ERIC ED357835: Children Worldwide, 1992.

105 Pages·1992·3.5 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 357 835
PS 021 272
AUTHOR
Lejeune, Genevieve, Ed.
TITLE
Children Worldwide, 1992.
INSTITUTION
International Catholic Child Bureau, Geneva
(Switzerland).
REPORT NO
1SSN-0258-9648
PUB DATE
92
NOTE
105p.
AVAILABLE FROM
International Catholic Child Bureau, 63, rue de
Lausanne, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland (Annual
subscription, $22).
PUB TYPE
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Serials (022)
JOURNAL CIT
Children Worldwide; v19 n1-3 1992
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC05 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Acculturation; Child Neglect; Children; *Child
Welfare; Cultural Influences; *Cultural Pluralism;
Developing Nations; Foreign Countries; Periodicals;
Poverty; *Refugees; *Sexual Abuse; *World Problems
IDENTIFIERS
*Child Prostitution
ABSTRACT
Each of the three journal issues comprising volume 19
(1992) of "Children Worldwide" focuses on a specific theme. Issue 1
contains six articles about refugee children, including essays about
a community self-help approach in Pakistan, unaccompanied minors in
Hong Kong, and refugee families raising children in a new culture;
guidelines for working with psychologically distressed children; and
a summary of recommendations from the International Catholic Child
Bureau (ICCB) Seminar on the Well-Being of Refugee Children. Issue 1
also contains articles about children in Iraq and Latin America,
child rights and family life, and evangelization. Issue 2, which
deals with the sexual exploitation of children, includes articles
about the rehabilitation of sexually exploited children in the Ivory
Coast, Mauritania-Senegal, Kenya, Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, India,
and the United States; abuse prevention strategies used in Thailand
and Belgium; a survey conducted in Ecuador about sexual abuse; the
End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism campaign; the United Nations
recommendations on child prostitution; the ICCB's role in coalition
building; the mass media and sexual exploitation; and legal and
juridical issues. Issue 3 focuses on children in intercultural
contexts and contains articles on the effects of poverty and
marginalization on child development; child abandonment in Eastern
Europe; intercultural dynamics between Western and local values in
Asia; the challenges of intercultural education in Europe and North
America; the culture of urban poverty in Latin America; the effect of
Middle Eastern fundamentalism on children; disabled children;
parenting; forced migration; ethnic music; and oral traditions. In
addition, articles on children's rights, sexual exploitation, and
culture are included.
(AC)
*************************************
*******************************,
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
*
from the original document.
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PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
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A
CONTENTS
VOL. 19, n2 1 /1992
ISSN 0258.9648
Editorial
A Chance for the Children ?
3
CHILDREN
How about a Peace Dividend for the
4
Refugee
Worla s Children ?
Children
WORLDWIDE
A Community Self-Help Approach
6
Unaccompagnied Minors Living in
10
Children Worldwide is the international
Hong Kong
review of the ICCB serving its members and
all those who work for the complete growth
of the child.
Listening to and Talking with
12
Children Worldwide is published in French
Psychologically Distressed Children
under the title «L'Enfance dans le Monde*
and in Spanish (by the ICCB Secretariat in
Recommendations of the ICCB Seminar
14
Montevideo) under the tide «La Infancia en
on the Well-Being of Refugee Children
el Mundo*. It appears three times a year.
Articles may be reprinted provided a credit
Refugee Families Raising Children in
such as
from ICCB-Children
16
line
The ICCB General
Worldwide» is used.
a New Culture
Secretariat in Geneva would appreciate co-
pies of any publics iions in which Children
Worldwide articles are reprinted. The ov.i-
Iraq
Children in Iraq
18
nions expressed in the articles are those of
the authors.
Editor-in-Chief
Latin
A Disaster, but Hope for the Future
20
Genevieve Lejeune
America
Collaboration
Janet Coleman - Odile Voelin.
Florence Bruce
Layout
The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the
Family
23
Odile Conti
Child and Catholic Social Teaching
Photos: Cover Photo : HCR/S. Errington ; p.4 :
on Family Life
UNICEF: p.6 : CIRIC/P. Pugin: p.7 : HCR/A.
Diamond: p.8 : CIRIC/P. Pugin; p.10- I I : HCR/M.
Enfants du Mekong /B.
Van Strien: p.I
:
Duchatcau- Armin;on: p.14-15 : HCR/J. Cuenod:
The Challenge of Evangelisation
26
ICOs
p.16 : CIRIC/A. Pinoges: p.18 et 19 : M. Ferrari:
p.20 : C. Pittet: p.23 : ICCB; p.26 : L'Osservatore
Romano/A. Mari.
Publications
Subscription rates (Annual subscription)
28
Europe. North Amenca. Australia. New Zealand.
Japan. South Africa:
30
Calendar
USS 22.
FF 120.--
SFR 30.--
- Other countries:
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SFR 18.--
Payment : by cheque i SFR. US $) or by postal order
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tariat in Geneva.
ICCB members antnrnatically rercitr Children
11'nrlrhrtdc situ e the subscription is included in the
member-stip tee
by the ICCB : 63-65 rue de Lausanne -
Edited
CH- 1202 Gene) a. Switzerland -
Tel. : [phone] - Fax : [phone]
Cover Photo : Refugee Child from Angola. (HCR S. Err:igton)
A Chance for the Children ?
the number of
Anyone reviewing the literature on refugees would be hard-pressed to count
times they read that half of the world's refugees are children.
This harsh fact. however, is not reflected either in policy or in assistance programmes
implemented with refugee communities. The children's greater numbers do not guarantee that
available resources arc structured so as to meet their special needs.
Issues of concern for refugee children are inextricably linked with those of refugee women.
Children's needs cannot be adequately met without attention to the needs of their care-givers. Yet
the needs of both women and children continue to he marginalised as a 'soft option' - the domain
of social welfare programmes.
Although there has been increased attention to the special needs of the refugee child in recent
They are frequently
years. developments have been haphazard and lack a unifying structure.
dependent on the level of interest and/or availability of expertise from already over-worked field
staff. Priorities for attention to children's needs, therefore, can and do vary from country to country.
A curious convention has arisen of referring to refugee women and children as 'vulnerable
groups'. despite the fact that they comprise the overwhelming majority of any refugee population.
little
As long as their needs are consigned to the periphery of assistance programmes, there will be
change in their situation.
Yes. refugee children, as all children, are ' ulnerable. but more so given the
fulfil
events they have experienced. So also are the women. who are expected to
personal and physical
a caring and nurturing role in the face of overwhelming
difficulties. This condition of vulnerability. however. should not be a matter that
It should be the priority of
is addressed only if resources happen to be available.
assistance programmes.
The events which occasioned their flight are obviously a significant contributing
factor to their vulnerability. These events are essentially out of our control. It is
within our capacity, however. to work to alleviate the effects of these experiences.
and to ensure that their conditions of life upon reaching their 'safe haven" do not
render them more vulnerable. It must he recognised that systems and procedures
that make 'management' of refugee populations easier for us may place them at
increased risk to their physical and emotional well-being.
is within our power to achieve, but requires a commitment to
This is something which it
children
rethinking the form and contact of refugees assistance programmes. so that the needs of the
necessitates a wholistic, as opposed to the
are the focus. not at the periphery, of concern. This
a theme which pervades the recommendations
present piecemeal, approach to childen's issues
(Geneva.
resulting from the ICCB seminar on the Psychological Well-Being of Refugee Children
23-27 September 199I ).
fall into place.
If the children become the focus of action. many other issues may automatically
reasonably certain
for "if we can effectively protect....the children of the displaced. then we may he
Proceedings of
that we are addressing the totality of the problem" (Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill.
ICCB seminar).
Child.
We have instruments at our disposal. such as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the
of redressing
and UNHCR's own guidelines on refuge..: children and \t omen. to begin the process
special n,;eds.
the balance in favour of the children. We must recognise that, as children. they have
is then- right and our
As refugee children. with all that this term implies, their needs are unique. It
he centre stage.
responsibility that their needs he met. Perhaps now we could give them a chance to
future well-being.
and genuinely commit our resources and concern to promote their present and
Margatt Mc Cullirr.
Co-ordinator. ICCB &/'i ge(' Children's Programme
3
Children k
I'1942
I('(-t3
Dividend
How about a Peace
Children ?
for the World's
James GARBARINO *
children. to lose sight of them inthe
numbers
persons. a population that now
What will the post-Cold War era mean
fog of adult political discussions of
nearly 20 million worldwide. of whom
for children? Certainly the "arsenal
national interest and its relation to
and youth.
more than half are children
debates" are intensifying. Each day
tactics.
and
strategy,
military
ears to conic after any war,
For
Congress argues the numbers and
discussions that have
technolog\ .
children pay the price in resources lo''
cost of conventional offensive and
post-Cold War
come unglued in the
other basic
to education. health and
defensive weapons for the United
planes. bullets.
era.
ser: ices. lost to tanks.
States. while the future of global
Wars change thim2s. but rarely
bombs and the other tk capons of k ar.
cleank. or even in the direction
nuclear arms is being negotiated at
in the
pay emotionall\ .
And the
presidential level. However, what cries
intended. Perhaps the truest analysis
of trauma that comes from
currenc \
out for rethinking is not just numbers
of war is to he found in the expression.
family disruption and the terror of being
and costs of weapon systems, but the
"You can change the world. but unless
under
please
impact of American foreign policy and
vou know what you are doing
is too easy to lose sight of these
It
don't!"
military spending on the world's
don't.
A
We
children. This new era permits us to
generation ago we
issues and questions
rethink
war
in
fought
concerning national policy and
a
Southeast Asia and
priorities without the constraints
exposed man millions
imposed by the Super Power conflict.
there and here to war
In particular. we can now afford to see
for goals that mixed
clearly that every act of military force
delusions of grandeur.
leads
or arming of parties in civil wars
self-si.sr\ ing interests.
to child casualties, direct or indirect.
and mistaken ideas of
And seeing that. we must take steps
the issues at stake "on
to ensure peace in this new world for
the ground." Now few
children.
Americans even re-
-
member the w arring
child. and
,tr is no place for a
parties. let alone why it
of
et right now
hi: nurec
s
I
I
was so important to
thousands of children are
help one side w in and
around the
grow ing up in \\ ar /ones
the other lose. Political
injured
\\ orld. If the \ are not killed or
rationalisations only
in the war lone. chances are they will
mock the realit \ of the
flee to become part of the swelling
suffering and the loss.
population 01 ref ugees and displaced
Was it worth it for
their children or for
For years to come after any war, children
!laving visited
ours?
lost to
pay the price in resources
Southeast Asia recently
President. 11 ilsson Insaittne lor Ad.:weed
education, health and other basic servi-
t. S. \.
in (.hid t) elTtnent.Chicat!o.
and seen the legacy of
Stud
bullets, bombs
ces, lost to tanks, planes.
: Gro.% int!
No Place to he a (
\ tabor of
our t ar there I can see
and the other weapons of war.
1/91.
Ipma 1\ ar time
sec
.
tccR -children 11 n, kik
'tie
I .1,1,12
4
opportunity in at least two areas. A
ICCB Seminar on The Psychological
commitment to peace for children
means passing legislation requiring a
Well-Being of Refugee Children
"child impact analysis" in connection
with all military activities supported
Geneva, 23-27 September 1991
by American taxpayers.
This means a detai led legal mandate
of several years
his seminar which was the culmination
action-research
of
to conduct prior investigation of the
T
marked an important landmark in the history of the ICCB which has become widely
costs and benefits to children of
known as a reference in this particular field. Nearly 50 experts attended, representing a
deployment of military forces. of arms
great number of countries as far afield as Australia, Canada, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the
sales and other forms of military assis-
Philippines. the USA and Zambia. The results of this seminar illustrate concretely the
tance to other countries. of new
hope for thousand: of refugee children to see their non-material rights taken into account
armament technologies, and of provi-
as is set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
sions made to rehabilitate societies in
The papers presented covered a broad range of issues within three major areas: the
which wars have been fought.
For
context for intervention, strategies of intervention, and the role of the international
example. children lose every time our
community. The fundamental principle of the recommendations that were formulated "is
government justifies sending arms and
that the psycho-social needs of refugee children must be addressed during all phases of
money to oppressive armies in Central
a refugee situation, from early warning and emergency responses through durable
America or elsewhere that make war
solutions."
against their civilian populations. no
matter v hat the political rationale.
Second. we can join the civilised
nations of the world in ratifying the
operations. particularls since most of
nothing but generations of suffering
)'sited Nations Convention on the
the killing done in
%. ar. is done b),
and kk astage in the wake of our eflOrts
Rights of the Child. We have vet to do
artillery and bombing w hien do not
to remake \ ietnam in our image. Ever \
so, and remain one of the few major
discriminate between cis ilians and
month children die in Laos from bombs
holdouts. Once ratified. the Conven-
Indeed. according to
soldiers.
American planes in the
dropped
tion .1 ill have the status of internat-
UNICEF. in modern wars most i,f the
970,.
Children lose limb or .,fe
ional law, and all of us can appeal to its
hich reverses
casualties are civilians
w hen the s step on mines planted in
provisions in our
the pattern at the
Cambodia Is\ one or the other of the
efforts to demand
turn of the 20th
warring factions, in mans cases mines
responsible
be-
century ).
Since
paid for by American tawa \ ers in the
Since World War ll some
havior from
all
World War f I some
name of some strategic purpose. Others
20 million women and
governments. our
20 million w omen
die as Mei r parents Iry to leas c V4.111,1111.
children have been
oss n included. We
and children have
still dek ZtstaiCd bx the W or there and
direct casualties of war.
can demand that all
been direct casu-
subsequent economic and diplo: ,a,tic
nations live up to
Many more have
alties of
ar. \ tan \
our government to punish
efforts
Article 3ti's man-
suffered psychological
more have sub fered
that cuuntr\ for ref using to
ield to us
date that govern-
devastation.
psychological de-
on the battlefield.
ments "take
all
All war
vastation.
01)1v months after it \\ as achieved,
feasible measures
is war On children.
in the Persian Gulf War
it:tor\
the
to ensure protection
Can 't
now begins to seem equal l\ empt.
110W
ss e
and care of children who are affected
afford to spare ousel \ es this?
The I ()(1.0110+ Iraqi deaths inflicted by
by armed confl,
I think 1, c
I think
e can.
the bombing and the ground \s ar are
Let's realk make war the last resort.
eclipsed Is the subsequent casualties
militar\ activity has potential
for once prevention fails the horror
most of them mothers and children
costs to children. The dawnir g 01 a
takes on a life of its ow n. Starting w ars
I mm the destructioi, of
resulting
new era in international relations is the
is easier than finishing them. as anyone
facilities to pros ide health. sanitation.
perfect opportunity to change the w ay
ho has been in combat can testify.
and lood. And \ et. Saddam Hussein
we think about the costs and benefits
continues m power in Iraq and an
of a ar. Legislation to mandate a child
Being responsible for the
undemocratic regime rules in K US% alt.
impact analysis for all military
government's decisions
spending and ratifying the UN Con-
All war is war on children
s ention on the Rights of the Child
First. we must take charge of our
It would truly
would be a good start.
Dead. maimed. or orphaned
the
ow n government's activities.
represent a peace dividend for the
children are often the "collateral
current rethinking of national militar
world's children. J
and diplomatic polic provides a prime
damage- that results from military
5
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411.-
II
Where there is a very large refugee
A Community Self-Help
population, as in Pakistan, outside
resources are limited, even for
providing essential survival items (e.g.,
Approach
food, shelter and water). The provision
of psychological services for children,
therefore. must necessarily tap the
most important available resource
Refugee Children in Pakistan
the refugees themselves. Techni-
-
ques of community development (so-
Phil BARTLE *
cial animation) were modified for this
Eva SEGERSTROM **
purpose. Reaching children through
community action
for
training
promotes a communal self-reliance
Some of the
and relatives bombed.
Afghans themselves then build houses
process.
children traumatized by the war appear
of locally available inaterii,
There is a range of situations
to their community as mentally retarded.
Tlie Afghans have a tradition of
These children tend to he neglected and
regarding the psychological needs of
self-reliance. This is show n by
under-stimulated. mainly because of
the Afghan refugee children.
the interchangeable use of
For
ignorance that something can he done
example. through disease or genetics.
"refugee camp" w ith "refugee village".
ith and for them.
several children are mentally retarded
On arri v al. agencies give the refugees
a range of religious
There is
or hampered in other ways. There is
tents to use as dw el lines. Within months
ideologies. but the refugees live in
very little community expertise or
of each new "camp" being started, it
characterised
by
communities
becomes a "village" because the
experience with their needs.
fundamentalist Islam.
Programmes
War-traumatized children are
must he sensitive to cultural issues.
among that range of situations. Because
Anthropologist. sociologist. responsible for
particularly those related to women.
fighting continues inside Afghanistan.
progranun:: planning and de elopment at
in the refugee
In Afghan soviet)
there are many "fresh arrivals" of
RUdda Barnen in South-West Asia.
eery few children are
refugees w ho often include children
In charge at traminv. in social %%ark. Radda
consciously neglected or exploited, a
who are in shock by seeing their homes
13.imen.
ICCB - Children Nk"orIch.ide
1/19142
positive consequence of conservative
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
Islamic ideology combined with
and the Refugee Child
traditional values still in practice. As
long as there is food in the camp. no
child will starve: they suffer from itmo-
ranee te.g.. malnutrition, disease) and
Such recovery and reintegration shall take
Article 22.1 of the Convention confirms the
place in an environment which fosters the
poverty (of the whole community:).
right of the refugee child to
"receive
health, self-respect and dignity of the
Although UN and non-governmental
appropriate protection and humanitarian as-
chdd.r...)
agencies provide relief for the refugees.
sistance in the enjoyment &applicable rights
set forth in the present Convention':
the large number makes it impossible
In order to intervene effectively to protect the
Two further articles craw attention to condi-
for agencies to care for all the needs.
rights of refugee children, it will be essential
tions that should be of particular concern
There are no psychological services
to identify those variables that influence the
when considering the rights of the refugee
available. The only practical solution is
children's capacity to cope and to adjust to
child, and provide a possible focus for
a community-based self-help approach.
both past and current events and conditions.
activities to ensure effective implementation
In 1987. on the recommendation of
A consideration of the overall context in
of the Convention in situaticns of forced
the Radda Barnen social worker in
which the children are functioning, the
"StatesPartiesrecognizetheright
migration:
Cell(SWC)
UNHCR. the Social Welfare
interaction between different systems, and
ofeverychildtoastandardollivingadequate
of the Commissioner for Afghan
the ways in which, individually and
for the child's physical. mental, spiritual,
Refugees (CAR) was created.
Its
coillectivP:i, they have an impact on the
moralandsocialdeveiopmentlArticle
27.1).
purpose was to create a group of social
children will be most likely to secure a posi-
workers (Pakistani civil servants ) who
tive developmental outcome. Unless efforts
"States Patties shall take all
Article 39:
would:
are made to promote a positive environment
appropriate measures to promote physical
identify vulnerable refugees for
in all spheres, progress towards normal
and psychological recovery and social
special support.
development will be impeded.
reintegration of a dye victim at any form of
coordinate the field activities of
front
the
extracts
neglect, exploitation. or abuse; torture or
McCallin,
M.
"International Journal of Refugee Law".
various agencies. and
anyotherformo&wel,inhumanordegrading
Oxford University Press. January 1991.
promote self-help activities.
punisiwnete; or armed conflicts.
Ifedi/77917i
Riidda Barnen has provided the
training for these fieldworkers. who are
from vari ous occupational backgrounds.
by establishing a training unit ( R BTU).
different topic:, to increase social
a committee many organisations fail in
The aim of the RBTU is to encourage.
One topic is why it
The refugee
carrying out a project.
motivate and train the Pakistani
is
competence.
rdministration participates in
important to work with children with
village
fieldwork.ers (and later train and
the acti tries.
special needs. mostly mentally retarded.
stimulate Afghan refugee volunteers
The components if community
Another topic has been physical
directly.
development are:
disability. In each seminar. one part has
District coordinators established "so-
the community itself defines the
been on the UN Convention on the
cial welfare committees" in the camps.
needs (objectives).
Rights of the Child.
Committee members are "community
the resources come from the
The unit
All important decisions are made in
trained
volunteers."
community.
the committee. Without involvement of
community volunteers by seminars on
internal resources may he supported
by external resources.
decision-making is democratic.
the approach is "bottom -up." and
310..
activities should be of interest to the
whole community.
When talking about "self-help- that
means we are working through
community development and that the
community itself is
a resource.
In
Peshawar. over 150 social welfare
4.3-10*-
committees have been established in
ab;;*
about 250 camps throughout the
4.1111ammiallallibtak'
Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP).
,
7
ICCB - Children Worldix ;de
I /I g92
group and the playground is also in his
in community animation techniques. the
Achievements
interest (for his training.
UN Convention on the Rights of the
In one camp w here there is a child
Because this programme has a
Child. and children's general and special
group. the committee decided to
community-based approach. it must be
needs.
construct a house. They asked Riidda
seen as a process. Unlike in a project which
Barnen to pay for it. That would have
Child support
has a finite measurable objective. the social
been an easy and quick solution, but
process itself is the achievement. Several
ou d produce the wrong effect.
Community self-help "Child Sup-
indicators, nevertheless. indicate that the
Eventually money came from unkn own
port Groups" (groups for children with
process is underw ay.
givers, and community volunteers
special needs: our prime target)
Since the methods used were adopted
supplied the labour. The house is theirs
composed of adult refugees who have
traditional
community
from
and they are very proud of it.
had training from RBTU, engage in
development techniques, various
"hardware- achievements usually
many activities in support of children's
These include stimulation.
Women's participation
needs.
associated with them can be mentioned.
rehabilitation, emotional support. and
Roads, latrines, shallow wells, for
assistance to children with various
Females run four groups of children.
example. were built with local self-help
special needs. Seventeen such groups
In addition. 42 mothers were trained.
labour. Reflecting the conservative
The requests for female training are
are now running, and another nine more
Islamic culture. mosques were built.
That makes us happy
will he fully functioning by the end of
increasing.
and a few watina rooms for ladies
because (as in all other societies) the
1991. The training unit provided a big
(observing "purdah ") were constructed
box with training material to trained
women are closer to the children.
adjacent to basic health units (BHUs).
In measuring achievements. it must
community volunteers who want to start
These are fortunate by-products of the
a group. A deaf Afghan boy made a
he repeated that the objective of the
real purpose of the programme (a social
training unit was not the training of
doll.
process).
skills or imparting of information. but
The first chi id group began in January
Other measurable results con..em
1990 with eight children. Today the
the stimulation of communal self-help
the non hardware results: the training
action in the refugee villages.
of trainers and coordinators
The training is a means to that
since mid-1988. Seminars for
end.
govPrnment civil servants.
-While the ultimate target
other NGOs and UN staff about
group of the
training of
the objecti es and techniques
volunteers to run child groups
of communit\ participation
were infants up to age six or
were held.
seven. or retarded and disabled
111111am.
children. other training of
Training of community
volunteers was aimed at older
volunteers
In a child-to-child
children.
t,
approach. "Islamic Khetnatgar-
The [minim: of community
groups were formed. These were
olunteers began in late 1989.
aft,-.11
school-based
originally
The most important among
children's clubs. somewhat
\ olunteers now
them are
similar to Boy Scouts. aimed at
running the child support
getting the children to help run
groups. Other t olunteers have
the schools. The training unit
/".
trainers
trained
been
as
aim has been to promote the for-
(promotors) for social welfare
/f4
mation of many more of these
committees. On request. the
/
groups and expand their scope to
,
training unit has also trained
include child-to-child activities
olunteers for special child
IiV
outside the schools. including
activities.
health-related
:"t*.,,.
hygiene education. involvement
including EPI extended pro-
.''004.4.;;41111
of disabled children. introduc-
gramme of immunisation ). and
tion of traditional Afghan games. and
same group has 14 children. divided
the tuberculosis programme. Volunteers
learning about Afghan local and nat-
Two more community
into two.
were trained for other international
ional traditions. These have now been
NGOs for
c.
identification
volunteers act as leaders. One special
the
established in about sixty refugee
is recipients ol
vulnerable .zroups
committee planned a playground. using
schools.
income generation and \ ocationa!
local resources. labour and material. A
The most significant indicator of the
physiotherapist associates with the
training projet.ts. Volunteers are trained
children won ttI
ide
9
S
I e 1992
-
value of this approach is the number of
requests coming from "maliks" and
International Catholic Migration Commission
other male leaders of other camps and
illages to send more animators. Nlan
other international NGOs and agencies
have floundered on the hard rocks of
he ICMC is an operational arm ol the directly or through its affiliates, some large-
T
scale assistance and resettlement
extremely conservative Islamic values.
Catholic Church. The ICMC mandate
Because of pressure from donors, many
is to coordinate Catholic assistance to
activities.
of these agencies tried to set up pro-
refugees, migrants and displaced persons.
grammes for women and immediately
regardless of creed.
ICMC operates
ICMC also supports projects that its local
through a network of local Catholic
clashed with conservative forces in the
affiliate or partner agencies undertake,
camps. By starting with the male leaders
agencies at the grass-roots level in some
principally in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
and taking a communal self-help
Projects assist refugees, migrants and
90 countries.
approach to assistance to children with
displaced persons through education,
special needs. the training unit and those
vocational training, health care, agricultural
ICMC collaborates closely with the United
it trained found that men in the camps
development and income generation. The
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
soon asked for training of their women
majority of these projects aim to enhance
the International Organization for Migra-
to help the children with special needs.
Many are oriented to the
tion, the U.S. Agency for International
self reliance.
Development and the U.S. State
In contrast to the scepticism in the early
special needs of women and children.
stages. the training unit can now no
Department's Bureau for Refugee
ICMC, 37-39 we de Vermont. Case postale 96,
longer keep up w ith the requests (al-
behalf
Programs.
these
of
CH -1211 Geneva 20 C1C, Switzerland
On
though there has not been an equal
organizations, ICMC manages, either
Tel. [phone] Fax. [phone].
demand from all camps).
An interesting conceptual de-
% elopment has also occurred.
These
The training unit had one marketing
give support and encouragement to each
refugees see themselves as fighting a
project in embroidery and it failed. One
other. and to share and develop their
"jihad- against the Kabul regime. But
reason for the failure was probably lack
experiences. In one camp. the volunteers
the word "jihad" is not all violence. The
of involvement from the social welfare
have established a centre from w here
promoting of good works, social work
they present themselves
committee. Another reason. we believe.
aid
to
on behalf of their own children ani the
organizations that come to the camp.
is that social workers should stay away
vulnerable of their communities. is also
from commercial projects.
The idea has already spread to other
called a "jihad."
camps and groups of community
In all training, the trainees must he
For some remote areas haying popu-
volunteers.
supported and encouraged to formulate
lations from up-
how they will use the training for
It BTU has agreed
wards 01'600.000
practical purposes in their lives. It is not
to support these
refugees, twenty
The objective of the training
theoretical or academic.
organized groups
animators
are
unit is not the training of
A community-based approach is
for
of volunteers. as it
selected
"messy- in that planning is more
but the stimulation of
skills
reflects that the
twelve
month
,
community
actions are slower to
difficult,
training (giving
communal self-help action in
implement. results are more difficult to
process is under-
scholar-
them
the refugee villages. The
quantify and the process is less easy to
way,
and
is
ships). to support
training is a means to
measure than in a relief or service pro-
sM-help
constructive.
ac-
that end.
vision approach. This is a social process
tivitie and to co-
rather than a finite project.
Lessons
ordinate NOO,
Scepticism by local administrators.
that have prob-
learned
some planners. and many administrators
lems working in
those remote areas.
The programme of training for
of agencies set up for relief rather than
The training includes some preparation
development, comprise the biggest
community action is an effective way to
for repatriation and cross - border
constraint to developing such a process.
develop human resources in a refugee
activities, and has a similar focus as the
community. a here
the refugees
training of community volunteers.
themselves are their own greatest
Once such harriers are mercome.
a new
In the second quarter of 199 I
we recommend this approach as the
Trained
development
resource.
appeared.
most practical. action - effective and cost -
A practical approach and concrete
community volunteers began organizing
effective approach to providing many
results lutist he set as clear objectives
themselves. One group has
lected a
.
services, including meeting the psy-
and seen as results for this process to
hoard. Their objective is to advocate
chological needs of refugee children.
survive and grow .
for the needs of disabled children. to
9
ICCB
1!1')92
(.11s1(Iten1,orlil\% toe