Migration Studies Commons^™

Demographic Profile Of Palestinian Migration, Ismail Lubbad

Faculty Journal Articles

This working paper was prepared for the Centre of Forced Migration and Refugee Studies (FMRS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) within the overall framework of the creation of a Middle Eastern and African Center for migration and refugee studies. The lack of available border registration data - Palestinian borders in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) are controlled by Israel - has restricted research on the demography of Palestinian migration. Furthermore, demographic statistics have been a political issue in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict since the beginning of the 20th century. A number of research studies, however, have been conducted on …

Migration To And Through Yemen: The Case Of Migrant Domestic Workers, Marina De Regt

Faculty Journal Articles

Regarding migration, Yemen is primarily known as a sending country. Large numbers of Yemenis have migrated abroad in different periods of Yemen’s history, and labour migration was one of the main sources of income since the oil boom in the 1970s. Since 1990, however, Yemen has turned into a receiving country. Not only were hundreds of thousands of Yemeni migrants expelled from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States after Iraq’s invasion in Kuwait in 1990, but the political changes that took place in the Horn of Africa, in particular in Ethiopia and Somalia, in the early 1990s led to the …

Refugee Diet In A Context Of Urban Displacement Part Two: Selecting And Incorporating Food: Diet And Perceptions Of Risk Among Southern Sudanese Refugees Living In Cairo, Peroline Ainsworth

Faculty Journal Articles

The changes in diet and food consumption practices experienced after displacement can have serious implications for the physiological health of forced migrants and refugees, as noted in Part One.1 These changes can also express cultural loss and social dislocation; the exchange, sharing, preparation and consumption of foods carry important social and cultural values and significances that often reflect and reinforce the very modes of social organization and codes of conduct which become undermined and fractured during displacement (Counihan et al. 1997:3, see also Levi-Strauss 1978, Mead 1970, Appadurai 1981). Altering and reconstructing food consumption habits and feeding practices is therefore …

Refugee Diet In A Context Of Urban Displacement Part One: Some Notes On The Food Consumption Of Southern Sudanese Refugees Living In Cairo, Peroline Ainsworth

Faculty Journal Articles

The changes in food consumption practices experienced after displacement can have serious implications for the health of refugees. These changes can also reflect and express cultural loss and shifts in social structures and habits. Altering and reconstructing food consumption habits and feeding practices is integral to people’s adjustment to and experience of displacement. However, research on the nature and impacts of changing food consumption practices among displaced populations, particularly those living in urban areas in the developing world, is scarce. The following report describes the findings of a 12-month exploratory study that aimed to document changes in food consumption among …

Who Is Responsible For The Process Of Labelling Refugees And The Creation Of The "Refugee Status"?, Soha Nader Abdelmalek

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Refugees And Asylum Seekers From Mixed Eritrean­Ethiopian Families In Cairo, Louise Thomas

Faculty Journal Articles

People from mixed Eritrean­Ethiopian families have been caught on the ‘front line’ of hostile relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, especially since the outbreak of the 1998­2000 war between the two countries. This report, based on interviews conducted with refugees from mixed Eritrean­Ethiopian families in Egypt, seeks to explain the uniquely difficult situation still faced by this group. It contends that because of their family relations with both Eritrea and Ethiopia, people from mixed families find themselves in limbo legally, socially and psychologically, and should therefore be of concern to UNHCR’s international protection regime. This report has three aims. The first …

A Tragedy Of Failures And False Expectations Report On The Events Surrounding The Three­Month Sit­In And Forced Removal Of Sudanese Refugees In Cairo, September–December 2005, Fateh Azzam, Maisaa Youssef, Andrew Woods, Nora Danielson, Themba Lewis, Laura Maxwell, James Pearce, Sarah Sedak

Faculty Journal Articles

On September 29, 2005, dozens of Sudanese asylum seekers and refugees initiated a sit­in near the offices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Cairo to protest UNHCR’s ongoing suspension of refugee status determination procedures as well as their conditions in Cairo, a situation they considered unbearable. Their number quickly grew to an average of 1,800 to 2,500 and remained at those levels throughout the following three months. Periodic meetings and negotiations among the sit­in leadership, UNHCR, and a number of other parties failed to meet the demonstrators’ demands or to result in a satisfactory end to the …

Solace And Security At The Cairo Refugee Demonstration, Stacy Schafer

Faculty Journal Articles

Over the course of a 92 day sit-in, Sudanese refugees demonstrating in a park in downtown Cairo formed a close-knit community. They preferred to remain outside in a public park indefinitely to other options available to them. Who these protestors were and the reasons for their prolonged stay were a matter of contention from the first days of their demonstration. This paper incorporates my research conducted during the demonstration in order to understand the factors that drew these refugees to protest for such an extended period of time. While consistently demanding that the UNHCR and international community give them ‘their …

Nothing Left To Lose? An Examination Of The Dynamics And Recent History Of Refugee Resistance And Protest, Matthew Themba Lewis

Faculty Journal Articles

Refugee protest is some of the most desperate, dramatic and spectacular. Instances of self-immolation, slow public starvation, and riotous violence are not rare, but public response and research has been limited at best. Simultaneously, it can be quiet, unnoticed, isolated, lonely - late night solitary suicides and disappearance from institutional routine. Coping with the harsh conditions of life in exile, institutional and otherwise, is an inherent component of the refugee experience - and a component that, as trends toward restrictive asylum policy grow, increasingly incorporates protest. Resistance in exile has become a tool of refugee identity, a vehicle through which …

Performance And Representation: Masculinity And Leadership At The Cairo Refugee Demonstration, Martin Rowe

Faculty Journal Articles

In the autumn of 2005, Sudanese refugees staged a protest of UNHCR in Cairo. Demonstration organizers were young, single men who confronted tasks of maintaining control and discipline and negotiating with an international agency. Their attainment of community authority would have been improbable in Sudan. Why did people listen to them, and why were they allowed to represent so many others? This paper evaluates the demonstration leadership in terms of preservation of masculine identity and status attainment. Their roles in the demonstration can be viewed as masculine “performance.” These considerations are developed through an examination of how leaders exercised authority, …

The Prospects Of Assisted Voluntary Return Among The Sudanese Population In Greater Cairo, Yasmine Ahmed

Faculty Journal Articles

This study looked at the prospects of assisted voluntary return among Sudanese migrants currently residing in Greater Cairo, Egypt. Its main objectives were to identify elements affecting the migration choices of Sudanese already residing in Egypt, especially their propensity to stay in Egypt, return to Sudan or move to a neighbouring country and to suggest components of a reinsertion programme that best suits the needs of potential returnees. This research project was commissioned by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and conducted by the Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies Program (CMRS) at the American University in Cairo. The project …

Sudanese Demonstration In Cairo: Different Stands And Different Opinions, Assad Khalid Salih

Faculty Journal Articles

The historical relationship between Sudan and Egypt harkens back to Pharonic and Nubian civilizations. As a consequence of both Turkish and British occupation, Sudan and Egypt have a shared experience of colonial rule and therefore share commonalities. During the period of occupation, many Sudanese and Egyptians settled in each others countries and many became citizens of both countries or intermarried. The relationship was, for many decades, peaceful and harmonious. However, the tranquility was disrupted in the 1980s when, as a consequence of the seizure of power by Pro-Islamists in Sudan, the relationship between the countries became one of tension. Relations …

Who Asked Them Anyway? Rights, Policies And Wellbeing Of Refugees In Egypt, Katarzyna Grabska

Faculty Journal Articles

This research, developed as part of the Development Research Centre on Migration, Poverty and Globalization, was funded by the Department for International Development (DfID) of the UK government. It was carried out by the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies program (FMRS) at the American University in Cairo between February and June 2005. It is part of a wider research program examining the policies affecting forced migrants in the Arab world. The project addressed the interplay of politics, policies, and populations in the production of current perceptions of refugees and other forced migrants. Throughout the project, the researchers looked at the …

Expectations & Experiences Of Resettlement: Sudanese Refugees’ Perspectives On Their Journeys From Egypt To Australia, Canada And The United States, Martha Fanjoy, Hilary Ingraham, Cyrena Khoury, Amir Osman

Faculty Journal Articles

A key center for refugee­based activity is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regional office, located in Cairo. In recent years, this unit has referred approximately 4,000 recognized refugees per year for resettlement to the United States, Canada, Australia and a number of other smaller receiving countries, making it the largest such program in the world. But despite the size of the refugee population and the resettlement program in Cairo, there has been little research conducted into the expectations and experiences of the refugees themselves on this process. These perspectives could be significant determinants of success in the …

Living On The Margins: The Analysis Of The Livelihood Strategies Of Sudanese Refugees With Closed Files In Egypt, Katarzyna Grabska

Faculty Journal Articles

Throughout history Cairo has enjoyed the status of a cosmopolitan city attracting diverse populations from across the globe. Although refugees have not constituted a significant share of its foreign residents, Egypt has also been seen as a place of exile by sizeable refugee populations, including Armenians who fled the 1915 massacre under the Ottomans, Palestinians after 1948, and Sudanese after 1983. Palestinians are said to constitute the largest share of exiled residents, numbering between 50,000 and 70,000 (El Abed 2003). In the 1950s and 1960s Cairo was host to exiles from liberation movements across Africa and the Middle East, representing …

The Importance Of Information To Repatriation Decision-Making: The Sudanese Refugees In Cairo And Their Main Sources Of Information, Eline Sophie Vorland Holen

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The UNHCR Handbook on Voluntary Repatriations, as well as Executive Committee Conclusions, highlights the importance of adequate information upon evaluating repatriation. Nonetheless, few studies have concentrated on how refugees collect and evaluate available information regarding conditions in country of origin, and whether the accessible information is adequate to make an informed decision on repatriation.

This thesis analyses how southern Sudanese refugees in Cairo collect, evaluate, and use information about conditions in Sudan when they evaluate the possibilities of a return to Sudan. Five sources of information are available to the refugee community: the general Sudanese community in Cairo, including newcomers …

Providing Health Care Information To Refugees In Cairo: Questions Of Access And Integration, Emily K. Eidenier

Faculty Journal Articles

This paper began as an investigation into medical services currently offered to refugees in Cairo. The ultimate goal was to update the medical section of the Refugee Yellow Pages , an on-line information resource available through the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies department at the American University in Cairo. The impetus for this project was the idea that the provision of up-to-date listings of service providers was vital to refugees’ access to social services, including health care. In the course of my research I discovered that while information does play a large role in an individual’s ability to access health …

Africa Citizenship And Discrimination Audit: The Case Study Of Egypt, Tarek Badawy, Abdallah Khalil, Amal Abdel Hadi

Faculty Journal Articles

This report summarizes the relevant laws, policies, and practices pertaining to access to citizenship in Egypt as well as the rights of non-citizens in Egypt. The report was the outcome of CMRS’ partnership in a project implemented by the Open Society Institute covering 12 African countries with the objective of improving access to rights and justice for non-citizens in Africa. This report on Egypt was completed in May 2005. The report consists of two chapters prepared by three researchers and edited by CMRS’ research coordinator Kasia Grabska. The first chapter by Tarek Badawy and Abdallah Khalil gives the essence of …

Separated Refugee Children In Cairo A Rights-Based Analysis, Laura Maxwell, Aya El-Hilaly

Faculty Journal Articles

The research examines international legal standards on the protection and care of separated child refugees, and compares them with the experiences of such children living in Cairo. Egypt is party to four major international and regional human rights instruments relevant to the situation of separated refugee children: the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, and the African Charter on the Welfare and the Rights of the Child. Since 1954 the Egyptian government has delegated responsibility for …

The Palestinians In Egypt: An Investigation Of Livelihoods And Coping Strategies, Oroub El Abed

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Initial Overview Of The Linguistic Diversity Of Refugee Communities In Cairo, Daniele Calvani

Faculty Journal Articles

Cairo has become home to a high number of refugees, who – no matter how long they stay in the Egyptian capital – are very likely to remain as part of distinct immigrant communities. Their members’ country of origin, cultural and language background form the basis of cohesion. Their presence contributes to making Cairo linguistically dynamic. Since the significance of this has so far been greatly underestimated, there is need for research on language diversity in Cairo. This report partially fulfils this need, in that it begins to highlight the diversity of languages spoken by refugees in Cairo and alerts …

Field Report: Preliminary Investigation Of Educational Opportunities For Refugee Children In Egypt, Wesal Afifi

Faculty Journal Articles

The intent of this report is to provide information about and raise awareness of current educational opportunities for refugee children in Cairo. This study focuses on the administrative procedure of obtaining access to and enrolment into both public and private schools in Cairo, examining what obstacles there are to this process and exploring possible means of overcoming these obstacles. The current dearth of information on the subject of educational opportunities for refugees hinders efforts at enhancing these opportunities because without an understanding of the process of and barriers to enrolment, interventions made will either be inappropriate or insufficient. This study …

Livelihood And Identity Constructions Of Somali Refugees In Cairo, Mulki Al-Sharmani

Faculty Journal Articles

Throughout its history, Cairo has hosted many foreigners and refugees. In the first half of the twentieth century the refugee population in Cairo consisted of Armenians, Palestinians, and Sudanese. Many of the Armenians have moved since then to other countries. More Palestinians and Sudanese have moved to Cairo in the second half of the century. In the last two decades, the refugee population has widened to include sizeable numbers of refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia as well as more Sudanese.1 In addition to being one of the drafting members, Egypt is a party to 1951 UN Convention relating to …

Health Education For Urban Refugees In Cairo : A Pilot Project With Young Men From Sierra Leone And Liberia, Elizabeth Coker, Alison Bichard, Andrea Nannipieri, James Wani

Faculty Journal Articles

This pilot project, conducted under the auspices of the Forced Migration and Refugees Studies Program (FMRS) at the American University in Cairo, arose as part of a continued commitment to outreach projects of direct benefit to the refugee community. Maintaining healthy behaviors and accessing adequate health care are particular challenges for refugees living in large urban areas such as Cairo. Young refugees are at risk for unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other health-related problems such as nutritional deficits and stress-related disorders. Education in their country of origin may have been disrupted, and in Cairo they may be separated from …

Report On The Situation Of Refugees In Turkey: Findings Of A Five-Week Exploratory Study December 2002 – January 2003, Elizabeth Frantz

Faculty Journal Articles

This report examines the current refugee situation in Turkey. Turkey is party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, however it has maintained the geographical reservation, thereby granting refugee status only to those who became refugees as a result of events in Europe. In the past two decades, Turkey has become a reluctant host to an increasing number of asylum seekers, both Europeans and non-Europeans. This report investigates the progress in Turkey’s asylum procedures as well as the many areas that need strengthening, including, most importantly, in preventing refoulement. Both national and international …

Assessment Of Refugee Status Determination Procedure At Unhcr’S Cairo Office 2001-2002, Michael Kagan

Faculty Journal Articles

In Egypt, refugee status determination (RSD) by the United Nations refugee agency is frequently the single most important decision anyone will make affecting the life of an asylum-seeker. In 2001, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Cairo received the most individual RSD applications of all of the agency's offices worldwide. The Cairo office has taken some significant steps to improve the RSD process. At the same time, some important international standards of fair and effective RSD procedures have not been implemented. In recent years, the number of refugee applicants in Egypt has grown and UNHCR-Cairo's resources have …

Report On The Situation Of Refugees In Yemen: Findings Of A One-Month Exploratory Study, Nesya H. B. Hughes

Faculty Journal Articles

The refugee situation in Yemen is of interest to academics and field professionals working on migration in the Arab world for a host of reasons. Yemen has the Arabian Peninsula’s largest non-Palestinian refugee population . Yet, despite the apparent magnitude of the refugee population in Yemen, little field research has been conducted on this country and its refugee situation. In addition, the Republic of Yemen is the first and only country in the Arabian Peninsula to have signed the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Regardless, Yemen is hindered from fulfilling its international obligations because it is simultaneously one of …

Sudanese Refugees In Cairo, Sandra Maxine Jefferson

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Southern Sudanese Women In Refuge, Christine Mori Nyoka

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Somali Refugees In Cairo, Mulki Al-Sharmani

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.