Congressional
Briefing on Protecting Refugees and the Displaced: Case Studies from
West Africa and Afghanistan
June 17, 2003
In honor of
World Refugee Day, InterAction, in conjunction with Senator Joe Biden
(D-DE), sponsored a briefing on "Protecting Refugees and the Displaced."
The fifth in the InterAction Congressional briefing series, this briefing
sought to examine the protection needs of refugees and internally displaced,
focusing on West Africa and Afghanistan.
David Gootnick
of the General Accounting Office provided an overview of the recent
GAO report on the sexual exploitation of refugees, undertaken at the
request of Senator Biden. Christine Knudsen of Save the Children painted
a picture of conflict in West Africa and illustrated the difficult choices
that many people are forced to make in order to survive. She described
the extraordinary levels of violence involved in the conflicts, in which
so many women were raped and children were forcibly conscripted to be
child soldiers. Darla Silva of Women's Commission on Refugee Women and
Children spoke on her experience with Afghanistan refugees and the special
challenges facing women and girls. Each of the panelists provided recommendations
on actions that the United States government, UN agencies and NGOs could
take to improve protection for refugees and displaces, particularly
women and girls. Mary Pack, Director of Refugee Policy at InterAction
opened the briefing and Lucy Brown of the American Red Cross served
as moderator.
Background
on Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
There are an
estimated 35 million persons worldwide displaced by war and persecution.
Some 45 African countries host over 3.3 million refugees and an estimated
10.7 million are internally displaced. These numbers are growing as
the accelerating violence in West Africa continues to uproot thousands
from their homes. While more than two million Afghan refugees returned
home after the fall of the Taliban, persistent security problems, political
instability, ethnic violence and lack of economic opportunity are realities
facing the returnees as well as the 3.5 million refugees who remain
outside the country and the 700,000 still internally displaced .
Amidst on-going
civil wars through the periods of transition and peace-building, issues
around protection of the displaced, particularly the most vulnerable
amongst them, are increasingly complex and most critical. Our speakers
will highlight the on-the-ground protection needs of displaced women
and children through experiences in West Africa and Afghanistan and
discuss approaches and mechanisms necessary to minimize risk for these
populations.
"Humanitarian
Assistance: Protecting Refugee Women and Girls Remains a Significant
Challenge." United States General Accounting Office Report
to the Ranking Minority
Monday Developments
article: "International
Aid Community Needs To Address Refugee Protection"
SPEAKERS'
BIOS
Lucy
Brown, Senior Advisor, International Humanitarian Law, American Red
Cross
Lucy Brown is Senior Advisor, International Humanitarian Law (IHL),
for the American Red Cross. Her responsibilities within the International
Policy and Relations unit include building cooperative relationships
with external organizations and working closely with partners in the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. As a senior level
advisor on issues relating to IHL application, policy and training,
she serves as the primary liaison on these matters between the American
Red Cross and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in international
relief and development.
David
Gootnick, Director in International Affairs and Trade at the US General
Acounting Office
David has been a Director in International Affairs and Trade at the
US General Accounting Office since 2001. His current portfolio includes
global health, humanitarian aid and development assistance. A physician
by training, David served as the Director of the Office of Medical Services
at the Peace Corps from 1994 to 2001. Prior to that he was Director
of the University Health Services at New York University. In 1986 he
was a physician volunteer in the Malawi Against Polio Project in Blantyre,
Malawi.
Christine
Knudesen, Children and War Specialist, Save the Children
Christine Knudsen is the Children and War Specialist in the Children
in Crisis Unit at Save the Children. Prior to joining SC in 1999, her
field postings included work with UNHCR in Chechnya and Catholic Relief
Services in Burundi. Between field assignments, she also spent one year
as a researcher with the UNRISD War-torn Societies Project, examining
the interaction of national and international actors in post-conflict
reconstruction. Ms. Knudsen holds an MA in International Relations,
with a concentration in Conflict Management, from SAIS-Johns Hopkins
University.
Darla
M. Silva, Lawyer, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children
Ms. Silva is a lawyer with the Women’s Commission for Refugee
Women and Children in Washington, D.C. The Women’s Commission
is a New York based advocacy organization working to improve the lives
of refugee women and children around the world. Prior to joining the
Women’s Commission, Ms. Silva served as counsel to Senator Richard
J. Durbin (D-IL) on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Governmental
Affairs Committee, where her issue portfolio included immigration, civil
rights and civil justice issues. Ms. Silva is a long time children’s
advocate and has worked as a children’s court attorney representing
the state in child abuse and neglect proceedings. Ms. Silva is a cum
laude graduate of Boston University, where she received a B.A. in Political
Science in 1989. She received her law degree from the University of
New Mexico in 1992. She is an active member of the D.C. Bar. She currently
lives in Takoma Park, MD with her husband, William New and their 2 year
old son, Alexander Silva New.
