Myanmar Unlikely to Resolve Rohingya Problem Without International Help

The lead-up to the Australia-ASEAN Summit in Sydney on 16-18 March 2018 was characterised by widespread and well-publicised protests in Sydney against human rights abuses occurring in several ASEAN member countries – namely Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The Nowhere People: Rohingyas in India

A devastating fire in a shanty at Kalindi Kunj, a New Delhi suburb, that gutted the homes of 226 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, including 100 women and 50 children, has trained a spotlight on India's ad hoc policy on international migrants.

Rohingya Refugee Families Reinforce Shelters, Relocate Ahead of Monsoon, But Dangers Remain in Crowded Bangladesh Camps

Over 40,000 Rohingya families in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar refugee camps have now been trained in shelter upgrade techniques ahead of the fast approaching monsoon and cyclone season. Women are playing a key role as part of a major project being rolled out by IOM, the UN Migration Agency.

The Gang Rape and Murder of an 8 Year Old Child in India

Grotesque and barbaric, is the only way to describe the rape and murder of an 8 year old child, in a country where women and girls are traditionally revered as Goddesses.

We Are Migrants: Teasing Italian Taste Buds

Atik and Said have many things in common. They are both from Bangladesh, both are about the same age, in their thirties and, they are both migrant workers in an Italian restaurant in the heart of Rome, a stone’s throw from Saint Peter’s Basilica. They are not the only migrants working in the food service industry in Italy, where most of the pizza makers today are Egyptians and most of the Chefs are either Bangladeshis or North Africans. This is an interesting phenomenon in a country known for its cuisine where many of the Chefs today are not locals but foreigners.

Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 18,575 in 2018; Deaths Reach 559

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 18,575 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea through the first 108 days of 2018, with about 40 per cent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece (38 per cent) and Spain, at roughly 20 per cent. This compares with 43,645 arrivals across the region through the same period last year, and 205,613 at this time in 2016.

PM’s Call to the World Very Timely

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's call to the international community to put more pressure on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees is very timely, because, it seems, only international pressure can make Myanmar act according to the deal. Myanmar's assertion that it has repatriated the first Rohingya family of five from Bangladesh just goes to show how insincere it is in honouring the repatriation agreement that was signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar last November. Rights activists and international relations experts have aptly called the move by Myanmar "a public relations stunt."

Homebound: Hardship Awaits Internally Displaced Iraqis

With upcoming elections in May, the Iraqi government is urging Internally Displaced People (IDPs) to return home. After the defeat of ISIS in December 2017, an increase in security and number of returnees to their region of origin is expected; however, many IDPs see no way to leave the camps just yet.

Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 17,461 in 2018; Deaths Reach 559

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 17,461 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea through the first 105 days of 2018, with about 43 per cent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece (36%) Spain (20%) and Cyprus (less than 1%).

Food Is the Answer: Perugia International Journalism Festival

The twelfth International Journalism Festival on April 12-15 has drawn 710 speakers from 50 different countries, becoming the biggest journalism festival in Europe.

Joint efforts to Strengthen Collaboration in Afghanistan on Returns and Reintegration

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan are working closely to ensure sustainable return and reintegration in Afghanistan in close collaboration with the Government of Afghanistan and other partners.

First They Came for the Rohingya

In recent months, international media coverage of Myanmar has focused on the plight of the Rohingya people in the west of the country. And for good reason: Since August 2017, brutal army attacks on this Muslim ethnic minority have sent more than 750,000 people — 90 percent of the Rohingya population living in Rakhine state — fleeing over the border to Bangladesh, in what can only be described as a coordinated campaign of genocide.

UN Migration Agency Co-hosts Hong Kong Workshop on Public-Private Sector Partnerships to Combat Human Trafficking

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, in partnership with Justice Centre Hong Kong, today (11/04) hosted a workshop to help private sector companies understand how they can work better with civil society and IOM to meet internationally recognized human rights standards, particularly relating to labour exploitation, including modern day slavery and human trafficking.

KSrelief Chief Visits Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh: Saudis Will Help IOM to Deliver Vital Aid During Monsoon

The Supervisor General of Ksrelief – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre - Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, today (11/04) visited IOM’s relief operations for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Japan, IOM Help to Bring Safe Water to 30,000 Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Cox’s Bazar – Some 30,000 Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar will soon have easier access to safe water with the inauguration of a major new borehole project this week. It is the first part of a high capacity water production and supply system designed to meet spiraling water needs in Ukhiya sub district, which suffers frequent water shortages.

UN Migration Agency Launches Regional Action Plan to Strengthen Response to Venezuelan Outflows

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, today (10/04) launches a Regional Action Plan, detailing its support to Governments hosting Venezuelan nationals in the Americas and the Caribbean. The Action Plan aims at strengthening the regional response to large-scale flows of Venezuelans, supporting the efforts that governments have initiated across the region.

For Many Migrants, No Land Is Sweeter Than Home

Most migrants to Europe, Australia and the United States from Rangpur in northern Bangladesh leave home at a young age and return when they have just passed middle age.

Micro Gardening Scheme to Help Feed Rohingya Refugees, Bangladeshi Local Communities

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are distributing 50,000 vegetable gardening kits to tackle malnutrition and improve the diet of people affected by the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

“International Solidarity” at Yemen Donor Conference

The international community has pledged over two billion dollars towards urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Yemen during a UN event.

India Cracks Down on Human Trafficking

The Indian Union Cabinet has cleared the long-awaited Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, which proposes an imprisonment of 10 years to life term for those trafficking humans for the purpose of begging, marriage, prostitution or labour, among others. The bill will become a law once cleared by both houses of Parliament.

The Smart Way

Smart has come a long way since he first arrived at IOM’s transit centre in Niamey, Niger, back in October 2016. He looked tired and defeated, but happy to be alive and eager to be with his family again.