Divided Island: Haitian Refugees in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic resumes mass deportations of Haitians after a one year moratorium since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. This 15-minute short video, produced by PBS, investigates reports that Haitians are being wrongfully removed from the country. Human Rights activists say race plays a role in the treatment of Haitians in the Dominican Republic.
The 2005 film ‘Ecuador: Migration and Remittances‘ is now available to view on Forced Migration Online.
This short video offers a general overview of current Ecuadorian migration to Europe and the United States. The work touches on relationships between migrant and employer and the impact on the Ecuadorian family unit, both abroad and at home. A commentary is provided by Andres Vallejo, a PhD candidate at Cambridge University.
A new documentary, by film maker Simon James is now available to view on Forced Migration Online. ‘Across the Border: Uyghurs in Kazakhstan‘ focuses on the situation of the Uyghur minority in Kazakhstan.
While Uyghurs account for just 1.5% of the Kazakh population, relations with the Kazakh government are often strained and Uyghurs live today in a sort of limbo. They can do business, study their native language and organize cultural events, provided they do not interfere with politics and accept limited freedom of thought and tight State control.
This situation gives minorities the opportunity to survive as a community and enjoy stability, but it does not grant them the status of full citizens.
Hidden Voices: Urban Refugees is a video produced by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and MediaServe International. The short film highlights the daily struggles facing thousands of urban refugees living in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. In their own words, the refugees tell of how they face poverty, harassment and violence as they make their way in the urban environment.
The video illustrates the many issues highlighted in a IRC new report – Hidden and Exposed: Urban Refugees in Nairobi, Kenya.
Hidden Voices: Urban Refugees in Nairobi, Kenya from International Rescue Committee on Vimeo.
The film ‘Silk Road to Guantanamo: The Story of Adel Hakimjan‘ is now available to view online. Silk Road to Guantanamo shows the plight of ex-Guantanamo Bay inmate Adel Hakimjan, a Chinese Uighur, who was abused, persecuted, traded, and falsely imprisoned. There will be a screening of the film at the Blue Boar Lecture Theatre, Christ Church College, University of Oxford, on Tuesday, 17th November 7.30pm-9.30pm. After the screening there will be a Q & A with the film’s director S L James and Enver Tohti, chairman of the UK Uyghur Association.
The film ‘Gender Against Men‘ is now available to view online. Gender Against Men exposes the hidden world of sexual and gender-based violence against men in the conflicts of the Great Lakes Region. The film demonstrates how male identities are under attack and how rape when used as a weapon of war affects husbands, fathers, brothers and the community. The film is a production of the Refugee Law Project, Faculty of Law, Makerere University.
Gender Against Men will also be shown as part of Refugee Studies Centre and Humanitarian Policy Group’s international conference on Protecting People in Conflict & Crisis.
The film ‘Jenin‘ is now available to view online. Jenin is a documentary film depicting the events before, during and after the Israeli invasion of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on 5 April 2002. Produced by the Palestinian Return Centre and directed by Mohammed Bakri, the film documents the events through a series of interviews with some of the Palestinians effected.
The newly released DVD title On a Tightrope is an additional resource for understanding the culture and situation of China’s Muslim Uighur minority in the wake of the current crisis.
It is a portrayal of four children at a government orphanage in Xinjiang who despite religious persecution maintain their cultural heritage through learning the ancient Uighur tradition of tightrope walking.
The film has won several awards, including a nomination at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.
In 2007 Forced Migration Online first highlighted the situation faced by Uyghurs in Xinjiang province, China. The film ‘Lost Nation: Stories from the Uyghur Diaspora’ included an interview with Rabiya Kadeer, the most prominent Uyghur in the world today. Channel 4 news also interviewed Rabiya Kadeer yesterday as the situation has suddenly worsened in Urumqi.
Today Lindsey Hilsum interviewed Rebiya Kadeer, the President of the World Uighur Congress, the most significant Uighur leader, either in China or abroad, and a hate figure for the Chinese government.
Ms Kadeer used to be a businesswoman in Xinjiang, China’s most westerly province, until she was imprisoned for separatist activities.
On her release she fled to the USA where she is now based.
The Chinese government has accused her of orchestrating the violence which erupted in Urumqi yesterday.
The film ‘Yemen: Refugees crossing the Gulf of Aden‘ is now available to view online. The film reports how thousands of people risk their lives every year to cross the Gulf of Aden to escape from conflict, violence, drought and poverty.
During 2007, almost 30,000 took the dangerous voyage to seek relative safety in Yemen. Due to the escalation of the conflict in Somalia and the food crisis in parts of the Horn of Africa, more and more people are joining the already large refugee and migrant population in Yemen. During the first five months of 2008 over 20,000 arrived, more than double the number of arrivals in the same period last year.