War and persecution have devastating consequences. There are more than 65 million forcibly displaced men, women and children worldwide (UNHCR, 2015). Over 21 million are considered refugees (UNHCR, 2015). Thousands of these vulnerable people are leaving their homes, living in refugee camps, integrating into host countries or resettling in third locations everyday. A particularly susceptible country is Burma. For decades Burma has experienced political unrest that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) (South & Jolliffe, 2015). The precise number of IDPs from this area is unknown. There are conflicting reports that range between 400,000 to 700,000 (UNHCR, 2015a, IDMC, 2015a). Refugees from Burma have been …show more content…
It has welcomed over 3.2 million refugees from across the globe (U.S. Department of State, 2015). So far, the largest refugee group to resettle in the U.S. has been from Burma (Van & Trieu, 2014 UNHCR, n.d). Since 2009 the U.S. has welcomed over 100,000 refugees from Burma. (United State Department of State check reference for multiple documents). The U.S. Department of State projects Burma will remain a high priority country for humanitarian aid in the future (U.S. Department of State, 2016) The state of Oregon has resettled approximately 64,000 refugees. There are no publicly available data sets that provide specific demographic information on this total. The vague data specific to Oregon shows the state’s second largest refugee population is from Burma. It also indicates the majority of refugees are married with a median age in the mid 20’s. We can infer from this data, along with the Burma’s cultural reverence for family that there are many refugees from Burma who will one day, if not already, be …show more content…
Research indicates rate discrepancies are a parent stressor that compromises supportive parenting practices. Unsupportive parenting practices in conjunction with different acculturation rates often result in poor mental health and academic outcomes for children of refugees (Kim, Chen, Wang, Shen, & Orozco-Lapray, 2013). The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS/ORR) in partnership with 9 major voluntary resettlement agencies (VOLAGs) provides support in an attempt to manage resettlement challenges. These main agencies have over 350 affiliate organizations throughout the country who provide a variety of support services. Each state works with a different combination of agencies. There are 4 main VOLAGs that serve the state of Oregon, Catholic Charities (CC) Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW), Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees (SOAR) and Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). Together these organizations provide financial and medical coverage, language classes, job readiness and employment services to Oregon’s refugee
1. A Writenet Report by Assefaw Bariagaber commissioned by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Status Determination and Protection Information Section (DIPS) 1 October 2006 - http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/4538821e4.pdf
...s violence, specifically refugees. We should look at this underserved group through not only clinical lens, but also social justice, which is embedded in the counseling psychology field. My next step is to get in touch with refugee centers in Boston to familiarize myself in person with their problems, to join community service activities and to make connections for future research. To implement the social justice framework, the very foundation of the counseling psychology discipline, we need to be part of social activism and try to reduce social barriers against refugees and immigrants (and other marginalized groups) through publication, research, and practice. Therefore, I feel responsible for use of theory, research and clinical practice as platforms toward social justice applications for underserved populations and ultimately for societal transformation.
Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a traumatic or life-threatening event such as war, assault, or disaster. In most cases refugees are exposed to and carry these experiences of hostility, violence, racism, discrimination, and isolation with them to their new environment (Kulwicki,A., & Ballout,S., 2008). The resettlement period for refugees is found to be extremely critical because it inflames existing symptoms of PTSD in addition to increasing them.
—. The State of the Worlds Refugees (1997-1998): A Humanitarian Agenda. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
The nation of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is currently under the rule of a ruthless totalitarian regime, guilty of numerous human rights violations and target of intense international criticism. Located in Southeast Asia, on the western border of Thailand and Laos, it has been under military rule since World War II. Burma is mired in socioeconomic crisis stemming from the rule of the military junta, and the citizens are suffering. The environment of Burma is being destroyed, the people are treated inhumanely, and the country is notorious for its contribution to global narcotics. The paragraphs below detail the current situations facing the country, why they came about, and the parties that are to blame for sending the country on a dangerous downward spiral. First, however, it is important to understand Burma’s political history.
Burma has suffered through one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world. The Karen, a minority ethnic group in the eastern mountainous region of Burma, has been fighting for a federal system instead of a dictatorship. In the late 1940s, the Karen created the Karen National Union (KNU) to fight for an independent Karen state but switched to fight for a federal system for peoples’ freedom from oppression in the 1970s. After the failure of peaceful negotiations, the KNU waged war against the central government. Undaunted by Zoya Phan is an autobiography about the challenges and injustices Zoya faced and continues to face as an ethnically Karen person. At fourteen years old, Zoya and her family had to flee their village through the jungle to a refugee camp. As a refugee herself, Zoya raises in her book the many challenges the Karen faced in regard to their collective sense of identity and security. In contrast to the Karen’s struggles as refugees, Thailand as the refugee accepting state, also faces immigration challenges with the tens of thousands of people flooding into the country. In order to address the challenges both the Karen refugees and Thailand face, a collaborative summit needs to take place between the United Nations, NGOs, political organizations (KNU), and the participating governments to set clearly defined roles to ensure the safety and basic needs of refugees, while effectively addressing Thailand’s concerns.
Jordan has witnessed many waves of refugees since its inception in 1946, with some waves coming even before independence. Despite its very limited natural and financial resources, Jordan has hosted refugees from the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, and Sudan. The status of various ethnic groups that have settled in Jordan range from full integration into Jordanian society to no or very little integration. For example, Circassian and Chechens are full members of Jordanian society while Sudanese and Somali refugees are widely treated as outcasts. Therefore, it is imperative that NGOs focus their limited financial resources on those refugees who have very little integration in society and who are therefore more vulnerable. In addition, it is important these organizations are aware of the demographics of the refugee population in Jordan and what services are most needed.
Solomon explained that the violence in Myanmar are pushing well over 12,000 people across the border. It was also said in the article that over 60% of these people are children. By using this statistic, Solomon was able to convince his readers of why these children need help. The former children from Myanmar deserve all the help that they can get.
It was made abundantly clear to me after my previous post that the genocide of the Rohingya, even the existence of the Rohingya in general, is not common knowledge to most people. For this reason, I am beginning this post with a little bit of background on the situation. Myanmar, a country in southern Asia, was first colonized by Britain in 1886, after a series of violent wars between the native people and the colonizers. It stayed in British hands until 1948, when it became its own free country. The country was originally named Burma, but the name was changed to Myanmar in 1989. The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority located in the poor province of Rakhing on the western border of the country.
New American Pathways, a refugee resettlement agency created on October 1, 2014 through the merger of the Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA) and Refugee Family Services (RFS), serves as one of the largest refugee resettlement agencies in the southeast region of the United States (NewAmericanPathways.org). Each year, New American Pathways routinely assists 5,000 refugees in gaining the necessary resources to be successfully resettled in Georgia, and particularly in Clarkston, GA. Two weeks before I was assigned to a refugee woman to teach english, as a requirement of the volunteer program, I attended a volunteer orientation. During the volunteer orientation, I learned that the majority of their clients were resettled in Clarkston, GA, since it is an affordable area to live as well as not being too far away from the New American Pathways office in Atlanta,
Brown, E. (2008). The Necessity for An Integrated International Approach to Address the Humanitarian Crisis in Myanmar/Burma. Budapest, Hungary.
Burma has a lot of history behind it. The events are a mix of good things and bad things. In 1057 King Anawrahta becomes in control of the city of Thon. When he gained control he brought together a good portion of Burma. 230 years later in the year of 1587, Kublai Khan leads Mongols to invade Pagan. Burma tries to expand their country by including India in their country. India was controlled by the British. Burma and Britain go to war in 1824, the first Anglo-Burmese war. Then in 1885 Britain ends up controlling the rest of Burma. When Britain is in control, lots of rebellions start. In 1942 japan occupi...
However, the cultural-historical approach’s real role in the ethnic conflict in Myanmar is of a convenient dividing line for
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma (the rest of this paper will continue to refer to it as Myanmar unless using a direct quote), is a country nestled in Southeast Asia. It has had a relatively short independent life, formerly under British rule. Since its independence, Myanmar has spent much of its life under military rule. The leaders willingly cutting itself off from the Western world, it spent years at the receiving end of sanctions from the European Union and the United states for its various human rights violations. In 2007, the Saffron Revolution brought Myanmar into the spotlight. Thousands of monks took to the street to stand up against the tyrannical military government (McGeown, 2008). The harshness of the government and its actions against its people, lit up the world stage. In 2008, cyclone Nargis put the spotlight back on this country when over a seventy-five thousand people were killed ("Myanmar: Cyclone nargis," 2011). Aide coming into the country was met with resistance.
Parnini, S.N, Othman, M.R, Ghazali, A.S. (2013) 'The Rohingya Refugee Crisis and Bangladesh-Myanmar Relations. ', Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, vol. 22, p. 134.