FYI - Groundbreaking Video to Help Unaccompanied Immigrant, Asylum Seeking Children in the United States
http://www.womenscommission.org/newsroom/press_releases/071806.shtml
"Groundbreaking Video to Help Unaccompanied Immigrant, Asylum Seeking
Children in the United States"
EMBARGOED until July 18 Contact: Megan McKenna, [log in to unmask]
Washington, DC, July 18, 2006-The Women's Commission for Refugee Women
and Children today is releasing a first-of-its kind video to help
unaccompanied immigrant and asylum seeking children who are seeking safe
haven in the United States understand immigration court.
"What Happens When I Go to Immigration Court" will give children who
arrive alone in the United States an overview of the legal process that
will determine their future. Approximately 8,000 children seek safety in
the United States each year; many are fleeing abuses such as
exploitation, violence, forced military recruitment, forced marriage or
harmful traditional practices.
"The Women's Commission hopes that this video will help make
unaccompanied children less fearful and better able to explain why they
fled their home country," says Executive Director Carolyn Makinson.
"This could prevent children with legitimate asylum claims from being
returned to life-threatening situations."
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the lead Senate sponsor of the
bipartisan Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2005, says, " It
is a key priority of mine to ensure that unaccompanied children who
enter the U.S. receive proper treatment within our federal system. Many
are vulnerable children who have suffered traumatic circumstances and
are then forced to struggle through a legal system designed primarily
for adults. This educational video is a much needed tool that will help
these children better understand what they can expect in Immigration
Court proceedings."
U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the chief sponsor of the
bipartisan companion bill in the House, says, "When children are alone,
seeking refuge in the U.S., they receive little guidance as they try to
navigate a complex immigration system that even informed adults fear.
For many years, I have tried to improve the situation for children in
the immigration system by sponsoring the Unaccompanied Alien Child
Protection Act. The Women's Commission has developed a new resource that
will help children who are here alone, without an adult to help them,
better understand the legal process that will determine their future."
The 15-minute educational video, created pro bono by Los Angeles
producer Kim Berner, uses child-friendly language and features child
actors in a real courtroom. It is available in English, Creole, French,
Fuchow and Spanish. Hollywood director and producer Doug Liman provided
financial backing and helped facilitate the pro bono services of the
production team. Holland & Knight LLP provided invaluable legal
assistance and helped developed a user's guide.
"It is an honor for our law firm to have partnered with the Women's
Commission in creating and inaugurating this precedent-setting
resource," said Holland & Knight Managing Partner Howell W. Melton, Jr.
"The video and accompanying manual will undoubtedly benefit
unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children in securing protection and
safety in this country. This work builds upon our law firm's historic
commitment to providing direct pro bono representation and advocacy for
these voiceless children."
The video will be distributed nationwide to immigration courts, legal
services organizations and pro bono attorneys and will be accompanied by
a user's guide. It also can be accessed from the Women's Commission's
website www.womenscommission.org and streamed from the website of
Holland & Knight LLP http://www.hklaw.com/CST/WomensCommission.asp
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