King and Crown Prince offer condolence to Iranian president over the deadly port explosion    stc reports strong first-quarter 2025 results with 11% rise in net profit    Virgin Atlantic celebrates one month of nonstop service between London and Riyadh    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR2.1 billion net profit after zakat and income tax for 1Q25    Mahmoud Abbas appoints Hussein Al-Sheikh as PLO vice president in key succession move    Saudi Arabia's entertainment sector attracts 76 million visitors in 2024    Third round of US-Iran nuclear talks concludes with cautious optimism    Multiple casualties reported after vehicle drives into crowd at Vancouver street festival    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia offers condolences to Iran following deadly Bandar Abbas port explosion    Saudi Arabia deports 12,866 illegal residents in a week    SFDA clears first 44-ton medical shipment for Hajj pilgrims    Ministry of Hajj issued over 150,000 Nusuk cards for the Hajj of 2025    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



UNHCR warns of unprecedented displacement in Central America and Mexico
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 04 - 09 - 2021

Central America and Mexico are facing "unprecedented pressure" as the number of people seeking international protection rises and access to asylum and territory is being limited through troubling new border restrictions, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Thursday.
Wrapping up a two-week mission to Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, Gillian Triggs, UNHCR's assistant high commissioner for protection, said she had seen "the tremendous strain the region is under because of the increasing flows of refugees and migrants."
"Extraordinary efforts are being made by governments and civil society to address these challenges," she said.
Mission
In conversations with internally displaced people, asylum seekers and refugees, Triggs heard stories of sexual violence, death threats and extortion in communities controlled by criminal gangs.
These stories were often coupled with economic hardship and the damaging effects of climate change, which have combined to force nearly a million people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to flee their homes.
In Guatemala, the Assistant High Commissioner helped launch a program led by UNHCR and the Guatemalan government's secretariat on sexual violence, exploitation and trafficking.
The new initiative features mobile units that will take information about rights and services to where people need them most, preventing these crimes in remote areas of the country.
In El Salvador, the senior UNHCR official learned about innovative approaches to prevent violence and empower youth in communities at risk. She also welcomed the country's commitment to reform the way that the displaced have been profiled in the past.
"Creating the conditions that make people feel safe and protected in their homes is an essential step in addressing the root causes that drive people to flee in this region," she said.
The UNHCR official also visited Mexico, which may top 100,000 new asylum claims this year, breaking a new record. In recent years, the country went from being predominantly a nation of transit to a country of destination, for thousands of asylum seekers.
Protection needs
UNHCR continues to support governments to strengthen asylum and protection systems. The agency also helps people integrate into their countries of asylum through employment, education and psycho-social aid. In Mexico more than 12,000 people have benefitted from these initiatives.
Triggs highlighted the need for states to provide protection to refugees, but also to offer regular migration pathways through education, labor mobility, family unification and other immigration processes. "Different needs require different responses," she said.
She expressed deep concern over recent restrictive border practices in the region that risk returning vulnerable individuals and families to their countries of origin, citing often urgent protection needs.
Teenagers at Casa Nuestras Raíces, one of two shelters run by the Guatemalan Ministry of Social Welfare. For her, stories from families expelled into Guatemala were "especially troubling."
"Without safeguards, these expulsions may breach the international prohibition on returns to violence and persecution," she said.
Asylum as a right
UNHCR has appealed to the United States government to end the Title 42 public health-related asylum restrictions under which these expulsions are occurring. The agency has also asked for the country to restore the right to claim asylum.
According to Triggs, "all countries have agreed to share the responsibility to provide protection for those fleeing danger and persecution, rather than shifting that duty."
At the moment, six Central American countries and Mexico are working together with the private sector and civil society, with support from donor countries, under the Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions, known as MIRPS.
The goal of the initiative, currently under the leadership of Guatemala, is to address the causes and consequences of forced displacement in the region. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.