Issue 18: December 6, 2021
In this issue...
We're covering the United States' new initiatives to support climate refugees and the recent reinstatement of the "Remain in Mexico" policy, immense food insecurity in Madagascar, and a mass return home of tens of thousands of Burundian refugees. We're also covering the refugee adoption process, and the reasons why so many refugee children remain orphans into adulthood.
Monthly U.S. Policy Update
By Marin Theis
In a move that contradicts previous commitments, the Biden Administration has begun to restart the “Remain in Mexico” policy, a controversial policy implemented by former President Trump. Under this policy, refugees at the US-Mexico border must stay in Mexico as they await their asylum hearings, rather than awaiting these hearings within the United States. The Biden Administration had terminated the policy shortly after President Biden took office, but a recent court ruling stated that the Biden administration unraveled the policy in a way that violated federal law, so the administration must reimplement it.
In a statement released on October 21, 2021, President Biden acknowledged the effects of climate change on migration patterns and refugee crises. As a result of this recognition, a working group comprised of representatives from a wide variety of disciplines will work to create and improve US policy with regard to communities impacted by climate change. This group will include representatives from the scientific and activist communities as well as specialists in democracy and development.
The goal of this group is to make US refugee policy consistent with the goals laid out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as to mitigate the effects of climate change on migration. Many refugee populations are extremely vulnerable to climate change, so this group aims to improve their conditions as the effects of climate change worsen.
Intense Drought and COVID-19 Pandemic Cause Severe Food Insecurity in Madagascar
By Jade Xiao
Southern Madagascar currently struggles with severe food insecurity due to a drastic drought and the economic recession caused by COVID-19. More than 1.6 million people are in need of aid in Madagascar, and 1.3 million struggle with severe hunger.
Natural disasters in Madagascar have destabilized the country's economy, which is heavily reliant on its agricultural sector. The country has suffered from several consecutive agriculture-related struggles, starting with a locust infestation in 2013 and a drought in 2014. El Niño, a periodic environmental phenomenon of the equatorial pacific, frequently creates crises in the region and led to a significant drought, crop failure, and severe food insecurity for over 810,000 people in 2017. The country also experiences the highest annual average number of cyclones in Africa at 1.5, which destroys housing, public infrastructure, economic capital, and people’s livelihoods.
Madagascar is in the midst of a three-year long drought. It is the most severe drought that has affected the region in the last 40 years. The southern region of Madagascar usually has an average rainfall of approximately 6.5 inches per month during its rain season, which is typically between November and December. However, in December 2020, there was only one day of rainfall in the entire month.
Pest infestations by fall armyworms, weevils, and migratory locusts further decimate the agricultural sector of Madagascar. According to an article from USAID, the pests have affected as much as 119,000 acres of land as of June 2021, and the conditions will likely deteriorate further when new eggs hatch.
The deterioration of farming conditions has caused a shocking decrease in crop production. According to a report by the Humanitarian Response, the production of maize, cassava, and rice, three major crops of Madagascar, shrank by approximately 95%. This decrease in supply caused the price to rise by up to 30%, according to USAID, and many residents of the country were unable to afford staple foods.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated consequences exacerbate the conditions. In an interview by the United Nations, Lola Castro, the WFP Indian Ocean State Region Director, stated that the farmers of Southern Madagascar financially rely on non-agricultural labor during the unprofitable, lean season; However, this year, due to the pandemic, there was a sharp drop in demand for labor, so many were unable to accumulate enough money to pay for food, especially since the prices of food increased so dramatically. Markets became less readily accessible to the population, and the combination of the drought and the pandemic caused a deep recession in the Madagascar economy.
According to data from the IPC Acute Food Insecurity (IPC AFI), about 1.1 million people in Madagascar were suffering from acute food insecurity in July 2021, and the number continues to increase. Based on a 5-level IPC AFI scale of severity, almost half of these people suffer from level 4 acute food insecurity.
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In an international report, Issa Sanogo, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Madagascar, described the severity of the situation: “Women, children and families are eating cactus or locusts to survive this drought” and “[families] had to sell all of their personal belongings, right up to their pots and pans, to buy small amounts of food that will not keep them going for long.”
Children are especially affected by food insecurity. Over 135,000 children in Madagascar were acutely malnourished as of April 2021, according to the Borgen Project. As a result, many are forced to leave their schools to aid their families by begging and scavenging for basic necessities.
Aid for Madagascar is still severely underfunded, according to the report from the Humanitarian Response.
You can help food-insecure Madagascans by donating to the following organizations:
Mass Return of Burundian Refugees Strains Burundian Government, Requires Increased International Support
By Maya Britto
Burundian President Ndayishimiye’s vocal support for the return of exiled Burundians has led to the voluntary return of over 60,000 Burundian refugees this year alone, as political turmoil lessens in the region. The high number of recent returns demands greater support and more funds for reintegration programs
Burundian refugees who have recently returned to their homes may once again be displaced if they are not able to reintegrate into their communities. To prevent this potential event, the UNHCR needs more funding for its 2021 Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan (JRRRP). Currently, only about 10 million dollars has been committed to assisting reintegration efforts in Burundi, despite the growing number of returns. According to statements by the UNHCR, the plan involves “19 humanitarian and development partners to support the returns, sustainable reintegration and community resilience.”
The Burundi 2021 JRRRP (supported by Burundian authorities), the UNHCR, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) aim to successfully reintegrate 143,000 Burundian refugees in the country by the end of this year. As part of the program, the Burundian government’s Directorate General for Repatriation, Resettlement, Reintegration of Returnees and War-Displaced Persons has spearheaded various initiatives aimed at assisting displaced individuals. For example, the National Development Plan for 2018-2027 will facilitate legal protection for refugees in reintegration zones and strengthen national security conditions to create an effective reception process.
The reintegration of refugees in Burundi is particularly difficult because of the socio-economic challenges that most of the Burundian population faces. According to the 2020 Human Development Report, Burundi ranked 185th in a list of 189 countries. Furthermore, its gross national income per capita remains one of the world’s lowest at US$754. According to data collected by the World Food Program, 70 percent of the population lives in poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic has only compounded the disastrous effects of these conditions. Significant development assistance will be critical to the success of the JRRRP.
Burundi government assistance for the voluntary return of Burundi refugees began in 2017, when the country published a plan detailing a national strategy for the socio-economic reintegration of displaced persons between 2017 and 2021. The strategy would allow displaced individuals access to shelters in chosen areas of residency, support local markets and create jobs, and “create full social cohesion with participation in community and social lives.”
Returns during the past year were low in number as a result of COVID-19 related travel restrictions, and over 270,000 Burundian refugees are still living in host countries around the world, including Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Here’s what you can do to help Burundian refugees return back home safely.
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Donate to reputable non-profit organizations so you know your money is going to the right places.
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UNHCR - Providing Burundian refugees with food and shelter, and facilitating the safe return of Burundian refugee children to school
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Water Mission - Providing clean water sources to Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania, which hosts about 81,000 Burundian refugee camps
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CARE - Working in Burundi since 1993 to help with crisis management, and providing food, shelter, and other basic necessities
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2. Stay informed about the movement of refugees.
Barriers in Adoption Process Leave Thousands of Refugee Children as Orphans
By Luisfe Medina
An alarming amount of refugees are children, and, despite the efforts of many international organizations and NGOs, many remain unaccompanied minors or orphans. Refugee children generally struggle to satisfy their basic needs, such as healthcare, education, and safety, among others. Failure to reach a new family can therefore be quite a difficult experience for these vulnerable children. Unfortunately, many of these refugee orphans will not settle into new families, as the adoption process for refugee orphans is very complex.
According to a UNICEF report, child-refugees (those who are aged 0-17) constitute approximately 46% of the entire refugee population, and over 11.8 million children were refugees in 2020. A report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) revealed that 170,000 child refugees are unaccompanied by any guardian, and are therefore orphans. The UNHCR coordinates the refugee adoption process.
The process of adoption for refugee-children is complex, and refugee adoption occurs infrequently, so many child-refugees remain orphans into adulthood. Authorities must first identify that the children are, in fact, orphans. This process is often lengthy since the chaos of refugees’ relocation often destroys official records or makes them lost. Child-refugees are considered orphans if both parents are proven dead or unable to care for the child.
Prospective adoptive guardians must live in a country within the Hague Convention, an alliance meant to ensure the safety of orphans. There is no way to ensure that countries which don’t participate in the Hague Convention protect the safety and rights of adopted refugees. Prospective adoptive parents must also apply in order to adopt refugee children. The UNHCR states in a report that adoption must not occur if the child wants to reunify with their family or if the adoption would not be in the child’s or the prospective guardian’s best interest.
The possible difficulties of parenting a psychologically traumatized child-refugee makes adoption a high risk for the parents, a fact which discourages refugee-adoption even further. Thus, international adoption, particularly for refugee orphans, is extremely rare.
Due to the difficulties of international adoption for refugee orphans, extensive foster care programs are in place to help ensure the safety and security of many refugee children. The Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program (URM) was established in the 1980s and is one of many programs designed to ensure that refugee minors eligible to resettle into the United States could move into the US foster care system. The URM maintains a connection with unaccompanied refugee children until reunification with their families. Those who are never reunited with their families remain in foster care until they become eighteen years old, unless they are adopted first.
Refugee children deserve care and support. You can help give them that crucial support by donating to or volunteering with the UNHCR or UNICEF, supporting foster care programs and facilities (particularly those that house refugees), or by becoming a foster parent at a local shelter.