko Omata Researcher, Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford

Can Old Traditions of Hospitality Counter Modern Disposability?

Bruna Kadletz Works with Displaced Communities

When Refugees Work, Children More Likely to Attend School: HRW

Stephanie Gee Robert L. Bernstein Refugee Rights Fellow, Human Rights Watch

Long Read: Minor Miracle or Historic Failure Ahead for U.N. Summit?

Jeff Crisp Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatam House

An Algorithm to Alleviate the Refugee Crisis

Will Jones and Alex Teytelboym Lecturer, the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford

Why Britain Chose to Partially Privatize Refugee Resettlement

‘To the Children of Syria, We Are Sorry’

Tom Fletcher Global Strategy Director, Global Business Coalition for Education

Australia’s ‘Atrocity’: The Mandatory Detention of Minors Continues

Kia Mistilis Freelance Journalist

The Youngsters Turning the Crisis in Lebanon Into Living Theater

Eyad Houssami Founder and Director, Masrah Ensemble in Lebanon

Australians ‘Starting to See Through Fear-Mongering’ Over Refugees

Amnesty: ‘Time for Change’ on Refugees

Salil Shetty Secretary-general, Amnesty International

Displaced, Dispossessed and Disposable

Bruna Kadletz Works with Displaced Communities

The ‘Hungry Road’ Leading to Calais

Bairbre Flood Irish Documentary Film Maker

A Conversation That Bridges Divides

Ralph Hancock Sheffield Pensioner and Chairman, Sheffield Conversation Club

‘Giving More’ Through Direct Cash Aid

Daniel Masterson PhD Candidate in Political Science, Yale University

Oxfam: Richest Nations Ducking Duty to Refugees

Attila Kulcsar Humanitarian Media Officer, Oxfam International

We Must Fight Proposed E.U. Resettlement Program

Malin Björk Member of the European Parliament for the Swedish Left Party

Dutch App Lets You Interview Asylum Seekers

Klaas van Dijken and Ludo Hekman Partners, Butch and Sundance Media

Gyorgy Kakuk: ‘In the Footsteps of Refugees’

Brexit: Avoiding the Wrong Conclusions

Time to Get Tough on Integration

Clara Sandelind Lecturer in Politics, Huddersfield University

Analysis: Lebanon Forces Illegal Status on Refugees

Dr. Maja Janmyr Affiliated Scholar, Issam Fares Institute

Ban Ki-moon: Global Compact for Refugees

Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General, United Nations

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