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 Agency Report

A.    Title of agency or organization?

Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children

B.     Where is home base (city/state/country)?

            Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 2003-04
            The Women's Commission is an independent affiliate of the International Rescue Committee
            122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10168. • Tel. (212) 551-3000 •             webmaster@womenscommission.org

C.     Date founded?

            The Commission was founded in 1989.

D.    Names of key spokespersons/officers

            Liv Ullmann, Catherine O'Neill, Susan Martin and others.

E.     What/who is key constituency or audience?

            The Women's Commission is an expert resource and advocacy organization that monitors the care and protection of refugee women and children. It speaks out on issues of          concern to refugee and displaced women, children and adolescents, who have a            critical             perspective in bringing about change but often do not have access to governments and         policy makers. It also provides opportunities for refugee women and youth to speak for         themselves through briefings, testimony, participation in field assessments and       international conferences.

F.      What are the agency’s main activities?

            The Women's Commission serves as a watchdog and an expert resource, offering   solutions and providing technical assistance. Staff       and board members carry out an         active program of advocacy, making             recommendations on how to improve assistance to    refugee women and children to policy makers in the United States government and UN    agencies, and to NGOs.

G.    Mission statement? (you may quote mission statement if available; use quotation marks!)

            “The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children works to improve the         lives and defend the rights of refugee and internally displaced women, children and adolescents. We advocate for their inclusion and participation in programs of    humanitarian assistance and protection. We provide technical expertise and policy advice to donors and organizations that work with refugees and the displaced. We make recommendations to policy makers based on rigorous research and information gathered             on fact-finding missions. We join with refugee women, children and adolescents to ensure that their voices are heard from the community level to the highest councils of      governments and international organizations. We do this in the conviction that their             empowerment is the surest route to the greater well-being of all forcibly displaced people.             The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is an independent affiliate          of the International Rescue Committee.”

H.    What are the key im/migration issues of concern to this agency?

            This agency has experts in health care, anthropology, gender, children and refugee law--    travel to refugee camps, detention centers and other areas where there are thousands of        displaced families, to conduct field research, technical training, and convene meetings. In           addition, the Women's Commission sends fact-finding delegations of professional women    to meet with refugee women and children around the world and learn first-hand of their   needs and conditions.

I.       As best as you can determine, on what evidence/sources/research/community does this agency base its informational statements issued, press releases, reports, etc.?

            Center for refugee studies: York University; Center for Women’s Global Leadership;        Humanitarian             Practice Network; The International Bureau for Children’s Rights; Universal Declaration for Human Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social             and Cultural Rights (1966); Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989); International     Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of             Their Families (1990); Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998); UN      Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000); Canadian Consortium on Human Security;            Forced Migration Online
 

J.       Any publications? (what types, sample titles; if online, give links)

            Press releases for this agency include: New Immigration Policy Undermines Family           Values (March 17, 2006); Report Offers Solutions to Widespread Problem of Rape and           Abuse of Displaced Women and Girls Collecting Firewood (March 13, 2006);         Immigration Reform Bill Harms Most Vulnerable: Refugee Women and Children          Asylum Seekers (March 7, 2006); President's 2007 Budget Request: Women's        Commission Concerned about Decrease in Assistance for Refugees Overseas (February             10, 2006); Improved Education Key to Liberia's Future Under New President (January         19, 2006);Appointment of UN Refugee Agency Staff to Haiti A Vital First Step;          International Community Must Do More to Address Violence in Haiti (January 5, 2006); House Bill Devastating to Women and Children Asylum Seekers (December 13, 2005);Women's             Commission Hires New Director of Advocacy and External Relations (December 1,          2005); U.S. Must End Harsh Treatment of Vulnerable Immigrants: Meek Amendment to       House Homeland Security Bill Offers Creative Solution (November 22, 2005); Focus on    Refugees Lacking in Implementation of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security   (October 31, 2005)

K.    Give at least one citation about this agency from a newspaper article (preferably an Arizona newspaper). Use a citation index to research this e.g., Lexis Nexis, available from the Migration Course Web Page made by the Fletcher Library:  http://library.west.asu.edu/subjects/SOC/soc331.html  Briefly state what the article is about, and provide a quote from the article that includes the agency’s name and gives a good idea of this agency’s perspective on im/migration.  Note: not a quote from agency’s own web site!

            In the article, Alone on the Border
            Border Patrol neglect may place kids at risk, author Tim Vanderpool writes “Many times, if there is a loved one of a child, an aunt or an uncle (who) can provide documentation,          (minors) are released to these people once they provide the proper identification, in       conjunction with the Mexican Consulate. There are (also) special procedures we can do,            to release them to family members (who) are already United States citizens or in the             United States legally. But they are identified, and there is documentation."

L.     Any other issues of interest about the agency?

            Recent delegations have traveled to Afghanistan, Colombia, Kosovo, Rwanda and Sudan.

M.   Is the agency noticeably pro or con immigration? (You may need to determine this from “reading around” in its position papers, press releases, news reports, etc)

            This agency is noticeably pro migrant and a proponent of migrant rights, especial those of             women and children

N.    Web site? Give URL

            http://www.womenscommission.org/

Caution: Do not simply copy the agency’s own words. Instead, give synopsis based on your research.

If you have trouble locating information about your agency, contact Dr K for help!