CARAM Asia Reaffirms its membership of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network

Thursday, October 15, 2009

As a network committed to advocating for the rights of mobile populations, last year CARAM Asia was invited to attend the first Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights arranged by Forum Asia in order to increase the capacity and advocacy tools of local refugee groups. Following this consultation, participants agreed to form a loose regional network was formed known as the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) to share information concerning ongoing issues.

Last week, CARAM Asia attended the second annual meeting of APRRN members which was held in Bangkok. This year’s meeting sought to build on the existing relationships formed last year, while simultaneously strengthening both the solidarity and communication within the membership. It is extremely positive to note that over the past year, the membership has increased by at least a 25%.

It is a testament to the members and the hard work of the steering committee, that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) increased their own participation in this event. The UNHCR, led by the South East Asia Regional Coordinator Raymond Hall, agreed with the civil society delegation that there was a need to increase the lines of advocacy and communication of the two parties in order to best advocate for refugee rights in the area. Further means of lobbying states to adopt the 1951 Refugee Convention was also discussed as well as other issues that related to the mutual beneficial capacity of the two parties.

CARAM Asia used the opportunity to highlight the cross cutting issues facing both refugees and migrants including the right to health issues. Moreover the network was able to place a regional perspective on the treatment of mobile populations as well as to expand on our existing contacts within the field. Over the four days, wider issues were raised including the treatment in detention centres as well as the increased vulnerability faced by women and girls. As a member of this network CARAM Asia has continued its participation in both the Right to Health Working Group (RTHWG) as well as being a member of the geographical South East Asia team.

CARAM Asia will continue to work as a proud member of this new network in order to advocate for the rights of mobile populations especially those that relate to health and gender.

UAE deports 1,500 HIV sufferers

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The UAE deported more than 1,500 people with HIV, hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis in 2008, a new report said on Thursday and criticised many countries around the world for failure to protect sick migrants.

Those criticised included the United States, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and South Africa and the report urged governments to commit to the goal of universal access to HIV treatment for all who need it by 2010.

"With 192 million people - or 3 percent of the world's population - living outside their place of birth, ensuring migrants' and deportees' access to HIV treatment is absolutely essential to meeting this goal,” said Titise Kode, who works for African HIV Policy Network, which formed part of the multi-agency group that authored the study.

Saudi Arabia, which has mandatory HIV testing, also came under fire with the report claiming people were detained "for up to a year without access to medication" and HIV-positive migrants were deported.

The report offered no comparative figures for those deported because of HIV or other diseases around the globe or on a year-on-year basis.

"Migrants living with HIV are often explicitly excluded from treatment," said Katherine Todrys, researcher with the Health and Human Rights Division at Human Rights Watch. "If they are detained, they are often denied access to antiretroviral drugs, and then if deported they can’t get care."

The report said national deportation procedures were often insufficient to protect those with HIV from being forced to return to countries where there was a risk of being tortured or subjected to "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment".

This happens despite long established international human rights and refugee law prohibiting such deportations, the report added.

The report also criticised the United States for poor access to treatment it offered to people in detention centres, as well as the "harsh conditions" and "lack of access to medical treatment for some HIV-positive individuals who are deported".

The multi-agency report was prepared by Human Rights Watch, Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, the European AIDS Treatment Group and the African HIV Policy Network.

The group called on governments to ensure access to treatment for those awaiting deportation. It also urged the re-examination of deporting those with HIV to countries where treatment and social support structures were inadequate.

"Migrants face enormous risks when they cross borders," said David Hans-Ulrich Haerry, of the European AIDS Treatment Group.

"But they shouldn't face a death sentence for living with HIV when we have effective treatment available and governments worldwide have pledged to provide universal access to antiretroviral medicine and have committed themselves to international treaties that guarantee migrants protection."

Source: http://business.maktoob.com/20090000376082/UAE_deports_1_500_HIV_sufferers/Article.htm