Exiled and in Limbo Support Mechanisms for Human Rights Defenders in Exile in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

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2 Exled and n Lmbo Support Mechansms for Human Rghts Defenders n Exle n Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Publshed June 2016 East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project Human Rghts House Plot 153 Lulume Road Nsambya P.O. Box Kampala Uganda Phone: ) ) E-mal: program@defenddefenders.org executve@defenddefenders.org Web: Ths publcaton s avalable onlne n PDF-format at Research for ths report was supported n part by the Austran Development Cooperaton and Bread for the World. Report by Shannon Orcutt wth contrbutons from Clementne de Montjoye, Memory Bandera, Stella Murung, Tabtha Netuwa, Nel Blazevc, and Hassan Shre. Attrbuton should be made to DefendDefenders East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project). Ths report s dstrbuted at no charge. Cover Photo: Wat by ImNotUnque under Creatve Commons Lcense. Ths work s lcensed under a Creatve Commons Attrbuton-NonCommercal-NoDervatves 4.0 Internatonal Lcense. You are free to share, to copy dstrbute, and transmt the work under the followng condtons: Attrbuton: You must attrbute the work n the manner specfed by the author or lcensor but not n any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work; Non-commercal: You may not use ths work for commercal purposes; No Dervatve Works: You may not alter, transform, or buld upon ths work.

3 Exled and n Lmbo Support Mechansms for Human Rghts Defenders n Exle n Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

4 I don t know why they are stll after me. I am stll scared untl today... I receved threats whle n Kakuma refugee camp and more n Narob. I am very cautous. I don t trust anyone. I am always worred that new people I meet could be the ones that were targetng me. - Somal journalst n exle n Kenya I try my best to be secure but I m determned to take the rsk because otherwse we wll be slent and that s what they want. - Ertrean HRD n exle n Uganda I have no plan. We don t know when the crss wll end and whle I want to contnue my actvsm I also have to eat. It s hard to be fully engaged when you don t know how to lve. - Burundan women s rghts actvst n exle n Rwanda

5 Table of contents Acronyms Foreword About DefendDefenders East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project) v Executve Summary v Summary of key recommendatons x Methodology x I. Overvew of trends, challenges, and support mechansms for human rghts defenders n exle 2 II. Human rghts defenders n exle n Kenya 16 III. Human rghts defenders n exle n Uganda 20 IV. Human rghts defenders n exle n Rwanda 22 V. Concluson 25 VI. Recommendatons 26 Annex I. Organsatons provdng assstance to to urban refugees 30 Annex II. Organsatons provng assstance to human rghts defenders n exle 44 Annex III. Fellowshps programs 54 Annex IV. Processes for legalsng asylum and refugee status 56 Annex V. Dgtal securty resources 5 v DefendDefenders page

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7 Acronyms DRA: HRD: MIDIMAR: NGO: OPM: REC: RSD: UN: UNHCR: Department of Refugee Affars Kenya) Human Rghts Defender Mnstry of Dsaster Management and Refugee Affars Rwanda) Non-governmental organsaton Offce of the Prme Mnster Uganda) Refugee Elgblty Commttee Uganda) Refugee Status Determnaton Unted Natons Unted Natons Hgh Commssoner for Refugees DefendDefenders page

8 Foreword In 2001, I was workng n a volatle envronment, and realsed that f I stayed n my home country Somala and contnued my human rghts actvsm there, I would not survve. I fled the country after hearng that I was about to be attacked, and quckly found myself lvng as a human rghts defender HRD) n exle. As I spoke wth my fellow HRDs n exle, I was struck by the overwhelmng fnancal, legal, and admnstratve dffcultes many faced when tryng to contnue ther human rghts work, and the gap n resources avalable to them. Through my research n 2005, I dentfed these gaps and realsed there was a great need to develop mechansms to assst HRDs to contnue ther valuable work whle remanng n the regon. I founded the East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project, now called DefendDefenders, to support and protect HRDs n the subregon. It has now been nearly 11 years snce the organsaton was establshed, and whle there have been sgnfcant strdes n the movement to protect HRDs, there have been equally substantal restrctons of cvl socety space. Everyday, we are faced wth HRDs who are forced to flee ther countres as a result of ther human rghts actvtes. Once n exle, many HRDs become stranded n a cycle of poverty that causes HRDs to end ther actvsm, as they struggle to survve wthout sustanable lvelhoods or fnancal support for ther human rghts work. Threats persst from ther home governments and many face pervasve securty rsks. Exle can be a traumatsng experence for many HRDs, and f authortatve governments contnue to tghten ther grp on fundamental freedoms, the flow of actvsts fleeng ther home countres wll only ncrease. Through our protecton work, we recognse the unque challenges facng HRDs n exle and ther need for addtonal support, coordnaton, and advocacy to address ths gap. The mass exodus of HRDs from Burund as a result of the 2015 crss, clearly demonstrated the need for medum to long-term support for HRDs n exle, whch DefendDefenders and our partner organsaton have begun to nvestgate. By undertakng ths research, we wsh to examne the reasons HRDs flee ther countres, the challenges they face whle n exle, and provde an overvew of the varous support mechansms avalable. page v Exled and n Lmbo

9 I want to take ths opportunty to thank all the ndvduals who shared ther testmones wth our researcher, and apprecate the contrbutons by our NGO partners, host governments, and the dplomatc communty n the complaton of ths report. It s our hope that ths report wll be a useful tool for HRDs to learn about the support mechansms avalable to them when strugglng wth lfe and work n exle, as well as NGOs, donors, refugee agences, and the governments of Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, to create an enablng envronment for HRDs to contnue ther vtal work n the regon. Hassan Shre Executve Drector of DefendDefenders Charperson of the East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Network Charperson of the Pan-Afrcan Human Rghts Defenders Network June 2016 DefendDefenders page v

10 About DefendDefenders Establshed n 2005, DefendDefenders East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project) seeks to strengthen the work of human rghts defenders HRDs) throughout the regon by reducng ther vulnerablty to the rsk of persecuton by enhancng ther capacty to effectvely defend human rghts. DefendDefenders focuses ts work on Burund, Djbout, Ertrea, Ethopa, Kenya, Rwanda, Somala together wth Somalland), South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzana and Uganda. DefendDefenders acts as the secretarat of the East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Network, whch represents more than 75 members across the sub-regon, and envsons a regon n whch the human rghts of every ctzen as stpulated n the Unversal Declaraton of Human Rghts are respected and upheld. DefendDefenders also serves as the secretarat of the Pan-Afrcan Human Rghts Defenders Network PAHRD-Net). PAHRD-Net was formed as a result of delberatons at the All Afrcan Human Rghts Defenders Conference Johannesburg +10 ) hosted n Aprl 2009 n Kampala, Uganda. The fve functonng sub-regonal networks formng the PAHRD-Net are: the North Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Network hosted by the Caro Insttute for Human Rghts Studes n Egypt), the West Afrcan Human Rghts Defenders Network Lome, Togo), the Southern Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Network hosted by the Internatonal Commsson of Jursts, the Afrca regonal offce, Johannesburg, South Afrca), the Central Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Network Douala, Cameroon), and East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Network hosted by East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project, Kampala, Uganda). PAHRD-Net s amed at coordnatng actvtes n the areas of protecton, capacty buldng and advocacy across the Afrcan contnent. page v Exled and n Lmbo

11 Executve Summary In the East and Horn of Afrca sub-regon, human rghts defenders HRDs) frequently face grave rsks for undertakng the crtcal work of promotng and protectng cvl lbertes and the rghts of ther fellow ctzens. All too often, they are forced to leave ther country to seek protecton. Despte the valuable efforts that place them at such hgh rsk, the needs of HRDs forced nto exle as a consequence of ther human rghts actvtes are persstently under-resourced. DefendDefenders has dentfed at least 350 HRDs from countres n the East and Horn of Afrca lvng n exle n Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, however that fgure s lkely much hgher. Ths report examnes the experences of these HRDs lvng and workng n exle, and ams to provde nformaton on the support mechansms avalable to them. As governments n the sub-regon tghten ther grp on cvc space through the use of repressve legslaton and restrctve polces, a growng number of HRDs flee to other countres wthn the sub-regon, the majorty of whom resde n Narob, Kampala, and Kgal. Whle the tme HRDs spend n exle grows longer, the emergency fnancal support many HRDs receve, from organsatons such as DefendDefenders, s mostly short-term. HRDs face unque challenges whle lvng n exle compared to the general refugee populaton, partcularly n terms of securty. Whle some HRDs left ther countres due to general poltcal nstablty, the overwhelmng majorty of HRDs ntervewed fled as a result of threats such as harassment, attacks, and arrest. Of those ntervewed durng ths research, 1% fled after beng physcally attacked, and another 26% left after beng arrested or havng warrants ssued for ther arrest. Most HRDs ntervewed fled as a result of drect threats to ther securty, such as death threats, whch pushed 46% of those ntervewed nto exle. These threats do not always dsappear after an HRD leaves hs or her country. Ths research found that 62% of HRDs ntervewed reported that they had been threatened whle n exle. The majorty of these threats were delvered through anonymous phone calls, SMS, socal meda, and emal. The rsks are partcularly prevalent for HRDs wth hgh profles or who have contnued ther human rghts actvtes n exle. HRDs lvng as urban refugees, and who consder themselves to be at hgh rsk, often attempt to keep a low profle and avod ntegratng wth the rest of the refugee communty. Ths tends to solate them, and lmts ther access to dfferent DefendDefenders page v

12 avenues of support. The annexes of ths report map out refugee and human rghts organsatons that provde servces to HRDs lvng n exle as a resource gude for HRDs lvng n Kampala, Kgal, and Narob. Uganda and Kenya, two of the most stable countres n the sub-regon, have long been destnatons for HRDs fleeng ther countres. Wth the development of the Burundan poltcal crss n Aprl 2015, Rwanda has also become a hub. A small porton of HRDs sought refuge n camps and refugee settlements; however, the vast majorty have chosen to resde n captal ctes. Whle the Unted Natons Hgh Commssoner for Refugees UNHCR) and refugee organsatons provde servces to refugees lvng n camps and settlements, urban refugees are expected to be self-suffcent, and there are sgnfcantly less support mechansms avalable. The polces and atttudes of the governments of Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda towards refugees and HRDs vary consderably. In recent years, Kenya has become ncreasngly hostle towards refugees, partcularly those from Somala. The government s announcement on 6 May 2016 that t was revokng the prma face 1 status of Somals, declarng ts ntenton to close ts refugee camps, and ts suspenson of the Department of Refugee Affars a key body n the management of refugees s a worryng development for both HRDs and refugees at large. 2 Even before the announcement, HRDs reported sufferng from restrctons on movement, dffcultes n obtanng offcal refugee status and work permts, the hgh cost of lvng, securty rsks, and challenges wth the Kenyan polce. Uganda s generally regarded as havng one of the most welcomng and progressve refugee polces n the world. Numerous HRDs have establshed promnent regonal organsatons whle lvng n exle n Kampala, and have been able to operate freely. The Uganda Refugee Act 2006) s generally consdered to be a strong model for the protecton of refugee rghts, yet t also curtals the space for HRDs by prohbtng refugees from undertakng any poltcal actvtes, whch accordng to the offcals at the Ugandan Offce of the Prme Mnster OPM) could nclude human rghts work. Whle ths porton of the law has not been wdely enforced, the lack of a clear defnton of poltcal actvtes 1 As defned by UNHCR, prma face approach means the recognton by a State or UNHCR of refugee status on the bass of readly apparent, object crcumstances n the country of orgn or, n the case o n the case of stateless asylum seekers, ther country of former habtual resdence. A prma face approach acknowledges that those fleeng these crcumstances are at rsk of harm that brngs them wthn the applcable refugee defnton. 2 UNHCR, UNHCR appeals to Kenya over decson to end refugee hostng, 9 May 2016, html page v Exled and n Lmbo

13 s concernng and could have a major mpact on the work of HRDs resdng n the country. Whle HRDs n Uganda and Kenya come from a wde varety of countres n the sub-regon, 94% of urban refugees n Rwanda s captal Kgal come from Burund and began to arrve n Aprl Pror to the outbreak of the crss and subsequent nflux of Burundan refugees, there were lttle f any refugee organsatons provdng assstance to urban refugees. There are a sgnfcant amount of Burundan human rghts actvsts and journalsts lvng n Kgal and many have attempted to contnue ther human rghts actvtes. However, dffcultes n obtanng fundng, regsterng organsatons, and uncertanty about ther future outsde of Burund have been substantal challenges. The goal of those targetng HRDs s often to slence ther crtcsm. Strengthenng support mechansms for medum to long-term support for HRDs n exle wll enable them to contnue ther vtal work to promote and protect human rghts n the East and Horn of Afrca sub-regon. 3 UNHCR Rwanda, Where we work: UNHCR s presence n Rwanda, php?rubrque4 DefendDefenders page x

14 Summary of Recommendatons To Human Rghts Defenders Carefully consder the country you choose for exle, ncludng factors such as the country s refugee polcy, securty, cost of lvng, opportuntes for work, language barrers, servces avalable, and the educaton system; Immedately legalse your status upon arrval n exle; Conduct a securty assessment or seek assstance) consderng potental rsks, vulnerabltes, and capactes and develop protocols to mtgate those rsks; Identfy avenues of support and take proactve steps n obtanng servces; If targeted, report ncdents to local polce when t s safe to do so, as well as to UNHCR and/or to protecton NGOs n the country. To Non-Governmental Organsatons Increase coordnaton and engagement between human rghts and refugee organsatons to address protecton and servce gaps mpactng HRDs n exle. Provde opportuntes for the employment of HRDs through nternshps, fellowshps, and full-tme employment; Develop nternal mechansms for medum and long-term support of HRDs; Engage wth host governments on the ablty of HRDs to contnue ther actvtes n exle through the provson of work permts and the regstraton of organsatons. To the Unted Natons Hgh Commssoner for Refugees Expedte relocaton for HRDs that face securty rsks n the host country; Recognse that HRDs face unque protecton rsks and develop protecton strateges to support HRDs contnung ther human rghts work n exle. To Donors Provde flexble fundng and structural support to assst HRDs n settng up organsatons and contnung human rghts work n exle. page x Exled and n Lmbo

15 To the Kenyan government Remove restrctons on the freedom of movement of refugees and enable HRDs to contnue human rghts actvtes by facltatng access to work permts; Ensure protecton of refugees at rsk and the full mplementaton of protectve measures n the Refugee Act 2006); Renstate the Department of Refugee Affars and ensure they have adequate resources to respond to the needs of HRDs and refugees at large. To the Ugandan government Amend the Refugee Act 2006) to remove Secton 35d) whch prohbts refugees from undertakng poltcal work, to remove restrctons on refugees rghts and fundamental freedoms protected under the Ugandan Consttuton, Afrcan Charter on Human and Peoples Rghts, Internatonal Covenant on Cvl and Poltcal Rghts, and the Unversal Declaraton of Human Rghts; In conjuncton wth UNHCR, create protecton mechansms for HRDs lvng n Kampala, such as the renstatement of safe houses. To the Rwandan government Amend the NGO law to remove excessve obstacles and to make regstraton of non-governmental organsatons more accessble. To the European Unon, and governments of Australa, Canada, Norway, and the Unted States Prortse the cases of HRDs at rsk n the sub-regon and ther famles for resettlement; Implement the EU Gudelnes on Human Rghts Defenders 2004) and natonal mplementaton strateges for the support of HRDs by provdng practcal support to HRDs n exle, ncludng fnancal assstance for those seekng to contnue ther work and/or establsh organsatons n exle. DefendDefenders page x

16 Methodology Ths report s based on extensve feld and desk research conducted between January and May 2016, and the experence the organsaton has ganed workng wth HRDs n exle over the past decade. In producng ths report, DefendDefenders researcher conducted ntervews wth 50 human rghts defenders from Ertrea, Ethopa, Somala, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Burund lvng n Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, 11 government and dplomatc offcals, and 33 representatves from INGOs. Intervews were conducted n Englsh, Amharc, Somal, Arabc, and French wth the help of translators when necessary. DefendDefenders s grateful to all those who contrbuted to ths report through ntervews and meetngs. To preserve the anonymty of those ntervewed, some names and dentfyng detals have been omtted or changed. page x Exled and n Lmbo

17 The East and Horn of Afrca Map modfed from Unted Natons Geospatal Informaton Secton DefendDefenders page 1

18 I. Overvew of trends, challenges, and support mechansms for human rghts defenders n exle Over the last decade, the contnued and worsenng restrctons on cvc space n the East and Horn of Afrca sub-regon have forced a growng number of human rghts defenders nto exle. As HRDs make the decson to flee to countres across and beyond the sub-regon, the majorty choose to relocate to urban areas n Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. DefendDefenders has dentfed at least 350 HRDs and journalsts lvng n exle n Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, however the fgure s lkely to be much hgher. Although some of these HRDs have receved emergency protecton grants from human rghts organsatons such as DefendDefenders, emergency support s generally restrcted to a perod of 3 to 6 months, whle HRDs could face years n exle. There are numerous challenges unque to HRDs n exle, that go beyond the general dffcultes faced by dsplaced populatons n the regon. Specfc support mechansms are needed not only to help HRDs survve, but also to effectvely contnue ther human rghts work n the regon. Why and where do they go? page 2 Exled and n Lmbo In the same way that governments n the sub-regon present a dverse range of challenges to the work of HRDs, the reasons why HRDs flee ther countres, often forced to leave behnd ther famles, frends, and worldly possessons, vary. At tmes, exle can be the result of specfc threats or attacks aganst an ndvdual. Ths occurs commonly n the sub-regon, especally when HRDs are vocal on crtcal governance, mpunty, and accountablty ssues, and n countres experencng conflct. In perods of extreme nsecurty, such as Ethopa after the 2005 postelecton crackdown, the South Sudan cvl war that broke out n 2013, or the 2015 electon-related crss n Burund, large portons of cvl socety fled en masse. At tmes, entre organsatons and meda outlets have been targeted, resultng n large numbers leavng the country. In Sudan, a governmentfuelled backlash aganst cvl socety took place after Presdent Omar al-bashr s ndctment by the Internatonal Crmnal Court n March Followng the Presdent s ndctment, the government shut down three of the country s leadng natonal NGOs 4. In Ethopa, sx 4 The three organsatons are SUDO the Sudan Socal Development Organsaton), the Amal Center for Rehabltaton of Vctms of

19 newspapers and magaznes were shut down and branded as terrorst organsatons n August 2014, forcng dozens of journalsts nto exle. 5 Ths was also the case n Burund after the country s rado statons were shut down by the government, damaged, and looted, and major cvl socety organsatons were suspended and had ther bank accounts closed down. 6 Based on 50 ntervews conducted wth HRDs lvng n exle n Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, t was found that 46% of HRDs fled ther countres after facng drect threats to ther securty such as ntmdaton, death threats, and harassment. Another 26% of ntervewed HRDs were ether prevously arrested or had warrants ssued for ther arrest, and half of those that had been detaned reported that they were tortured n detenton. 1% of the ntervewees reported that they were physcally attacked, and the majorty of these attacks occurred n or around ther homes. The remanng 10% left the country based on general nsecurty and dffcultes contnung ther human rghts work. Volence, and the Khartoum Center for Human Rghts Development and Envronment. 5 The sx newspapers and magaznes are Fact, Lom, Adds Guday, Jano, Afro-Tmes, and Enqu. 6 DefendDefenders, Burund: Soon, there wll be no human rghts defenders left // Burund: Bentôt, l n y aura plus de défenseurs des drots de l homme, 24 November 2015, burund-soon-there-wll-be-no-human-rghtsdefenders-left-burund-bentot-l-ny-aura-plusde-defenseurs-des-drots-de-lhomme/ In most cases, due to the unpredctable nature of ther work, HRDs choose ther country of destnaton n a rush and wthout carefully consderng the mplcatons of lvng n that locaton. Ease of travel, proxmty to ther country of orgn, as well as connectons n the country of destnaton are often the key consderatons, whereas securty, opportuntes to contnue ther work, and cost of lvng are not always factored n. Reasons for exle Fgures based off of 50 ntervews wth HRDs lvng n Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Securty can rapdly become a concern f a host government has close tes to an HRD s country of orgn, or f the host country s unwllng or unable to ensure securty. Lvng among refugees from the same country also presents securty rsks as nformaton on the whereabouts and actvtes of an HRD could be more easly gathered. Natonal refugee polces often requre refugees to reman n the frst country they arrved n, makng DefendDefenders page 3

20 t all the more necessary for HRDs to carefully consder ther optons before leavng ther countres. Cost of lvng, labour laws and regulatons n the host country are other factors that are rarely examned, and yet crtcal for HRDs n exle. Becomng an urban refugee s nherently more expensve than gong to a camp, yet the vast majorty of HRDs choose to resde n ctes. Several of the HRDs ntervewed n the course of ths research chose locatons or had locatons chosen for them based on ther need for medcal treatment. Sx journalsts ntervewed from Somala, Burund, and South Sudan left ther countres to seek medcal treatment after beng attacked or tortured as a result of ther work, and could not safely access medcal treatment n ther home countres. Whle each of the journalsts was able to obtan medcal treatment n exle, many have resdual condtons stemmng from the attacks. Amna, 7 a rado reporter from Mogadshu, Somala, reported beng shot eght tmes n the chest and abdomen by Al Shabaab agents. The attackers then went to the hosptal where she was beng treated and threatened the medcal staff carng for her. For securty purposes, she had to be relocated to Narob, where she receved further treatment before beng sent to Kakuma refugee camp. 7 Pseudonym used She s stll facng serous medcal challenges but cannot afford health care. Dependng on the severty of the ncdent that prompted them to leave, some HRDs are able to return to ther homes after a short perod of tme for rest and respte after nternal or external relocaton. In these cases, they often prefer not to seek asylum or refugee status. At other ponts, HRDs leave ther countres but wth the antcpaton of beng able to return after a perod of tme. Another varable s when conflct s a drvng factor n the decson to go nto exle. In ths scenaro, many HRDs wll reman n exle for however long t takes for the crss to resolve tself, as has been the case wth the exodus of HRDs from Somala, and most recently Burund. Ths scenaro presents longlastng and complex challenges, as HRDs attempt to plan ther personal and professonal futures wthout knowng how long they wll have to stay outsde of ther home countres. Often the most challengng stuatons are those of chronc exle, when HRDs are not able to return to ther countres of orgn. The East Afrcan Communty has been largely slent on the refugee ssue n the sub-regon. The only menton of refugees n the Treaty for the Establshment of the East Afrcan Communty s n Artcle 124, whch requres that Partner states undertake to establsh common page 4 Exled and n Lmbo

21 mechansms for the management of refugees. However, lttle has been undertaken to mplement ths clause. Choosng between ctes and refugee camps The majorty of HRDs that go nto exle opt to lve as urban refugees n captal ctes over refugee camps, ctng nsecurty and the challenges of workng from the refugee camps as the prmary reasons. However, due to the lmted support avalable and the fnancal challenges of lvng n ctes, some of the HRDs ntervewed were forced to reman n the refugee camps. In all three countres studed durng ths research, the majorty of humantaran ad s concentrated n refugee camps, and servces n urban settngs are therefore lmted. Addtonally, governments n the subregon generally dscourage refugees from settlng n urban areas. Many host governments and ad agences work under the assumpton that refugees who choose to lve n an urban settng must be self-suffcent, and therefore lmted psychosocal, medcal care and educatonal support mechansms for refugees are n place n ctes. Ths presents major challenges for refugees wth lmted to no ncome, who have to cover the cost of housng, food, medcal Artcle 124 4) Treaty for the Establshment of the East Afrcan Communty 1999), treates/en/eac/trt_eac.pdf DefendDefenders care, and educaton servces all of whch are provded by humantaran agences and organsatons n the refugee camps. For HRDs lvng n exle for long perods of tme, the fnancal burden of lvng n ctes can result n them choosng to rsk returnng to ther home countres or movng to the refugee camps. Others decde to go to refugee camps drectly; n Uganda ths s as a result of the substantal servces and lvelhood optons avalable n the settlements, and those movng to Kenya from Somala and South Sudan do so due to the proxmty of the camps to the border. In Uganda, the refugee settlements are set up dfferently from the large camps n Kenya and Rwanda. The Ugandan government, faced wth a longstandng refugee crss stemmng from numerous conflcts n the sub-regon, has attempted to ntegrate refugees nto local communtes by gvng them land to buld homes and plant crops, and provdng access to prmary and secondary educaton. Camps n Kenya and Rwanda generally separate refugee and host communtes, and are ntended to be temporary mechansms. In many of the settlements and camps, refugees wll choose to resde n the same areas as other members of ther communtes, potentally makng t easer for HRDs to be found, whch can jeopardse ther safety. page 5

22 The Afrcan Centre for Justce and Peace Studes ACJPS) was founded by Sudanese HRDs who fled to Uganda after ther NGOs n Sudan were forcbly closed. The March 2009 crackdown on cvl socety n Sudan targeted HRDs for cooperatng wth the Internatonal Crmnal Court nvestgatons nto Sudanese Presdent al-bashr. Immedately after ther NGOs were shutdown, a group of fve Sudanese HRDs regstered ACJPS n Kampala. Snce then, the organsaton has grown to become one of the leadng human rghts organsatons conductng research and advocacy on Sudan, and contnues to publsh regular reports from ther headquarters n Kampala, Uganda. Lfe n exle Contnung human rghts work The deep commtment of many HRDs to ther work leads them to persevere, usng the relatve safety of exle to speak out openly about human rghts abuses n ther countres. There are numerous challenges to contnung human rghts work as a refugee ncludng securty rsks, language barrers, work permts and regulatons, and the ablty to both access and dssemnate nformaton. It s better to empower organsatons n exle than have them resettle outsde of Afrca and become slent 9 In some cases, HRDs have set up organsatons n exle, allowng them to contnue dong publc human rghts work through ther montorng networks on the ground. However, regstraton of NGOs by foregn natonals remans a common 9 Intervew conducted wth Ertrean journalst n Kampala Aprl 2016 page 6 Exled and n Lmbo challenge throughout the subregon, whch can lmt ther access to fundng. HRDs are concerned about organsatons beng dened regstraton or beng shutdown because of the geo-poltcal concerns of the host government. At tmes, an NGO s ablty to work on ssues unrelated to those n the host country and access to work permts can be lmted. Ths s partcularly challengng n Uganda where the Ugandan Refugee Act 2006) prohbts refugees from engagng on poltcal actvtes, and n Kenya where, despte guarantees of free work permts for refugees n the Kenyan Refugee Act 2006), t s nearly mpossble for HRDs to access permts n practce. These challenges are examned closely n both countres sectons n ths report.

23 It s hell beng n exle. Especally beng an actvst and journalst. Beng a refugee s the worst but gong back to Somala s lke dggng my own grave. 10 Securty factors Securty n ther home and host countres was the most sgnfcant concern rased by HRDs over the course of ths research. HRDs reported recevng ntmdatng anonymous phone calls and SMS messages, as well as beng harassed over socal meda and emal whle lvng n exle. Addtonally, some HRDs reported physcal encounters where they were threatened drectly, had ther homes broken nto, or were attacked. DefendDefenders spoke wth Abd 11, a 29-year-old Somal journalst who had fled to Narob n 200 after hs home was attacked. He contnued to work for Somal meda outlets n Narob and told our research team that he receved a number of threatenng anonymous phone calls, addng that when someone on the phone descrbes what you are wearng and where you are located, t makes you feel mentally ll. Furthermore, ndvduals he beleves were lnked to extremsts reportedly went to hs mother s home n Somala and told her they would kll hm f he ddn t stop reportng. I don t know why they are stll after me. I am stll scared untl today... I receved threats whle n Kakuma refugee camp and more n Narob. I am very cautous. I don t trust anyone. I am always worred that new people I meet could be the ones that were targetng me. 11 Threats aganst HRDs are at the root of ther decson to go nto exle, and fear that those threats wll follow them even after leavng the country plague the vast majorty of defenders. 10 Intervew conducted wth Somal journalst n February Intervew wth Somala journalst lvng n Narob n February 2016 DefendDefenders In March 2014, three men attacked Abd whle he walkng to hs home n Eastlegh, Narob. He was stabbed n the stomach but was too frghtened to go to the hosptal. In the days followng the attack, Kenyan authortes arrested hm for not havng the necessary documentaton to lve outsde of the refugee camps. Abd was transferred to Kakuma refugee camp where he was fnally able to receve treatment. He contnues to suffer from medcal ssues as a result of the attack, and whle he reported the threats and attack to the Kenyan polce, the case remans unsolved. page 7

24 Ths s partcularly the case for hgh profle HRDs and those who contnue to be vocal about human rghts whle lvng n exle. 62% of HRDs ntervewed reported that they had been threatened whle n exle. The numbers of threats were partcularly hgh among Ethopans, Somals, and Rwandans. Many of the HRDs ntervewed fear that agents from ther governments wll attempt to attack or abduct them. Whle DefendDefenders has found no documented cases of HRDs beng kdnapped or klled n exle n Kenya, Rwanda, or Uganda, there have been attempts reported and members of poltcal opposton movements from Ethopa, Rwanda, and Burund have been assassnated and abducted n exle. That alone has created consderable fear among HRDs, whose work s often tmes perceved as poltcal n nature. 12 In certan stuatons, t can be crtcal for the famles of HRDs to also be relocated outsde of the country for securty purposes. Ths has been partcularly necessary for HRDs from Burund and Somala, whose famles have been attacked n retrbuton for the actvtes undertaken by HRDs n exle. For example, on 6 November 2015, the son of promnent Burundan actvst Perre Claver Mbonmpa was arrested by Burundan polce n Bujumbura and found dead hours later Pseudonym used 13 EHAHRDP strongly condemns Whle these threats are more prevalent for HRDs n exle n the sub-regon, they can at tmes extend to those who are resettled outsde of East Afrca, especally f they reman vocal on human rghts ssues n ther home countres. For example, Maram 14 an Ertrean HRD lvng n Europe, had her home address and personal nformaton shared, and her lfe threatened on an Ertrean webste due to her contnued advocacy on the human rghts stuaton n Ertrea. 15 The Ertrean government has been partcularly actve n targetng HRDs n exle, even outsde of sub- Saharan Afrca, through ntmdaton, harassment, and legal proceedngs. For example, n the Netherlands, eght court cases have been brought aganst meda houses, the Dutch government, and ndvduals speakng out aganst the Ertrean regme by ndvduals assocated wth the Ertrean government. 16 Several exled HRDs reported attempted break-ns of ther homes n Narob. Whle crme s not uncommon n urban areas, some of assassnaton of Perre-Claver Mbonmpa s son and escalatng volence n Burund, EHAHRDP, 6 November 2015, org/2015/11/ehahrdp-strongly-condemnsassassnaton-of-perre-claver-mbonmpas-sonand-escalatng-volence-n-burund/ 14 Pseudonym used 15 Intervew wth Ertrean HRD n March Martn Plaut, How Ertrea s turnng to Dutch courts to slence ts crtcs, The Guardan, 1 March 2016, world/2016/mar/01/how-ertrea-s-turnng-todutch-courts-to-slence-ts-crtcs page Exled and n Lmbo

25 these ncdents appear to have been targeted. For example, n January 2014 an Ethopan journalst n Narob had hs laptop stolen at hs home, whle other valuables were left untouched. A 27-year-old Somal journalst reported that when he went home to hs neghbourhood of Narob, there were three Somal men tryng to get nto hs home. He pretended to be a dfferent tenant after the men asked questons about the person who lved n hs flat. No smlar break-n ncdents n Kgal or Kampala were reported to the research team. Most HRDs try to mtgate these securty rsks by keepng a low profle and avodng unnecessary movement, partcularly n places and at tmes that mght make them more vulnerable. Some also try to contnue ther work anonymously, and lmt the number of those aware of ther whereabouts. Most HRDs recevng threats on ther phones have reacted by changng SIM cards, and for those facng physcal attacks, changng ther place of resdence s a common securty tactc. However, frequent moves can be a major fnancal burden. HRDs have also attempted to lmt ther nteractons wth other refugees from the same country and tred to relocate to areas away from other refugees n order to avod ndvduals who could dentfy them and pose securty rsks. Some HRDs contnue to use fake names and le about ther country of orgn to mtgate DefendDefenders such danger. Fear of threats from agents from ther countres has also made HRDs apprehensve about usng nterpreters when reportng ther securty concerns to UNHCR, protecton organsatons, or the host country s authortes. All too often these ncdents go unreported to the polce, UNHCR, or NGOs wth protecton mandates, and n cases where ncdents are reported, nvestgatons are generally nconclusve. Economc factors I have no plan. We don t know when the crss wll end and whle I want to contnue my actvsm I also have to eat. It s hard to be fully engaged when you don t know how to lve. 17 As noted above, lvng n urban areas s fnancally demandng, especally for those wthout a regular ncome. HRDs n Kgal and Narob are partcularly concerned about the hgh cost of lvng and uncertan about how they wll survve. One Ethopan journalst DefendDefenders provded a protecton grant to, who was forced to leave the country after the August 2014 crackdown, became homeless and was lvng on the streets of Narob. 17 Intervew wth Burundan women s rghts actvst lvng n Rwanda n May 2016 page 9

26 Many HRDs were the breadwnners of ther famles before they were forced nto exle. Some are able to brng ther famles wth them, whle others cannot afford the relocaton costs for ther famles to jon them. Those who are reunted wth ther famles face challenges wth supportng them and provdng for basc costs, such as food, housng, health care, and school fees n exle. I do not have a home. I have only a mattress that I share wth two other people that we lay down on the floor of a salon when t closes at nght. The area I m stayng n s not safe but I have no optons. 1 The majorty of HRDs ntervewed have dffcultes makng long term plans wthout consstent ncome as they look for a durable soluton. Whle many HRDs receved some sort of emergency assstance when they frst left ther country, most beleved that they would contnue to receve support, or would be able to return to ther home country wthn a short perod of tme. Many of the HRDs ntervewed were unaware of other avenues of support from refugee organsatons and host governments, and as a result had spent money on servces that could have been provded to them for free, such as language courses, medcal treatment, psychosocal counsellng, and educaton for ther chldren. 1 Intervew wth a Burundan journalst lvng n Narob n February 2016 Psychosocal factors Many HRDs n exle face a range of psychosocal challenges. Some of those ntervewed were tortured or attacked n ther home countres. Others have dffculty adaptng to a new country where they lack support mechansms and do not necessarly understand the language or culture. Sometmes I thnk I don t have a future. 19 Whle very few HRDs were physcally attacked whle n exle, the fear of beng targeted was hghly prevalent among many ntervewees. Many HRDs were lvng n urban areas and some held promnent postons before beng forced nto exle, makng ther new lves all the more dffcult to adjust to. Refugees often have ther lves frozen n a holdng pattern whle they wat to be resettled or for thngs to calm down n ther home countres. Ths can cause depresson and dstress over feelng a lack of purpose, especally those who are unable to contnue ther work. I was once respected but now I have to beg. 20 Many HRDs do not realse they have been psychologcally affected and lack awareness of the benefts of therapy. Emotonal wellbeng s 1 Intervew wth Somal journalst lvng n Narob n February Intervew wth Burundan journalst lvng n Narob n February 2016 page 10 Exled and n Lmbo

27 frequently neglected, especally f HRDs have securty or lvelhood needs that take precedent n ther mnds. Even when HRDs contnue to face effects from past traumas, some refuse to attend to ther psychosocal needs. The need to reconcle the trauma of what happened n ther home country wth challenges of ther current lves n exle can be dffcult to overcome. Support Mechansms A common ssue rased by HRDs n the course of ths research was the lack of knowledge of exstng support mechansms and how they could be accessed. Ths secton examnes the types of support avalable and challenges HRDs have encountered to obtan those servces. The annexes of ths report map out the varous servces provded by refugee and human rghts organsatons to assst HRDs n exle. Obtanng servces n exle more for publc health servces and some schools request an admsson fee before admttng refugee chldren, despte the fact that prmary educaton s meant to be free to all. 21 HRDs ntervewed confrmed these challenges, notng that they are often requred to pay hgher costs than the local communty. In all three countres of ths research, refugees n urban areas are permtted to access publc health clncs and hosptals. Prmary school educaton s also offered to refugee chldren lvng n exle, however the vast majorty of refugee chldren do not attend school, ncludng those of HRDs. In Kgal, 59% of school age refugee students do not attend school because ther famles cannot afford admnstraton fees and costs of unforms, school lunches, transport, and books, or smply do not know how to enrol. 22 In Kampala, the Xaver Project found that only 35% of refugee prmary-aged chldren and 1.7% of secondary-aged students attend school. 23 Agan, the hgh Whle there are lmted servces avalable to HRDs n exle, n Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, they do have access to natonal servces such as medcal treatment and educaton by law. However, n practce, many HRDs have not been able to access these basc servces. An assessment of urban refugees n Narob found that they often pay hgher rent than Kenyans, are charged DefendDefenders 21 Sara Pavanello, Samr Elhawary, and Sara Pantulano, Hdden and exposed: Urban refugees n Narob, Kenya, March 2010, Humantaran Polcy Group, resources/docs/55.pdf 22 Church World Servce and YWCA Rwanda, Mappng of urban refugees access to essental servces n Rwanda, January 2016, cwsglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ Rwanda-Urban-Refugee-HH-survey-report_3- Feb-2016.pdf 23 Xaver Project, The Lmts of Unversal Educaton: Barrers to Enrolment for Urban Refugees n Kampala, December 2015, uploads/2016/03/lmts-of-unversal-educaton_ Fnal-Verson.pdf page 11

28 amount requred for school fees and related costs s the prmary reason refugee chldren are unable to attend school. In addton, language can be a sgnfcant barrer for students that do not speak the language of the host country or had prevously been enrolled n dfferent language systems. very strct, and rules such as not communcatng wth anyone outsde of the resdence and HRDs have found the restrctons on phones and nternet dffcult to follow. If anyone n the safe house breaks these drectves t can endanger all of the nhabtants, as the locaton of the safe house could be compromsed. The Rwandan government says there s free educaton for our chldren but when you go to regster you are dened, and they say there are not enough servces for Rwandans so why should you get a place? 24 HRDs that do not have proper documentaton of ther status are often afrad of tryng to obtan servces they are enttled to. Ths s partcularly a problem n Narob where the country s encampment polcy compellng refugees to resde n Kenya s two refugee camps has left numerous HRDs wthout legal permsson to lve outsde of the camps. Protecton mechansms Even though HRDs face numerous securty rsks whle n exle, there are a number of protecton mechansms avalable to them. In Narob, UNHCR manages safe houses, however, the protocols are 24 Intervew wth Burundan HRD lvng n Kgal n May 2016 page 12 Exled and n Lmbo The Ugandan and Kenyan governments contend that t s safer for refugees to lve n camps and settlements, whch are often n remote locatons, and have protecton areas that are montored by the polce. In Kenya, both Kakuma and Dadaab have safe havens, whch are temporary protecton areas n the camps. However, these are short-term facltes, and generally endangered ndvduals are moved to a dfferent camp. In Uganda, each settlement has protecton areas that are adjacent to the settlement polce post. However, some HRDs have expressed concern that beng n a protecton area may actually draw more attenton to ther vulnerablty. A key challenge rased by HRDs was the ablty to access UNHCR for protecton and resettlement ssues and a lack of understandng of UNHCR processes. For example, several hghly threatened HRDs from Ethopa, who experenced torture or were sentenced n absenta, have not been able to obtan ther refugee status or make substantve progress on ther resettlement cases. Others who have

29 been threatened and even attacked n Kenya have not been able to obtan meetngs wth UNHCR to rase ther protecton concerns. As noted n above sectons, contnung human rghts actvtes n exle could ncrease securty threats facng HRDs. Ths has resulted n numerous refugee organsatons and UNHCR generally advsng HRDs to stop ther human rghts work. Whle n some cases t may ndeed be too dangerous for HRDs to contnue to work on human rghts whle n exle n the sub-regon, ths s not necessarly the stuaton of all HRDs. Often the reason HRDs were forced to flee ther homes was because ndvduals were tryng to slence ther crtcsm, and by drectng HRDs to end ther work, the perpetrators of abuses aganst them acheve ther goal. In order to address ths, ntatves should be created to facltate HRDs to contnue ther work to promote and protect cvl lbertes n a secure manner. I try my best to be secure but I m determned to take the rsk. Otherwse we wll be slent and that s what they want 25 In addton to protecton measures undertaken by UNHCR and host governments, there are also numerous NGOs provdng protecton support to HRDs n exle. There are at least ten organsatons that offer 25 Intervew conducted wth Ertrean journalst n Kampala Aprl 2016 DefendDefenders protecton grants to journalsts and another eleven that provde grants to HRDs more broadly. Addtonally, NGOs such as DefendDefenders, offer tranng and gudance on both physcal and dgtal securty management for HRDs and journalsts facng securty rsks. In Uganda and Kenya, there are also organsatons that provde legal and protecton support to refugees ncludng Has Trust, the Refugee Law Project, Ktuo Cha Shera, and the Refugee Consortum of Kenya. Addtonally, there are protectve fellowshps such as Justce and Peace s Shelter Cty Intatve and the Unversty of York s Protectve Fellowshp Scheme that offer HRDs the ablty to temporarly seek shelter outsde of ther country whle ganng sklls to advance ther work. A comprehensve lst of fellowshps and refugee and human rghts organsatons provdng assstance to HRDs n exle can be found n the annexes of ths report. Communty support networks Even n areas where formal support mechansms are lackng, refugee communtes often form organsatons or communty assocatons to contnue ther work, advocate for the rghts of refugees, and share nformaton. They serve as a valuable resource for both HRDs and the broader refugee communty, however they often lack fnancal support and page 13

30 The Darfur Refugee Assocaton s a regstered communty-based organsaton that was formed n 2010 n Kampala and s run by volunteers wth donatons from communty members. It asssts new arrvals to Uganda wth regstraton and provdes techncal and fnancal support to Darfurs n need. The assocaton s also nvolved n protecton and advocacy efforts to assst the needs of Darfurs lvng n Kampala. resources for developng structures. Churches and mosques at tmes provde avenues of psychosocal and materal support, however, access to these mechansms can be lmted. Some Ethopans ntervewed feared that attendng Orthodox churches could amplfy rsks for them, as government agents and embassy offcals also attend these churches. Many Ethopan HRDs felt separated from ther fath for ths reason, and avoded attendng. Resettlement Whle many HRDs gong nto exle have expectatons that UNHCR wll prortse ther resettlement, the process s long and complcated and many HRDs were unaware of how to navgate the resettlement process and ts challenges. Upon arrval n ther host countres, refugees are faced wth the dffcult realty that resettlement often takes many years. Only 1% of the world s refugees are resettled, and those most hghly prortsed are ndvduals facng mmnent threats to ther lves or lvng n locatons where the legal systems n place are unwllng or unable to provde securty. 26 Whle many HRDs faced serous rsks n ther home country, the majorty are able to lve n the surroundng regon wthout crtcal securty threats. However, t s common for HRDs n exle, partcularly those contnung ther human rghts work, to encounter varous levels of harassment and ntmdaton as detaled n sectons above. For the most part, these threats are not consdered serous enough for UNHCR to hghly prortse ther cases for mmedate resettlement. The process was for sexual mnortes from Uganda who came under attack after the now annulled Ant-Homosexualty Act 2014) was passed and fled to Kenya has often been expedted, because homosexualty s also llegal n the host country. However, even wth the prorty status gven to sexual mnortes, resettlement currently takes at mnmum 1.5 years, wth exceptons made n cases where there s a proven mmnent threat to lfe. On average, t takes at least 3 to 5 years for HRDs to be resettled and t s not uncommon for cases to take sgnfcantly longer. There are numerous HRDs from Somala that have been lvng as refugees n Kenya 26 UNHCR, Resettlement, unhcr.org/resettlement.html page 14 Exled and n Lmbo

31 snce 2007 wthout makng sgnfcant progress towards resettlement. In Kenya, only 3,000 refugees are resettled each year accordng to UNHCR, whch amounts to only 0.5% of the country s total refugee populaton. Addtonally, the current watng perod for an ntal ntervew as part of the Refugee Status Determnaton RSD) process s two years for average cases. Many HRDs feel that ther cases should be fast tracked gven that ther exle was a result of ther human rghts work; however, many refugee agences are reluctant to consder HRDs as a specal group and beleve t to be an ethcal dlemma to prortse groups of refugees. Oftentmes, they wll leave t to the future host countres to determne what category of refugees they wll offer resettlement to. It has also made resettlement and accessng vsas ncreasngly dffcult on HRDs seekng to travel or resettle to Europe. The refugee crss has resulted n European governments ncreasngly fundng and reportedly makng agreements wth authortaran governments such as Sudan and Ertrea, renforcng ther abusve polces. 2 Addtonally, the amount of refugees beng accepted from countres that formerly had prma face status or were hghly prortsed has dramatcally decreased. For example, n the past, the UK government accepted 95% of Ertreans applcatons for asylum but that has now decreased to 2%. 29 I m so dsapponted and hopeless. My case s clear but nothng s happenng wth my resettlement. What am I supposed to do? 27 Whle there has been a sgnfcant focus on the refugee crss n Europe, the crss has also had an mpact on refugees n the East and Horn of Afrca. European governments have begun to reallocate fundng to provde for refugees wthn ther countres, whch has had a causal mpact on those needng assstance n the sub-regon. 27 Intervew wth Somal HRD lvng n Kampala n Aprl 2016 DefendDefenders 2 IRIN, Sudan and Ertrea crackdown on mgrants amd reports of EU ncentves, 25 May news/2016/05/25/sudan-and-ertrea-crackdownmgrants-amd-reports-eu-ncentves 25 May sudan-and-ertrea-crackdown-mgrants-amdreports-eu-ncentves 29 The Guardan, Should Europe pay to stop refugees fleeng oppressve Ertrea? 2 Aprl 2016, apr/2/eu-plan-to-pay-mllons-to-ertrea page 15

32 II. Human rghts defenders n exle n Kenya Lvng n Narob s dffcult because of securty, fear, and the state of beng hungry. I cannot afford to send my chldren to school. 30 Narob hosts over 63,000 of Kenya s nearly 600,000 refugees. 31 The majorty of HRDs n exle n Kenya are from Somala, Ethopa, and South Sudan, but there are also numerous HRDs from Uganda, Sudan, Burund, and Ertrea. Unlke many of the other groups of HRDs n exle, a large number of Somal HRDs have been able to contnue ther work due to the numerous Somal meda outlets based n or wth exstng branches n Narob. A group of Somals have also formed the Somal Exled Journalst Network Assocaton SEJNAS), whch provdes advce for exled journalsts, asssts them wth the vsa and refugee process, refers cases to UNHCR, and helps exled journalsts apply for support. Accordng to SEJNAS there are currently an estmated 6 Somal journalsts lvng n Kenya, the majorty of whch fled after threats or attacks, prmarly from extremst 30 Intervew wth Burundan journalst lvng n Narob n February UNHCR, Kenya Factsheet Aprl 2016, 30 Aprl 2016, nt/stes/relefweb.nt/fles/resources/ KenyaOperatonalFactSheetAprl2016.pdf groups such as Al Shabaab. 32 There are currently at least 3 Ethopan journalsts lvng n exle n Narob, the majorty of whch fled after the Ethopan government ntated a severe and targeted crackdown aganst journalsts n Very few have been able to fnd employment or a durable soluton snce they arrved n Kenya. In Somala you only fear to de but n Kenya the problems are securty, fnances, support actually thngs are worse here. 34 By contrast, Sudanese and South Sudanese HRDs do not feel lke they are currenly at hgh rsk n Narob. Some HRDs have become communty leaders and organse communty events such as local concerts and sports tournaments, whle three of those ntervewed have worked to regster ther own NGOs n Kenya. As a South Sudanese student actvst noted, I feel very safe here and am not afrad of beng vocal. 32 Intervew wth Somal journalst n Narob n February Intervew wth Somal journalst n Narob n February 2016 DefendDefenders, Caught up n btter contests: human rghts defenders workng n the context of electons n Sudan, Ethopa, Burund, and Uganda, September 2015, org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/caught-up-n- Btter-Contests.pdf 34 Intervew wth Somal journalst n Narob n February 2016 page 16 Exled and n Lmbo

33 Somal journalsts n exle n Narob are now facng a lot of fear and askng themselves many questons: Where wll ther future be? How can they stay n safe? Where wll they move? Wth the closure of Dadaab what wll happen to those lvng as urban refugees? Kenyan polce have started askng those of us n Eastlegh for dentfcaton cards, and when we show the refugee cards and mandate, polce start to harass us. In addton to that, there are new Somal journalsts that arrved n Narob, and they have not been able to regster as refugees. Journalsts are stll fleeng from the country as they look for safety. There are 30 Somal journalsts lvng n Dadaab. They are very worred. They can t go back to Somala. 35 Refugee polcy n Kenya and ts mpact on HRDs Refugee polcy, rghts, and status n Kenya are governed by the Refugee Act 2006), whch establshed mechansms for the management of refugees through the Department of Refugee Affars DRA), the Refugee Affars Commttee, and the Refugee Appeals Board. Whle the Act provdes for refugees rghts, such as the ablty to legally work, t also further regulates freedom of movement by requrng refugees to obtan movement passes n order to travel outsde the camps. Also problematc s the fact that the full mplementaton of the Act has been lmted. Addtonally, the DRA s constraned by lack of resources and capacty. In practce, the Kenyan government has been ncreasngly hostle towards refugees, vewng them as securty rsks and a dran on the economy. On 6 May 2016, the government dsbanded the DRA, revoked the prma 35 Somal journalst lvng n Narob June 2006 DefendDefenders face status of Somal refugees, and announced t would close ts refugee camps, whch are among the largest n the world. The government amended ts poston on 11 May, announcng that t would only close Dadaab camp. 36 The Kenyan government clams that the camps are a dre threat to our people s securty, 37 and the move has ncreased the negatve percepton of refugees among natonals. There has already been an ntensfcaton of harassment and reported ncreased extorton of refugees by polce forces Kenyan Mnstry of Interor Government statement and update on the repatraton of refugees and scheduled closure of Dadaab refugee camp, 11 May 2016, nteror.go.ke/?p= Karanja Kbcho, As the Kenyan mnster for natonal securty, here s why I m shuttng the world s bggest refugee camp, The Independent, 9 May 2016, voces/as-the-kenyan-mnster-for-natonalsecurty-heres-why-m-shuttng-the-worldsbggest-refugee-camp-a html 3 Elsa Buchanan, Kenya: Refugees face polce persecuton and death after dsbandng of Department of Refugee Affars, IBI Tmes, 17 May 2016, page 17

34 Kenya s vast refugee camps Kenya s home to the world s largest refugee camp. Wth a populaton of 327,320, f Dadaab were consdered a cty, t would be the thrd largest n Kenya. 39 Kenya has an encampment polcy, whch means that legally all refugees are requred to resde n camps. In order to lve n Narob, refugees must obtan offcal permsson or rsk beng arrested, fned, and forced to return to the camps. Addtonally, by not havng permsson, refugees open themselves up to harassment by the polce. At tmes permsson s granted for those facng protecton rsks n the camps, whch s common for HRDs, or seekng economc opportuntes or medcal treatment n urban areas. For HRDs lvng n Narob wthout permsson, they can apply for offcal approval and documentaton at UNHCR s offce n Narob wthout havng to return to the camps. The Kenyan government has attempted to tghten ths polcy n recent years. In December 2012, the government announced that t would create a structured encampment polcy due to the unbearable and uncontrollable threat to natonal securty posed by refugees. 40 Ths polcy would have forced all asylum seekers and refugees to relocate to Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps, closed all regstraton centres n urban areas, and ordered all refugee organsatons to cease provdng servces to urban refugees. The Kenyan Hgh Court ruled n July 2013 that the drectve volated the rghts of refugees. 41 However, snce that tme there have been numerous attempts by the Kenyan government to lmt both the amount of refugees allowed n the country, and the rghts afforded to refugees. 39 UNHCR, Refugees n the Horn of Afrca: Somal Dsplacement Crss 30 Aprl 2016, unhcr.org/horn-of-afrca/regon.php?d=3 40 Department of Refugee Affars, Press Statement, December 2012, default/fles/related_materal/department%20of%20refugee%20affars%20press%20statement%20 13%20December% pdf 41 Human Rghts Watch, Reversal of last year s court rulng on urban refugees n Kenya s qute stunnng, 17 July 2014, page 1 Exled and n Lmbo

35 Whle the DRA s closed, there s no mechansm for refugees to regster or obtan work permts and travel documents. The shutdown has had a dre mpact on refugee s medcal needs, as the DRA s no longer authorsed to sgn referral papers or movement papers for refugees to go outsde of the camp to receve medcal treatment. 42 Somal refugees have faced partcularly hgh levels of scrutny from the Kenyan government due to securty concerns. Many of the HRDs ntervewed were afrad of Kenyan polce and have had negatve nteractons wth the polce n the past, ncludng harassment and attempted extorton. Ths was especally prevalent for ndvduals from the Horn of Afrca and those that dd not have proper documentaton. Several of those ntervewed noted that they lmted ther travel n the cty to avod encounterng polce. HRDs workng n exle constrants that have lmted the frequency and quantty of ssues produced. 43 Whle refugees have the rght to obtan Class M work permts for free, HRDs and refugee organsatons have noted that the admnstratve process s extremely challengng and only 2% of refugees have been able to obtan work permts. 44 Ths has been a major frustraton among HRDs who wsh to obtan ganful employment whle n Kenya. Accordng to UNHCR, n order for refugees to obtan a work permt, they must have refugee status, a recommendaton letter from the Department of Refugee Affars DRA), and approval from mmgraton offcals. As long as DRA s suspended, permts cannot be granted. Wth the current wat tme of two years for the ntal RSD ntervew, t could be a substantal perod of tme before HRDs are able to legally work. Despte numerous constrants, some HRDs have been able to undertake human rghts work both n Narob and the refugee camps. For example, n 200 a group of journalsts lvng as refugees n Kakuma establshed KANERE: Kakuma News Reflector, an ndependent news magazne that reports on rghts and ssues affectng refugees n the camp. KANERE was able to regster as natonal NGO, however contnues to face fundng 42 Somal journalst lvng n Narob June 2016 DefendDefenders 43 Kakuma News Reflector, About KANERE, 44 Refugee Consortum of Kenya, Myths and Truths: The facts about refugee self-suffcency and economc contrbuton n Narob, Aprl 2016, tem/1390-research-report-myths-and-truths page 19

36 III. Human rghts defenders n exle n Uganda Uganda s the thrd largest host of refugees n Afrca, and s generally regarded as havng welcomng and progressve refugee polces. 44 Accordng to the Offce of the Prme Mnster OPM), as of May 2016, there are 525,96 refugees n Uganda, ncludng 76,210 n Kampala. Kampala has been a hub for HRDs from the sub-regon, partcularly Sudan, Somala, Rwanda, Burund, and Ertrea. Many HRDs lvng n Kampala have faced varous levels of threats from ther home countres whle lvng n exle. For example, one HRD who wrote an artcle about the lack of democratc prncples n Rwanda whle n Kampala receved numerous death threats and was forced to go nto hdng. Organsatons workng on refugee protecton shared that some HRDs had reported ncdents of survellance, phones beng tapped, and beng beaten by foregn agents, most commonly from Rwanda, Ertrea, and Ethopa. Whle HRDs n Narob all noted negatve nteractons wth the Kenyan polce, n Kampala, HRDs have not generally found the polce to be a source of hostlty. However, as wth ncdents reported by Ugandans, 44 UNHCR, Uganda hosts record 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, 1 December 2015, latest/2015/12/567414b26/uganda-hosts-record refugees-and-asylum-seekers.html follow up on cases by polce s often nsuffcent. HRDs workng n exle A number of organsatons have successfully been founded by HRDs n exle at the communty, regonal, and nternatonal level, ncludng DefendDefenders. Followng the mass exodus of HRDs after Presdent al-bashr s ndctment by the Internatonal Crmnal Court n 2009, Sudanese actvsts used Kampala as a base to develop a strong cvl socety network of organsatons n exle. In addton to the Afrcan Centre for Justce and Peace Studes and Darfur Refugee Assocaton, there are sx other NGOs based n Kampala that operate wth a sgnfcant focus on Sudan. Several Burundan HRDs have also begun to relocate from Kgal to Kampala, and some have set up offces there. Organsatons can be regstered as communty-based organsatons, non-governmental organsatons, and companes lmted by guarantee. Refugee Polcy n Uganda The Refugee Act 2006) governs refugee polcy n Uganda and s generally consdered to be a progressve model wth strong provsons for refugee rghts; however, t also curtals the space for page 20 Exled and n Lmbo

37 HRDs by prohbtng refugees from undertakng any poltcal actvtes, actvtes wthn Uganda, whether at local or natonal level. The Act does not defne what s encompassed n the term poltcal actvtes, and t has been nterpreted by OPM offcals ntervewed to nclude human rghts work. Despte the legal constrants nvolved wth undertakng poltcal work, offcers ntervewed from refugee organsatons, the OPM, and UNHCR dd not know of any cases where the law has been nvoked or refugees have faced consequences for conductng human rghts work. Whle Uganda has been nnovatve n developng settlements to create self-sustanablty among refugees, these are located n rural areas. HRDs recognse the benefts of the settlements and havng access to ther support mechansms, however, the majorty have found that resdng n them s nconvenent for the contnuaton of ther human rghts work. Addtonally, Kampala offers a strong support network of HRDs and NGOs due to the large amount of organsatons based there. HRDs ntervewed generally found the refugee process n Uganda to be relatvely easy to navgate compared to Kenya, and many were resettled to a thrd country wthn just a few years. However, one HRD ntervewed told DefendDefenders that hs refugee status had been dened for lack of evdence of persecuton, and stated that he had to pay 1,000,000 UGX to brokers to facltate the approval of hs status. Refugee organsatons n Kampala noted that numerous refugees have rased smlar accusatons of corrupton. HRDs workng n DefendDefender s resource centre n Kampala. DefendDefenders page 21

38 IV. Human rghts defenders n exle n Rwanda In Narob and Kampala, HRDs come from a wde varety of countres n the sub-regon, whle the HRD communty n Kgal s prmarly from Burund, followng the outbreak of the crss n Aprl Pror to 2015, there were lttle f any refugee organsatons provdng assstance to urban refugees, due to the generally small number of refugees n Rwanda. As of March 2016, over 253,451 Burundans have fled the country, over 75,000 of whch have sought refuge n Rwanda, as a result of an electonrelated crss fuelled by Presdent Perre Nkurunzza s decson to run for a thrd term n offce. 45 Cvl socety and opposton groups denounced ths as contrary to the sprt of the Consttuton and Arusha agreements, whch ended the country s cvl war, and spurred wdespread protests that were volently repressed and a faled coup d état. There are over 25,000 urban refugees n Kgal, 23,400 of whch are from Burund. 46 Whle Burundan HRDs have also fled to other countres n the sub-regon, the majorty chose to lve n Kgal due to ts proxmty to 45 OCHA, Burund Humantaran Snapshot, 24 March UNHCR Rwanda, Where we work: UNHCR s presence n Rwanda, rw/spp.php?rubrque4 Burund, smlartes n language and culture, and the relatve safety the cty offers compared to others n the regon. Despte these advantages, Burundan refugees n Rwanda also expressed concern about the hgh cost of lvng, and the deteroratng relatonshp between the Burundan and Rwandan governments. On 12 February 2016, the Rwandan government announced that t would mmedately begn an ntatve to relocate Burundan refugees to thrd countres, clamng that for Rwanda, the growng rsks to our natonal securty from the Burundan mpasse and msunderstandngs n our foregn relatons are unacceptable. 47 In May 2016, Rwanda expelled an estmated 1,500 Burundans for allegedly llegally enterng the country. 4 Whle all of the HRDs ntervewed lvng n Rwanda have regstered wth UNHCR, they feared there would be repercussons on ther ablty to lve outsde of the camps n the future. All of the HRDs lvng n Rwanda ntervewed for ths research noted the dffcultes of the hgh cost of 47 BBC, Rwanda seeks to expel Burundan refugees, 12 February 2016, com/news/world-afrca Al Jazeera, Rwanda Expels Over 1,500 Burundans as Relatons Fray, 17 May 2016, rwanda-expels-1500-burundans-relatonsfray html page 22 Exled and n Lmbo

39 lvng and the poor exchange rate of the Burundan Franc. In addton, many rased the substantal cost of educaton and the dffcultes encountered when enrollng ther chldren n schools n Rwanda. A survey conducted by Church World Servce and Young Women s Chrstan Assocaton of Rwanda found that humantaran and emergency assstance were lackng for urban refugees n Kgal. Accordng to the survey, 3% of Burundans lvng n Kgal are unemployed, and of those workng only half had full tme employment. 49 I want to ntegrate nto the Rwandan socety rather than be solated n a camp. As an actvst, there s stll work to do and the camp has too many restrctons. You cannot move freely and hold meetngs. It s better for us as HRDs to be n the cty. 50 Workng n exle and gettng support Many HRDs have contnued ther actvtes whle lvng n Rwanda. A small porton of Burundan journalsts have gotten jobs wth Rwandan 49 Church World Servce and YWCA Rwanda, Mappng of urban refugees access to essental servces n Rwanda, January 2016, cwsglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ Rwanda-Urban-Refugee-HH-survey-report_3- Feb-2016.pdf 50 Burundan HRDs lvng n Kgal ntervewed n May 2016 DefendDefenders Rado Inzamba was establshed n July 2015 by Burundan journalsts lvng n Kgal that were forced to flee due to securty threats, and after ther rado statons were shut down and destroyed by the government. Over 20 journalsts contrbute to Rado Inzamba, whch broadcasts a 15-mnute news program daly n both French and Krund va socal meda. The rado staton has experenced challenges n Rwanda as t does not have a legal status, whch has lmted ts ablty to access fundng. Ths has resulted n much of the staff operatng on a voluntary bass. meda organsatons, whle Burundan organsatons such as Mason Shalom have regstered ther NGOs n Rwanda, and ntated new programs of work. Many HRDs noted the dffcultes n obtanng fundng for ther meda and human rghts organsatons snce very few are regstered or have bank accounts n Rwanda. HRDs noted that due to the uncertanty of the crcumstances they lve n and the fact that ther NGOs and meda houses n Burund had been shut down, donors have been unwllng or unable to provde fundng. In some cases, organsatons have managed to obtan funds from nternatonal donors, daspora page 23

40 members, and busness owners to mplement projects, however HRDs noted that staff salares were often excluded. After ther staff fled Burund, some newspapers and organsatons contnued to pay at least a porton of staff salares whle HRDs worked n Kgal. However, after the Burundan government froze the bank accounts of several NGOs n November 2015, the majorty of HRDs lost ther only source of ncome. 51 The large nflux of Burundan HRDs 51 DefendDefenders East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project, Burund: Soon, there wll be no human rghts defenders left // Burund: Bentôt, l n y aura plus de défenseurs des drots de l homme, 24 November 2015, burund-soon-there-wll-be-no-human-rghtsdefenders-left-burund-bentot-l-ny-aura-plusde-defenseurs-des-drots-de-lhomme/ to Kgal n such a short perod of tme led to the unque development of support mechansms and ncreased coordnaton among protecton organsatons. A number of NGOs workng to provde fnancal assstance to HRDs n exle were n frequent communcaton to avod gaps and duplcaton of efforts. Many HRDs perceve the ad that s beng provded as beng haphazard and unfarly dstrbuted, notng that whle some have receved substantal support, others feel as they have receved relatvely lttle. Ths ssue was rased among other groups of HRDs as well, whose expectatons of contnued support are often unfeasble. However, of those ntervewed, nearly all had receved one-tme fnancal assstance from protecton organsatons. Burundan refugees regster n Kgal, Rwanda. page 24 Exled and n Lmbo

41 V. Concluson Human rghts defenders n the East and Horn of Afrca regularly face sgnfcant securty rsks as a result of ther work to promote human rghts and cvl lbertes n the regon. These threats can become so severe that HRDs are forced to flee ther countres and go nto exle. Despte ther courageous efforts that placed them at such hgh rsk, the needs of HRDs lvng n exle as a consequence of ther human rghts actvtes reman unmet. Whle there are many organsatons that provde emergency support for HRDs, there are few avenues for assstance beyond ther frst 3 to 6 months n exle. Indefnte support s unrealstc, however, attenton must be dedcated to helpng HRDs become self-sustanable n exle. Ths can be done n a varety of ways such as dentfyng jobs, fellowshps, and educaton opportuntes, assstng HRDs n accessng organsatonal grants, ensurng HRDs know about the varous resources avalable to them, or provdng recommendatons on how emergency grants could be used to nvest n tems that can generate ncome. It s necessary to recognse that the stuaton of HRDs dffers from that of general refugees, and specfc protecton consderatons should be adopted to ensure that they are able to lve and contnue ther work n exle. Ths wll enable more HRDs to reman n the regon rather than seek resettlement n a thrd country, at a tme where refugee resettlement s ncreasngly restraned. Often the goal of the perpetrators of threats aganst HRDs n ther countres of orgn s to slence ther crtcsm. By bolsterng support for HRDs to contnue ther work n the regon, t ensures that the voces of HRDs are not lost and that actvsm on crtcal human rghts ssues n the East and Horn of Afrca can contnue. HRDs n the sub-regon have pad a hgh prce for undertakng work to promote human rghts and democratc prncples, and should be gven gudance and support to contnue ther work n exle. DefendDefenders page 25

42 VI. Recommendatons To Human Rghts Defenders Before fleeng Determne whether there are optons for ncountry relocaton before consderng exle; Carefully consder the country you choose for exle, ncludng factors such as that country s refugee polcy, securty, cost of lvng, opportuntes for work, language barrers, servces avalable, and the educaton system. After arrvng Immedately legalse your status; Create a contngency plan n case your perod of exle could extend long-term; Conduct a securty assessment consderng potental rsks, vulnerabltes, and capactes and develop protocols to mtgate those rsks f you do not know how to, seek assstance from NGOs workng on securty ssues); Keep a low profle and avod unnecessary movement and rsks that could further endanger yourself; Identfy avenues of support and take proactve steps n obtanng servces; If targeted, report ncdents to local polce when t s safe to do so, as well as to UNHCR and/or to protecton NGOs n the country; If workng onlne n exle consder usng anonymty software such as Tor Browser n order to prevent leakng your locaton. To Non-Governmental Organsatons Increase coordnaton and engagement between human rghts and refugee organsatons to address protecton and servce gaps mpactng HRDs n exle. Provde opportuntes for the employment of HRDs through nternshps, fellowshps, and fulltme employment; Increase fnancal support for psychosocal assstance and ntegrate psychosocal support nto tranngs; Increase shelter assstance for HRDs needng to relocate due to securty rsks n the country or provde assstance for rental costs; Develop nternal mechansms for medum and long-term support of HRDs; Engage wth host governments on the ablty of HRDs to contnue ther actvtes n exle through the provson of work permts and the regstraton of organsatons; page 26 Exled and n Lmbo

43 To the Unted Natons Hgh Commssoner for Refugees Recognse that HRDs face unque protecton needs and develop protecton strateges to support HRDs contnung ther human rghts actvtes n exle; Increase awareness among refugees of the varous servces UNHCR provdes partcularly n terms of protecton and resettlement processes and how refugees can access those servces. Facltate secure housng for HRDs at hgh rsk ether through safe houses or by havng resources avalable to provde fnancal assstance when HRDs change resdences due to securty rsks; Expedte relocaton for HRDs that face securty rsks n the host country; To Donors Provde flexble fundng and structural support to assst HRDs n settng up organsatons or contnung human rghts work n exle; Allow organsatons flexblty n dspersng grants and determnng what grants can cover to provde to medum to long-term solutons for HRDs n exle. To the Kenyan government Renstate the Department of Refugee Affars and ensure they have adequate resources to respond to the needs of HRDs and refugees at large; Remove restrctons on the freedom of movement of refugees and enable HRDs to contnue human rghts actvtes by facltatng access to work permts; Ensure protecton of refugees, ncludng HRDs, at rsk and full mplementaton of protectve measures n the Refugee Act 2006); Recognse the sgnfcant role of HRDs n contrbutng to peace and securty n the East and Horn of Afrca, and facltate ther ntegraton nto Kenyan socety; Ensure polce are knowledgeable about the rghts of refugees n Kenya, nvestgate cases of harassment and extorton by polce, and hold those responsble for these abuses accountable. To the Ugandan government Amend the Refugee Act 2006) to remove Secton 35d) whch prohbts refugees from undertakng poltcal work, whch mposes lmts on refugees rghts DefendDefenders page 27

44 and fundamental freedoms protected under the Ugandan Consttuton, Afrcan Charter on Human and Peoples Rghts, Internatonal Covenant on Cvl and Poltcal Rghts, and the Unversal Declaraton of Human Rghts; In conjuncton wth UNHCR, create protecton mechansms for HRDs lvng n Kampala such as the renstatement of safe houses; Investgate allegatons of corrupton n the asylum and refugee processes. to contnue ther work and/or establsh organsatons n exle; Ensure that country mssons not only montor the stuaton of HRDs from that country but also HRDs lvng there n exle. To the East Afrcan Communty Create polces permttng freedom of movement, resdence, and employment for refugees from the East Afrcan Communty resdng as refugees n member states. To the Rwandan government Amend the NGO law to remove excessve obstacles and to make regstraton of non-governmental organsatons more accessble. To the European Unon, and governments of Canada, Norway, Australa, and the Unted States Prortse the cases of HRDs at rsk n the sub-regon and ther famles for resettlement; Implement the EU Gudelnes on Human Rghts Defenders 2004) and natonal mplementaton strateges for the support of HRDs by provdng practcal support to HRDs n exle, ncludng fnancal assstance for those seekng page 2 Exled and n Lmbo

45 DefendDefenders page 29

46 Annex I. Organsatons provdng assstance to urban refugees * Organsatons n Narob, Kenya Educaton Wndle Trust Kenya 10 Ambosel Road off Gtanga Rd n Lavngton ) ; ) ; ) wndle@wndle.org; brkasaya@wndle.org : Delvers scholarshps for undergraduate and post-graduate studes for refugees regstered wth UNHCR to enrol n publc or prvate unverstes n Kenya. * Xaver Project Kawangware Hub: Kvul Centre on Kabra Road; Umoja/Kayole Hub: Next to HIAS offces Nasra Gardens Estate Kayole Spne Road near Navas Stage; Kasaran Hub: Near the ACK Church past Hunters estate, near Kasaran- Mwk Road. Near Hunters or Garage Stage ) nfo@xaverproject.org; educaton@xaverproject.org : Provde educaton sponsorshp n early chldhood development, prmary school, and secondary school assstance for chldren wth refugee status documentaton; Offers free adult lteracy courses n Kswahl, Englsh and Math each lastng three months; Holds workshops for women s empowerment on leadershp, entrepreneurshp, small busness accountng, and gender based volence; Holds workshops for women s empowerment on leadershp, entrepreneurshp, small busness accountng, and gender based volence page 30 Exled and n Lmbo

47 Through Tamuka Hub, runs communty centres wth computer classrooms, lbrares, and nternet-access ponts Offers the opportunty for refugees to wrte for a monthly onlne and prnt newsletter on ssues related to refugees n Uganda and Kenya. Legal assstance Ktuo Cha Shera Jogoo Road Plaza, 2nd Floor Opposte Koble Petrol Staton ) ; ) ; ) * fmp@ktuochashera.or.ke Walk-ns accepted Monday-Frday AM-5PM N : Offers free legal representaton as well as legal advce to refugee and asylum seekers; Asssts refugees n obtanng legal refugee documents; Conducts securty ntervews for UNHCR and provdes referral servces to other refugee organsatons. Refugee Consortum of Kenya Hak House, Ndem Road, Klman, Narob; Buruburu Arcade, 4th Floor, Buruburu, Narob. * refcon@rckkenya.org : ) ; ) ; +254 ) Provdes legal counsellng and representaton n the Refugee Status Determnaton and asylum processes; Offers basc psychosocal support and counsellng to asylum seekers and refugees that have experenced torture or SGBV. DefendDefenders page 31

48 Health and councellng support Médecns Sans Frontères MSF) Green House Clnc n Eastlands on Juja Rd near the Ol Lbya petrol staton; Lavender House Clnc n Eastlands on Juja Rd near the Ol Lbya petrol staton; Kbera South Health Centre around Lan Saba area Slanga clnc n Kbera ) ; ) ; Emergency hotlne for SGBV: ) : MSF operates four clncs that offer varous servces on a walk-n bass and provde free medcal care for both Kenyans and refugees; The Green House clnc provdes care and treatment for those wth drug-resstant tuberculoss ; The Lavender House offers medcal treatment for trauma response and vctms of SGBV; Both of the Kbera clncs provde comprehensve medcal care. Centre for Vctms of Torture Sart Centre, Westlands ) * CVT@CVT.org : Offers drect mental health counsellng to refugees n Narob who are severely traumatsed as a result of torture or war trauma; Provdes specalsed physcal therapy servces to manage pan or other forms of mparment caused by torture, mprove jont moblty and regan functon n daly lvng. Publc health facltes n Narob Publc clncs Mbagath Kenyatta Market, Near Kbera; Kangem Behnd shops after bus stop; Westland s Next to old Safarcom House; Eastlegh Along 4th street; Kahawa west - Near bus stop; page 32 Exled and n Lmbo

49 Kasaran DO s near seasons stage; Kayole I Corner of Kayole 1; Kayole II DO s place near club 2000; Umoja Near Egesa club/catholc church; Rruta Opposte shell petrol staton along route number 2; Ronga Ronga behnd Kware stage; Ktengela Behnd the shoppng centre; Ruru Ruru near the polce staton; Wathaka health centre; Langata health centre; Karen health centre. Dstrct hosptals Mbagath Kenyatta Market, Near Kbera; Kambu Kambu town; Mama Lucy Kbak Umoja/Kayole road; Mathare Mental Opposte Muthaga polce; Pumwan Maternty Calfona, Eastlegh; Thka Thka town; Kenyatta Natonal Hosptal. Lvelhoods, emergency, protecton and resettlement support Dansh Refugee Councl Lower Kabete Road Ngecha Road Juncton; Buru Buru Arcade 5th Floor Rooms 21-22; Eastlegh- PCEA Tranng Centre Kabra n Kvul Center; * drc@drc.dk : ) ; ) Provdes practcal lvelhood nterventons and consumpton support; Offers sklls development through professonal and vocatonal sklls tranng and enterprse development. DefendDefenders page 33

50 : RefugePont After dentfyng elgble clents, RefugePont provdes people safe shelter, emergency food ad, and counselng; The medcal clnc complements ths outreach wth free basc health care, medcne, and subsdsed referrals to hosptals and specalsts; RefugePont uses a case management model to connect refugees to other exstng servces, and helps refugees develop a plan towards self-relance; Refugees must be referred from partner organsatons, walk n not permtted. Has Trust Mucha Drve, off Ngong road n Hurlngham; Kanwangware, along Ngna road, St. Austne s Nusery School;; Eastlegh Juja Road A Estate, House No. 70; Kayole Nasra Estate, behnd Bee Centre ) ; ) ; ) * nfo@hasafrca.org : Provdes protecton and psychosocal support; Offers socal assstance ncludng emergency safe housng, food assstance, and medcal referrals; Provdes vocatonal tranng; Asssts refugees n the resettlement process. Jesut Refugee Servces Gtanga Road, behnd Mary Immaculate Hosptal * kenya@jrs.net : ) Provdes counsellng and medcal assstance to refugees and asylum seekers; Delvers emergency food and non-food assstance; Offers scholarshps n early chldhood, secondary, and hgher educaton; Runs vocatonal tranng and small busness loans. page 34 Exled and n Lmbo

51 Peace Brgades Internatonal Kenya Project Narob, Kenya ) * kenyateam@peacebrgades.org : Physcal accompanment of HRDs to places they may face heghtened rsk e.g. fact fndng mssons, collecton of evdence on ste, polce statons, court hearngs, communty forums, etc.); Strategc advocacy for HRDs wth the am of rasng ther profles, rasng awareness regardng ther cases, and ncreasng pressure on actors/aggressors nvolved; Personalsed and nclusve rsk assessment and securty plannng workshops. UNHCR- Narob Lynwood Court, off Wayak Way Westlands ) ; ) * : kennarst@unhcr.org to follow up on resettlement cases; kennarsd@unhcr.org to follow up on refugee status determnaton; kennapt@unhcr.org to follup up on protecton cases; kenna@unhcr.org for any general UNHCR ssues. N UNHCR s offce hours are between am to 4:45pm Monday Thursday and am 2pm on Frdays. UNHCR offers protecton recepton days on Thursdays from am 10am at UNHCR s offce n Westlands. Department of Refugee Affars Castle Buldng James Grchuru road, Lavngton * : refugeeaffars@kenya.go.ke ) ; ) DefendDefenders page 35

52 Organsatons n Kampala, Uganda Educaton and resource centres Wndle Trust Uganda * wndle@utlonlne.co.ug : * Plot 726, Mawanda road, Kamwokya ) ; ) Delvers scholarshps for undergraduate and post-graduate studes for refugees regstered wth UNHCR to enrol n publc or prvate unverstes n Uganda. Xaver Project Headquarters: Hanlon road, Nsambya Tamuka Hub: Rubaga nfo@xaverproject.org; educaton@xaverproject.org : Provdes educaton sponsorshp n early chldhood development, prmary school and secondary school assstance. In take for courses are n July and January; Through Tamuka Hub, runs a computer centre wth nternet access and classes on ntro to computers, managng money for busness, career development, web desgn, graphc desgn and vdeo edtng, and ctzen journalsm. * Fnnsh Refugee Councl Headquarters: Plot 19, Martyr s Drve, Ntnda Resource Centre: Plot 12, Namasole Road, Makndye ) : Delvers sklls tranng n ncomng generatng actvtes; Offers adult educaton n functonal lteracy and Englsh language tranng combned wth practcal and thematc topcs relevant for refugees; page 36 Exled and n Lmbo

53 Organsng courses on busness sklls, provdes tranng and mentorng refugee groups and assocatons; Runs a resource centre wth a lbrary and computers n Makndye. Young Afrcan Refugees for Integral Development YARID) Gogonya road, Nsambya ) * yarduganda@gmal.com : YARID s a refugee-run organsaton that offers a varety of courses for free ncludng: Englsh courses: Fve-months Englsh courses Monday-Frday from am-10am. Courses begn n late January and late June but refugees can jon at any pont. There s also an evenng Englsh course from 4pm-6pm Monday-Thursday; YARID also offers classes n busness, lteracy, and computer tranng and runs two 6-month women s empowerment projects n talorng and handcraft makng; YARID offers a free meetng place and nternet access pont at ther headquarters n Nsambya. Pan-Afrcan Development Educaton and Advocacy Programme PADEAP) Plot 193, Senyonga road, block 15, Kabalagala * nfo-ug@padeap.net : ) ; ) PADEAP offers legal, psychosocal, and educaton assstance to refugees and also house a resource centre and lbrary; Runs courses n adult Englsh lteracy for 30,000 UGX as well as computer classes and an accelerated program for ntegraton of refugee chldren nto the Ugandan system; Offers ndvdual and group psychosocal support; Provde legal accompanment for polce follow up and legal advce. DefendDefenders page 37

54 +256 0) * nfo@refugeandhope.org : Refuge and Hope Mtala Road n Kansanga, past Kansanga Secondary School Offer sx-month Englsh classes for 70,000 UGX for at a varety of skll levels. Intake s n January and July; Provde emergency assstance such as rent and food support Tran women n cookng and sewng; Offer a emergency shelter program for women lastng up to nne weeks as a place of healng for women who have experenced trauma Provde counselng and assstance through the organsatons socal workers; Run courses n computer, busness, and entrepreneurshp sklls. Legal assstance Refugee Law Project Plot 7 and 9 Perryman Gardens, Old Kampala * nfo@refugeelawproject.org : N ) ; ) Walk n system Monday - Thursday 9am - 10:30am to schedule appontments Free legal ad: Representaton n crmnal court trals and at polce statons, document refugee testmones, assstance n appeal process, provde medaton servces n cvl cases, and bal for refugees arrested Free Englsh educaton for adults: In-take for courses n December and May Mental health and psychosocal support: Free counsellng at famly, group and ndvdual level. Also organses refugee support groups Provde medcal support to survvors of GBV Tranngs on meda and communcatons tools RLP can help refugees regster support groups or human rghts organsatons and assst them n applyng for fundng and provde mentorshp page 3 Exled and n Lmbo

55 * : Uganda Law Socety Plot 5A, Acaca Avenue, P.O.Box 426, Kampala ) ; ) As part of the ULS Pro-Bono Project, ULS provdes: Legal representaton n court; Legal advce and counsellng; Under t s Alternatve Dspute Resoluton Mechansm offers medaton, negotatons, reconclatons, and arbtraton. Medcal assstance Afrcan Centre for the Treatment and Rehabltaton of Torture Vctms ACTV) Owen road, near Mulago hosptal * actv@actvuganda.org : ) ; ) /620 ACTV provdes medcal treatment and rehabltaton, mental health and psychosocal support and counsellng, and legal advce for vctms of torture Publc hosptals Naguru Hosptal: also known as the Chna-Uganda Frendshp Hosptal; Mulago Hosptal: referral only; Butabka Hosptal: specalzed and general mental health servces. KCCA clncs Makndye Barracks; Kseny Health Centre; Kawala Health Centre; Kteb Health Centre. DefendDefenders page 39

56 Emergency assstance, lvelhoods, protecton and resettlement Jesut Refugee Servce Old Gaba Road, behnd the U.S. Embassy ) * uep.kampala@jrs.net : Food assstance for newly arrved documented asylum seekers n emergency stuatons for a lmted perod of tme; Rent assstance for the most vulnerable newly arrved asylum seekers, especally those wth bg famles; Refugees can access medcal support for urgent medcal case; JRS Kampala offers free Englsh language classes, and sklls tranng n ncome generatng actvtes n the followng areas: drvng, caterng, hardressng, IT, soap-makng and candle-makng. Has Trust Kansanga, Church Road Nsambya, near the Jont Medcal Store Rubega, near the Rubega Cathedral and Kabaka Roundabout ) ; ) : N Walk n system for Nsambya and Rubega offces Monday - Frday :30am - 5pm Legal support: resettlement, advocacy, capacty buldng; Psychosocal: ndvdual, group, and couple counsellng, and support groups; Lvelhoods: scholarshps for vocatonal schools, mcro grants for busnesses; One tme rent support for three months n emergency stuatons Informaton sessons on thngs lke the refugee process when groups request. page 40 Exled and n Lmbo

57 * : N InterAd Off Kabaka Anjagala Road near the Kabaka s Palace ) ; ) am - 3pm Monday - Congolese; Tuesday - Ertreans, Sudanese, and South Sudanese; Wednesday - Ethopans and Rwandans; Thursday - Somals and Persons Wth Dsabltes. Medcal: supplemental medcatons and care that government health facltes cannot provde; Lvelhood: one tme food assstance support; Legal: follow up on arrested and detaned refugees, provde legal counsellng on laws of Uganda, provde court fees and transport for cvl cases; Screen and refer cases to UNHCR; Refer protecton cases to OPM. UNHCR - Kampala Headquarters: Prnce Charles Drve Kololo; Branch offce: Sr Apollo Kaggwa Road ) * ugaka@unhcr.org : ugaka@unhcr.org N UNHCR schedules appontments to meet refugees and asylum seekers n Kampala at the offces of InterAd and the Branch Offce Extenson. Each natonalty s gven a specfc day that appontments can be made n person at InterAd and the Branch Offce: Monday - Congolese; Tuesday - Burundans, Ertreans, Sudanese, South Sudanese; Wednesday - Rwandans, Ethopans; Thursday - Somals & persons lvng wth dsabltes. DefendDefenders page 41

58 N Offce of the Prme Mnster- Refugee Drectorate Plot 43 Sr Apollo Kaggwa Road ) OPM s responsble for managng refugee regstraton and the refugee status determnaton process. Appontments can be made n person on the follow dates: Monday - Somals; Tuesday - Congolese; Wednesday - Sudanese, South Sudanese, Ertreans, Kenyans, and Burundans; Thursday - Rwandans, Ethopans, and Somals; Frday - New brths, fle mergng, transfer of fles. Organsatons n Kgal, Rwanda Adventst Development and Relef Agency ADRA) ) ; ) * nfo@adra.org.rw : Provde scholastc materals and fnancal assstance for tuton fees and unforms every Tuesday from 9AM-5PM at ther warehouse n Gkondo. Afrca Humantaran Acton * rwanda@afrcahumantaran.org.rw : In collaboraton wth UNHCR and MIDIMAR, AHA s responsble for provdng prmary health servces to camp and urban based refugees. page 42 Exled and n Lmbo

59 +250 0) * rwak@unhcr.org : N UNHCR - Kgal Opposte MTN Center, Nyarutarama, BP 67, Gasabo In Kgal, UNHCR has recepton days every Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Afrca Humantaran Acton Health Centre n Kmhurura Mnstry of Dsaster Management and Refugee Affars MIDIMAR) KN 3 Road - KN 1 Av Penson Plazza Toll free: 170 * : nfo@mdmar.gov.rw DefendDefenders page 43

60 Annex II. Organsatons provdng assstance to human rghts defenders n exle Agr Ensemble pour les Drots de l Homme Lyon, France ) : The fund ams to protect HRDs and respond rapdly to ther calls for help when they are threatened or persecuted. The way that AEDH ntervene depends on the local context, the amount of danger the HRDs are n and the nature of ther request. It can consst of: Helpng HRDs leave ther country f they are threatened wth arbtrary arrest, kdnappng or assassnaton, and f ther only opton s to leave the country or the regon where they lve; Helpng HRDs settle n the country to whch they have fled Provdng legal assstance to those who have been wrongly arrested or are beng falsely accused; Coverng medcal expenses n cases where HRDs have been subjected to volence or torture or ll treatment; Intervenng n the courts of the country of orgn to ensure that HRDs safety s guaranteed. Narob, Kenya ) * kenya@artcle19.org : Artcle 19 ARTICLE 19 Eastern Afrca operates an Emergency Support Fund eajournalstdefencenetwork.org/artcle19/artcle19-emergency-supportfund-for-journalsts-n-dstress.html) to help journalsts n dstress from Rwanda, Somala, Ethopa and Ertrea. The support s provded on a oneoff bass and ncludes medcal and legal assstance. In some cases, t can be extended to members of the journalsts famly f they are also affected. It can also help wth relocaton when a journalst s forced to flee hs/her country. page 44 Exled and n Lmbo

61 Toronto, Canada +1 0) * cjfe@cjfe.org : Canadan Journalsts for Free Expresson CJFE s Journalsts n Dstress Fund provdes humantaran assstance to journalsts around the world, whose lves and well-beng are threatened because of ther work. The amount granted typcally ranges from $500 to $1500 CAD. Journalsts are elgble for a maxmum of two separate grants from CJFE. The funds supports areas such as: legal fees, medcal expenses, transportaton costs when fleeng a dangerous stuaton, Fnancal support for the famles of journalsts who have been klled or mprsoned, and Resettlement costs wthn frst year of arrvng n a fnal safe country. Cvl Rghts Defenders Stockholm, Sweden +46 0) * nfo@cvlrghtsdefenders.org : The Cvl Rghts Defenders emergency fund helps support human rghts defenders who need to relocate temporarly, to protect mportant communcaton or documents and to create securty solutons. DefendDefenders page 45

62 +1 0) * : JournAsst@cpj.org Commttee to Protect Journalsts New York, Unted States of Amerca CPJ s Journalst Assstance program provdes drect support to ndvduals who are workng to dssemnate news n dre stuatons or who are beng persecuted for ther reportng through the Gene Roberts Fund for Emergency Assstance. Some examples of CPJ s work nclude: Helpng get medcal care for journalsts who have been attacked n retalaton for ther work, or for journalsts who have been mstreated n prson; Supportng journalsts forced to go nto hdng or relocate to escape threats from local offcals, mlta, or crmnal gangs; Contrbutng to legal funds for journalsts facng prson or legal acton; Evacuatng journalsts at rsk nto temporary safe havens, usually n ther home country. DefendDefenders East and Horn of Afrca Human Rghts Defenders Project) Kampala, Uganda Emergency: ) * protecton@defenddefenders.org : DefendDefenders montors a 24 hour/day emergency lne for HRDs n need of mmedate assstance. After verfyng the cases of HRDs, DefendDefenders can provde emergency protecton grants for the support of HRDs n dstress as well as ther famles. These grants can nclude emergency relocaton, medcal treatment, legal costs, and therapy. DefendDefenders also hosts the Florbert Chebeya Bahzre Resource Centre, whch offers a range of human rghts lterature as well as computers and nternet servces. DefendDefenders also offer prntng and photocopyng servces for the HRD s and there s an IT assstant who sts n the Resource Center to help them wth any problems they have and gude them when needed. page 46 Exled and n Lmbo

63 Dgtal Defenders Partnershp Netherlands * ddp@hvos.org : Dgtal Defenders Partnershp s managed by Hvos and provdes emergency Grants to crtcal nternet users facng an urgent dgtal emergency n nternet repressve envronments. These grants provde drect legal) advce and fnancal and other support to ndvduals wth emergences relatng to cyber attacks, compromsed accounts and devces, and secure connectons. Doha, Qatar +97 0) * assstance@dc4mf.org : Doha Centre for Meda Freedom Emergency Assstance EA) provdes drect support, wthn ts means, to journalsts who urgently need help, as a result of ther work. The EA team asssts professonal journalsts to fnd sustanable solutons to contnue reportng as quckly as possble, wth advce, publcty and/or fnancal means. Journalsts can request assstance for medcal ad, legal support or other urgent needs. No funds wll be granted for ongong expenses. Pars, France * obs@fdh.org : FIDH ) ; +33 0) FIDH, under the Observatory for the Protecton of Human Rghts Defenders, provdes emergency materal support to at rsk human rghts defenders workng n the most dffcult crcumstances. Costs elgble for fnancal support or drect materal support nclude the followng: physcal securty, dgtal securty, communcatons, capacty buldng n securty, secure transportaton, legal support, medcal support ncludng psycho-socal support and rehabltaton), humantaran assstance ncludng famly support), urgent relocaton, urgent montorng, reportng or advocacy). DefendDefenders page 47

64 Free Press Unlmted Amsterdam, Netherlands +31 0) * reportersrespond@freepressunlmted.org : Reporters Respond gves fnancal ad to journalsts, producers and cameramen and women who are at rsk because of ther professon. Reporters Respond provdes help as soon as possble. Ths fast, small scale, fnancal support can help prevent more serous damage and enables journalsts, producers and cameramen and women to contnue to do ther job. Freedom House Headquarters n Washngton, DC wth feld offces n Uganda and Kenya +1 0) * emergency.assstance.nqures@gmal.com : The Lfelne Embattled CSO Assstance Fund provdes emergency fnancal assstance to cvl socety organsatons CSOs) under threat or attack and advocacy support respondng to broader threats to cvl socety. Lfelne provdes small, short-term emergency grants for medcal expenses, legal representaton, prson vsts, tral montorng, temporary relocaton, securty, equpment replacement, and other types of urgently needed expenses. By defnton, emergency assstance s fnte and gven to address a tme-senstve threat. page 4 Exled and n Lmbo

65 The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rghts EIDHR) : The emergency fund for human rghts defenders at rsk managed under the EIDHR allows the Commsson to gve drect small grants of up to 10,000 euro per grant to human rghts defenders, be t ndvduals or organsatons, who are n need of urgent support. Ths urgent support may take any form that s consdered necessary, for nstance to cover the fees for the legal representaton of defenders, to cover medcal expenses, to purchase securty materal for offces or homes, to pay for the evacuaton of a HRD to another country, to support the operatons of a human rghts organsaton whch fnds tself n a dre fnancal stuaton, etc. Requests to use the small grants mechansm or emergency faclty for HRDs should be addressed to your delegaton or to the EIDHR team provdng us wth some nformaton about the partcular case to assst: name of the defenders), background on the cases), amount of grant requested, and for what purpose. The nformaton receved wll be dealt wth n confdentalty. Dubln, Ireland ) * nfo@frontlnedefenders.org : Frontlne Defenders Frontlne offers protecton grants that can pay for provsons to mprove the securty and protecton of human rghts defenders and ther organsatons, ncludng, but not lmted to: Improvng physcal securty of an organsaton or ndvdual, dgtal securty and communcaton securty; Supportng legal fees for HRDs who are beng judcally harassed; Payng for medcal fees for HRDs who have been attacked or who have suffered a medcal condton as a result of ther peaceful human rghts actvtes; Provdng famly assstance for mprsoned HRDs or famly members who are at rsk because of a HRD s actvtes. DefendDefenders page 49

66 Copenhagen, Denmark +45 0) * nfo@medasupport.org : Internatonal Meda Support The Safety Fund managed by IMS for the Dansh Unon of Journalsts provdes support for journalsts vctmsed as a drect result of ther journalstc work. Support s gven only n the short-term, and no longer than 6 months, coverng the mmedate needs of the ndvdual or hs/her close relatves. The Fund s used n cases where: Indvdual journalsts are targeted or vctmsed as a drect result of ther work; A journalst has been klled or rendered otherwse ncapable of sustanng hs/her famly; A journalst s n need of mmedate protecton as a result of a drect threat relocaton, safe houses, evacuaton out of the country or regon); Urgent legal or medcal assstance s requred. Internatonal Federaton of Journalsts Brussels, Belgum * fj@fj.org : ) The Safety Fund s an ntegral part of the IFJ Safety Programme, whch ncludes casework, protests, campagns, provson of nformaton and producton of varous publcatons. As the Safety Fund provdes mmedate fnancal relef to a partcular journalst, the Safety Programme strves all year round to hghlght and mprove the plght of all journalsts. page 50 Exled and n Lmbo

67 Pr ot ec t Def ender s. eu sa c ons or t um of12 nt er na t ona lc v ls oc et y or ga n s a t ons mpl ement ngt hee ur opea nunt onhuma nr ght sdef ender s mec ha n s m.t he or ga n s a t on pr ov des emer genc ya s s s t a nc ea nd t empor a r yr el oc a t ongr a nt s,a ndoffer sl m t ed na nc a ls uppor tt ol oc a l huma nr ght sor ga n s a t ons.

68 Pars, France +33 0) * assstance2@rsf.org : * Reporters Sans Frontères Follows and supports the asylum applcatons of journalsts n exle and ther attempts to fnd a new home, and help them forge a new role for themselves. In cooperaton wth other NGOs that support journalsts and defend human rghts, RSF helps: The vctms of volence connected wth ther reportng to obtan approprate medcal care; Wrongfully prosecuted journalsts to pay ther legal fees; Threatened journalsts to fnd a safe refuge; Journalsts to resolve ther most urgent needs f they decde to flee abroad because of threats and persecuton; Famles of journalsts to cope wth the consequences of the reprsals to whch ther loved-ones have been exposed. Rory Peck Trust London, Unted Kngdom ) /765 afrca@rorypecktrust.org; assstance@rorypecktrust.org : Provdes modest, targeted grants for freelance journalsts or ther famly to cover expenses such as medcal and rehabltaton costs, emergency subsstence, legal advce, and relocaton costs as well as onlne resources for journalsts n exle n Uganda and Kenya at resources/exle page 52 Exled and n Lmbo

69 Urgent Acton Fund Afrca for Women s Human Rghts Narob, Kenya * nfo@urgentactonfund-afrca.or.ke : ) ; ) Urgent Acton Fund-Afrca provdes urgent fnancal and techncal support for the protecton of women s rghts actvsts who are persecuted as a drect result of ther actvsm. UAF-Afrca makes small grants ntended to enable a short-term nterventon n the course of a long-term strategy and respond to most urgent requests wthn 24 hours. World Organsaton Aganst Torture OMCT) Geneva, Swtzerland * grants@omct.org : ) OMCT materal assstance and emergency support am at respondng to emergency requests for assstance submtted by human rghts defenders and organsatons at rsk. These can cover medcal support ncludng psycho-socal support and rehabltaton); legal support; socal assstance ncludng famly support); physcal securty; dgtal securty; communcatons; capacty buldng n securty; secure transportaton; support to temporary relocaton where necessary; etc. DefendDefenders page 53

70 Annex III. Fellowshps programs Justce and Peace Shelter Cty Intatve The Hague, Mddelburg, Maastrcht, Njmegen, and Utrecht n the Netherlands : shelter-cty-ntatve Shelter Cty s a natonal ntatve of Justce and Peace n collaboraton wth Dutch ctes, focusng specfcally on the protecton of Human Rghts Defenders. When Human Rghts Defenders are severely beng threatened because of ther work, they can apply for a three-month temporary shelter n one of the sx Dutch Shelter Ctes. In these sx ctes about 15 Human Rghts Defenders per year can be provded rest and respte. Throughout ther stay n The Netherlands, the Human Rghts Defenders may contnue ther work n safety. Furthermore, they are able to extend ther network of cvl socety organzatons and poltcal contacts wthn The Hague, Brussels and further. The Human Rghts Defenders also follow tranngs to strengthen ther sklls whle ncreasng publc awareness n the Shelter Ctes by speakng about human rghts and the work they do at publc events and workshops. Natonal Endowment for Democracy Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowshp Washngton, DC Unted States of Amerca : The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowshps support democratc actvsts, scholars, and journalsts from around the world to conduct ndependent research, buld ndvdual capacty, and exchange deas to strengthen democratc development n ther countres, regons, or felds of expertse. The Program hosts fellows for fve-month fellowshps n the sprng and fall of each year, brngng fresh nsghts and perspectves to Washngton, DC. page 54 Exled and n Lmbo

71 Unversty of York Centre for Appled Human Rghts Protectve Fellowshp York, Unted Kngdom : / Through the Centre for Appled Human Rghts Protectve Fellowshp Scheme, HRDs are nvted to come to York for perods rangng from three to sx months. Durng ths tme they beneft both from tme away from a dffcult envronment, and from educatonal resources desgned to ncrease ther effectveness and ther ablty to nfluence polcy and practce when they return home. The Centre accepts up to ten human rghts defenders as vstng fellows every year. The focus of the Scheme s on defenders who face rsk n ther workng envronment and have a need for human rghts tranng that the Centre can provde. Nomnatons to the fellowshps are accepted from recognsed cvl socety organsatons workng n human rghts and/or specfcally wth human rghts defenders. A call for nomnatons usually goes out n Aprl and the fellows are expected to arrve n York n ether md-september or early January. DefendDefenders page 55

72 Annex IV. Processes for legalsng refugee status Kenya Appear before the Commssoner of the Department of Refugee Affars wthn 30 days of entry to Kenya to apply for recognton as a refugee. Applcants undergo a securty and medcal screenng before provdng ther cvl and bo data. 2. Applcants are gven a watng slp wth a seral number attached to an R1 form, whch s then produced when refugees come to collect ther asylum seeker pass after two months. The asylum seeker pass s ssued to asylum seekers before they undergo the Refugee Status Determnaton RSD) process and s vald for one year. 3. If dened, the Commssoner notfes applcants wthn 14 days. 4. After obtanng the asylum seeker pass, asylum seekers must submt an applcaton wth the UNHCR offce for the RSD process to begn. 5. If approved, applcants are ssued a refugee dentty card, whch s vald for fve years and can be renewed subsequently. Uganda 1. Report to the Crmnal Intellgence Dvson n Old Kampala Polce Staton to regster for ntenton to seek asylum and receve a card wth an ndvdual reference number. 2. Report to the Offce of the Prme Mnster OPM) mmedately after to secure an appontment for regstraton, whch wll be ndcated on the back of the card and n the appontment book at OPM. 3. On the scheduled date, report to OPM wth all famly members and dentfyng documents for regstraton. Each regstered household wll be ssued wth a Temporary Asylum Seeker Attestaton bearng ther fle and case number, whch s vald for three months and renewable twce for a total of nne months. 4. OPM then gves appontments for ntervews for Refugee Status Determnaton RSD). 5. The Refugee Elgblty Commttee REC) adjudcates on RSD to make a decson, whch s then communcated by OPM. 45 Whle the Department of Refugee Affars was suspended at the tme of wrtng, ths secton provdes an overvew of the process that was n place pror to the shut down. page 56 Exled and n Lmbo

73 Rwanda 6. If approved, ndvduals are gven a refugee dentty card, whch s vald for a perod of fve years. 7. If dened, asylum seekers have 30 days to fle an appeal and REC revews the applcaton for a second tme. If rejected agan, the case s referred to the Refugee Appeals Board. 1. On arrval, go to nearest Dstrct Authorty to regster a request for asylum. 2. Regster for temporary resdence wth nearest mmgraton offce wthn 15 days of arrval. 3. After obtanng a resdence permt, apply for refugee status wth Mnstry of Dsaster Management and Refugee Affars and the Natonal Refugee Councl processes applcatons. 4. If approved, a refugee dentty card s provded whch gves refugees the rght to stay n Rwanda. 5. If dened, ndvduals can appeal the case wth the Hgh Court of the Republc wthn 15 workng days from the day they were notfed of the decson. If the appeal s dened, ndvduals wll have to leave Rwanda wthn 60 workng days, renewable only once. DefendDefenders page 57

74 Annex V. Dgtal securty resources Dgtal safety learnng resources Dgtal Frst Ad Kt dgtaldefenders.org/dgtalfrstad/) ams to provde prelmnary support for people facng the most common types of dgtal threats. The Kt offers a set of self-dagnostc tools for human rghts defenders, bloggers, actvsts and journalsts facng attacks themselves, as well as provdng gudelnes for dgtal frst responders to assst a person under threat. Survellance Self-Defense ssd.eff.org/) s Electronc Fronter Foundaton s gude to defendng yourself and your frends from survellance by usng secure technology and developng careful practces. Securty n a Box securtynabox.org/) s a gude to dgtal securty for actvsts and human rghts defenders throughout the world. Access Now Dgtal Securty Helplne The Dgtal Securty Helplne s a free of charge resource for cvl socety around the world. It offers real-tme, drect techncal assstance and advce to actvsts, ndependent meda, and cvl socety organsatons, ncludng: Rapd response on dgtal securty ncdents page 5 Exled and n Lmbo Personalsed recommendatons, nstructons, and follow-up support on dgtal securty ssues Help assessng rsks and creatng organsatonal or communty securty strateges Gudance on securty practces and tools for organsatons, communtes, groups, and ndvduals Support for securng techncal nfrastructure, webstes, and socal meda aganst attacks Referrals, capacty-buldng, nperson consultatons, and tranng Educaton materals n multple languages The Dgtal Securty Helplne s operated by a global team who are avalable 24/7, responsve to ncdents n a rapd, effcent, and unform manner, and multlngual fluent n Englsh, Arabc, French, Spansh, Portuguese, and Flpno). Contact them at: help@accessnow.org DefendDefenders Dgtal Safety Helplne If you encounter suspcous emals, fle attachments, lnks, nstant messenger behavour, or computer behavour whch you suspect may be related to a dgtal safety threat aganst you, contact helplne@defenddefenders. org for dgtal safety advce, analyss, and referral. Support s avalable n Englsh and French.

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