--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 11:24:33 +0300
From: Barbara Harrell-Bond <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Could you please put this out on the Forced
Migration Discussion group?
Sender: Barbara Harrell-Bond <[log in to unmask]>
To: Sharon Westlake
<[log in to unmask]>
Cc: Ellen Bahr <[log in to unmask]>, Stephan Anagnost
<[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Barbara Harrell-Bond <[log in to unmask]>
Message-ID: <01c701c00c1a$ce390420$a8a1fea9@behb>
In providing legal assistance to refugees who are seeking asylum, one
frequently encounters cases where the refugee has worked with an NGO in
either the country of origin, e.g. southern Sudan, or in the country of
asylum. In all such cases, the FACT of such employment can serve as a
measure of credibility, but in many cases, the very fact of being employed
by an NGO was the beginning of the person's troubles or led to the
claimant's being forced to flee. Thus far, in almost every case when we have
tried to confirm the employment of a refugee with an NGO, we either do not
get an answer or the NGO admits to not having complete employment records.
The urgency of such evidence does not appear to be recognised by those with
whom we have communicated.
Having been responsible myself for an organisation that used many volunteers
as well as paid staff, I appreciate the difficulties of keeping records on
every volunteer. However, given the extremely dangerous situations that NGOs
can inadvertently or unwittingly put their employees, it would seem that
this is an area of practice that NGOs who are attempting to institute a
'right-based' approach might want to review.
________________________________________
Barbara E. Harrell-Bond
Distinguished Adjunct Professor
Forced Migration and Refugee Studies
American University in Cairo
Dept. 417, PO Box 2511, Cairo 11511 Egypt
Telephone: +20 2 7942219
Email: [log in to unmask]
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