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Protecting the Rights of Refugees June 12, 2010
June 12 Story: Protecting the Rights of Refugees
Refugees are forced to leave their country and search for a safer new home. This process can be long and grueling, often taking decades. They require protection from the moment they become refugees in their home country until they “land” and initiate their resettlement process in Canada.
PWRDF advocates for the protection of refugees’ rights in Canada and overseas as members of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR). CCR members research, discuss, and act together to address issues affecting refugees. Both in their home countries and here in Canada, refugees are vulnerable and in need of proactive protection. Refugees- even those who are children- are often held in detention. Refugees whose claims are denied need to be protected from being returned to moratorium countries. (A moratorium country is one that the government of Canada has identified as one which in insecure and thus unsafe to send people back to.)
Two of CCR’s key campaigns are focused on family reunification and transportation loans to refugees. The family reunification campaign is a longstanding one that concentrates on reuniting children with their families. CCR is calling for the government to give higher priority to family reunification and to address delays and barriers that block reunification. These barriers keep families separated for prolonged periods and in some cases indefinitely. In one case, a woman living in Canada with her daughters waited 6 years for her husband to be able to join her. Her wait was in vain as he died of malaria in the refugee camp while awaiting resettlement. The transportation loans campaign works to address Canadian policies which make life financially difficult for refugees. Canada is the only country in the world which charges refugees for their medical examinations and also the only country to charge interest on travel loans for the cost of bringing refugees to the country.
Your donation to PWRDF can support the work of CCR to conduct research and to dialogue with the Canadian government on how to advance rights for and protect refugees here and overseas.
For further information on refugee protection, visit: www.ccrweb.ca.
