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For refugees and migrants this is home for many years, where children are born and become young adults in such repressive environments.

Racism has a cost for everyone

  May 3, 2021 - TED Talk 

​Racism makes our economy worse -- and not just in ways that harm people of color, says public policy expert Heather C. McGhee. From her research and travels across the US, McGhee shares startling insights into how racism fuels bad policymaking and drains our economic potential -- and offers a crucial rethink on what we can do to create a more prosperous nation for all. "Our fates are linked," she says. "It costs us so much to remain divided."              SEE THE TED TALK HERE

Teacher fundraises for family and refugees in Ethiopia

Meet Yohana Weldguirguis, the Canadian fundraising and advocating for the rights of those forced to flee Tigray, Ethiopia.

On a personal note, I have family living in Tigray region. My brother and his children live in Tigray, along with many other family members, and I have not been able to get in touch with them. I worry for my family and the other people living in Tigray. They deserve adequate access to food and water to ensure their livelihood.   
​                                  ...Read More
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​Demand aid for North-West Syria

July 3, 2020 - Amnesty International
Today, millions of people in north-west Syria urgently need food, medicine, clean water and adequate shelter. Cornered in a crowded and ever-shrinking area that was already struggling to accommodate the needs of its population, the displaced continue to suffer intolerable living conditions.  
Humanitarian assistance is urgently needed in north-west Syria.   Learn More...

Do you hate Racism? Then watch this! 

June 9, 2020

Racism is a close cousin to refugees and migrants. Given what is happening in world, the fight againt racism we post this simple video. This is a short but powerful video (1:35sec), Racism. It's worth the watch.

​Seven Million Children Face Freezing Conditions

January 1, 2020 - Zenit
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New analysis reveals an estimated 6.9 million children who have been forced from their homes across parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are at risk from a harsh winter that can dip to 0°C or below.

Director of Humanitarian Public Health, at Save the Children, Rachael Cummings, said: “Millions of children have escaped vicious conflict or turmoil in search of safety. Yet for some, the bitter winter could be as dangerous as the threats they left behind. Last winter in a matter of weeks freezing temperatures and harsh conditions in Syria killed fifteen children who had fled conflict.               ...Learn More

Out of the Mouths of Children - It's simple

July 25, 2019 - Center for Victims of Torture
Everyone deserves to feel safe--a fact so simple, a child understands. That's why seeking asylum is a basic human right. At CVT's St. Paul Healing Center, two-thirds of our clients are asylum seekers who fled their home countries from imminent danger But they're finding it harder to adjust in a climate that's become increasingly hostile to them, persecuted individuals the U.S. traditionally aimed to protect.               ​LEARN MORE               Could Canada do more? - FVC

​U.S. bishop personally escorts asylum seekers across U.S.-Mexico border

June 30, 2019 - CRUX
The bodies of Salvadoran and his nearly 2-year-old daughter Valeria lie on the bank of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, Monday, June 24, 2019, after they drowned trying to cross the river to Brownsville, Texas.
Read More.....
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AP Photo/Julia Le Duc
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As tensions at the U.S.-Mexico border continue to mount, El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz successfully shepherded a group of migrants who had previously been denied asylum in the United States across the border on Thursday, describing their plight as “an affront to human rights and human dignity.”
                        READ MORE...

           Where is Canada in all of this?
                   What can we do?
 - FVC
“A government and society which view fleeing children and families as threats; a government which treats children in U.S. custody worse than animals; a government and society who turn their backs on pregnant mothers, babies and families and make them wait in Ciudad Juarez without a thought to the crushing consequences on this challenged city. . . . This government and this society are not well,” Seitz told the crowd.

Canada don't abandon refugees at the Mexican Border

May 30, 2019 - Amnesty International
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Canada is seeking to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) in an attempt to restrict the ability of refugee claimants in the United States from seeking protection in Canada. 

Urge Canada not to abandon refugees fleeing the United States by rescinding the 'Safe Third Country' agreement. 
RESCIND, DON'T RENEGOTIATE THE SAFE THIRD COUNTRY AGREEMENT!

Under the STCA, refugee claimants must claim protection in the first country in which they arrive in most cases.  The agreement assumes the US is a ‘safe’ country which upholds international human rights and the Refugee Convention. However, there is an exception for those who do not cross at official border crossings, which is why so many people have made the difficult – and often dangerous – decision to cross into Canada irregularly.  LEARN MORE

Send a message to Bill Blair,Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction

​Short Film – Unite Against Racism

May 16, 2019 - Migrant Rights Network
This (6:58 min) video is a tool to help communities educate themselves about immigration, racism, and the importance of uniting to fight the rise of the right.

​Why the climate movement should fight for migrant justice

April 8, 2019 - The Leap​
Did you ever notice that the same leaders denying climate change are the ones drumming up fear and hatred against migrants? Check out this short explainer video on why the climate movement must fight for migrant justice to win the world we need.   LEARN MORE

​The most important things I have: Rohingya refugees on what they value most, in pictures

December 27, 2018 - The Guardian
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When you have to flee your home, what do you take? Since the last exodus from Myanmar in August, more than 688,000 Rohingya people have escaped to Bangladesh. Here, refugees talk about the things that mean most to them.
See the photo series
All photographs by Brian Sokol/UNHCR

Share the Journey - You too can make a difference

November 18, 2018 - Development and Peace

Never have so many people fled war, persecution, natural disasters, extreme poverty, and development megaprojects.

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It’s time to step up! In solidarity with the 68.5 million children, women, and men who have been forced to flee their homes, help us share the journey.
Every minute, 31 people are forced to leave their homes.
The majority of them live in the poorest countries in the world under extremely difficult conditions.
Armed conflict, climate change, development megaprojects, persecution… The causes of forced displacement are multiple, interwoven and complex.

It is time to step up! Without inclusive and participatory democracies that respect human rights, forced migration will only increase.
Sign the Action Card
Also see where D&P are supporting communities displaced by hunger and violence in the Lake Chad Basin.

...85% of the world’s refugees are being hosted in the poorest countries on the planet. This is certainly the case for Niger and Cameroon, two countries in the Lake Chad Basin - one of the poorest regions in Africa - that have taken in refugees from Nigeria fleeing violence in their villages.

In addition, violence in Nigeria has spilled over the border into both countries, internally displacing many communities. Development and Peace-Caritas Canada and Global Affairs Canada are collaborating to help internally displaced people and refugees in both countries cope with the struggle of having lost their homes and abandoning their farms, which provided their food, as well as supporting host communities, who are sharing their scarce resources. Conditions for families have been made even more difficult due to climate change, which is having adverse impacts on their agricultural activities and livelihoods. READ MORE....


I Welcome Refugees

October 31, 2018 - Amnesty International Canada                                               Learn more about UNHCR Figures (below)
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Thousands of men, women and children, participating in a mass exodus from extreme violence and insecurity in Honduras and other countries, have sought entry to Mexico.
Mexican authorities must protect people who are fleeing from danger and guarantee the right of every person to claim asylum, whether they are alone, in a group or part of a caravan.
Call on Mexico not to turn away people whose lives are at risk, and to properly protect those seeking asylum. - Read More
Take Action
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 Mexican People help - See Video

​Archbishop Auza Calls for Protection of Children in Conflicts

September 10, 2018 - Zenit
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‘Protecting Children Today Prevents Conflicts Tomorrow’

“Children are the ones who suffer most from every war and conflict,” Archbishop Auza said. “For the children already trapped in armed conflict, it is never too late to act to save and rehabilitate them.”

          READ MORE

Let us not forget the needs of the Rohingya!

August 26, 2018 - Development and Peace
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As soon as the crisis started, Development and Peace acted quickly to put in place a humanitarian aid response to meet the fundamental needs of Rohingya refugees.
Today, Rohingya refugees are facing the triple threat of the monsoon, a funding deficit for aid and uncertainty about their future.
Your generosity can have an immediate impact! With your help we can address the specific needs of women and girls and support host communities, who are bearing the brunt of this crisis.
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Rohingyans Displaced WIKIMEDIA COMMONS - DFID - UK Department For International Development
Save the Children ​
Learn more
Support Development and Peace
​and help the Rohingya people
Learn more and give generously - D&P
See video of demonstration

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Not all of the activities of ​Amnesty International Canada are supported by  Franciscan Voice Canada. But we cannot disregard the extensive human rights work done by this organizarion. It will be up to each reader to determine for themselves what they wish to support. - FVC
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We live in a world in desperate need of positive change. I'm hopeful that this is the kind of change that you and I can bring about through our commitment to human rights. And through our commitment to take action based on solid human rights research. In this edition, we are drawing to your attention two important opportunities to take action on disturbing developments in the United States. First, in a report published yesterday we are highlighting four emblematic cases of civilian families in Raqqa, Syria, who were brutally affected by the relentless aerial bombardment from the US-led Coalition. For this report we deployed experts on the ground, gathered evidence and heard those who have witnessed the most horrific forms of human rights violations. We are urging you to send a message to the U.S. Minister of Defence.Our second new action concerns the shameful detention of parents and children in “baby jails” in the U.S. Every day hundreds of families are locked up in three family detention centres in the United States! Here we are asking you to contact the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. - Alex Neve, Amnesty International
                                                     .......READ MORE NEWS
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