Browse by Theme: Refugees

In the run-up to the Global Summits on Refugees and Migrants at the United Nations in September 2016, CARE launched a petition to campaign for better protection for innocent civilians fleeing conflicts and natural disasters. We had three asks in our petition targeting the UK Prime Minister Theresa May, which secured the support of over 21,000 people. So to what extent did the Refugee and Migrant Summits deliver on our demands?

There is an irony to current thinking on the private sector and peacebuilding.

During her maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Prime Minister Theresa May launched a global campaign to end modern slavery (which she previously described as “the great human rights issue of our time”) and called upon other world leaders to join her in this endeavour. Yet every day young girls fleeing from conflict and violence fall prey to human trafficking rings and the UK is standing idly by.

We all agree that the numbers are staggering: according to the UNHCR, on average, 24 people were forced to flee each minute in 2015, four times more than a decade earlier. At the last count, Greece alone was home to 57,000 displaced people, 40 per cent of them children. But on what to do and who should do it is where agreement ends and polemics begin.

Over 40 grassroots women-led civil society organisations, human rights and humanitarian agencies have today launched a new Joint Statement on Women and Girls outlining 10 recommendations for next week’s global refugee and migrant Summits – and beyond. So what do we know about the likely Summit outcomes from a gender perspective?

This joint statement, signed by 42 grassroots women-led civil society organisations, human rights and humanitarian agencies, outlines recommendations for commitments by states attending the Global Refugee and Migrant Summits, to ensure the protection and safety of refugee women and girls.

Joint statement (English) - download PDF

Déclaration conjointe (français) - download PDF

Declaración conjunta (Español) - download PDF

Joint statement (Arabic) - download PDF

How women forced to flee from Syria are shouldering increased responsibility as they struggle to survive

As the Syrian refugee crisis worsens, women are shouldering increased responsibility for the safety and survival of their families, and are facing additional threats and vulnerabilities as they make the journey through Europe. This report provides a brief insight into the emerging role of women in the Syrian crisis, and the challenges and pressures that Syrian refugee women face.