The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) protects refugees when they are most vulnerable
Conflict, violence, and persecution have led to unprecedented waves of migration worldwide. Millions of migrants and refugees, more than the world has seen since WWII, are on the move, many fleeing for their lives, seeking safety.
The ongoing Syrian civil war has demonstrated how just one conflict can leave millions of people displaced and vulnerable. However, the stream of refugees worldwide also includes people from Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and elsewhere who are fleeing wars, human rights abuses, and extreme poverty.
In response to the need for protections and safeguards posed by this global refugee crisis, JBI has supported efforts to ensure that the rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are upheld.
In all of JBI’s advocacy activities, we assess which human rights are being abused, and encourage diplomatic, legal, and other solutions that would protect that right – both in theory and implementation – for each individual. Through this rights-based approach, JBI and its partners seek to ensure that the rights of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers are upheld and reinforced to protect all those who have been forcibly displaced, when they are most vulnerable. The refugee protection projects JBI has supported include:
Strategic litigation initiatives on behalf of unaccompanied children and torture survivor refugees;
Mapping and monitoring refugee reception centers and migrant detention facilities to uncover and eliminate abusive conditions;
Increasing refugee representation at status determination hearings;
National, regional, and international advocacy to enhance refugee rights in practice.
JBI continues to monitor the flows of migrants and refugees throughout the world. As the number of displaced people increases, the risk to their human rights also grows. We hope to limit that risk through the projects we support and continued advocacy that will have a lasting impact.
