Refugee Stories, GRMR
Victoria Simoni Assuncao
Refugees in Malaysia Find a Home in the Arts

A life begun in gunfire and instability is brought to the stage. Fluid motions and words embody the resilience of the stateless—reframing a narrative of victimization to one of powerful actors, playwrights, and directors.

This is the everyday work of Parastoo Theater.

Gabriela Pieschacon
Election Year Hot Topic: Immigration Policies ...

Many are used to election years bringing highly controversial topics to the forefront of social media and news outlets. It is easy to step back from the political conversations, but what happens when this leaves few advocates for highly impacting causes?

Currently, the US-Mexico border has been experiencing escalating tensions, and Americans have taken notice. With the assumption of front-runners being Joe Biden and Donald Trump, a recent poll in the Wall Street Journal highlighted the importance voters placed on the 2024 presidential candidates’ immigration policies. This poll suggested that 13 percent of respondents chose immigration as the most important issue when voting in November of 2024, becoming the second-most relevant issue, only ranked 8 points behind the economy. A large percentage of these voters also claim to refuse to vote at all if the candidates do not provide immigration policies that align with their immigration views.

Refugee

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About Europe’s Identitarian Movement: A Growing War on Refugees

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What used to be framed as an extremist viewpoint at the fringe of French politics, the Great Replacement theory has propagated into a widely circulated concept, colloquially referenced by conservatives all over the global north. Proponents of the Identitarian Movement and the Great Replacement theory are fervent proponents for remigration, stricter immigration laws, and denial to asylum claimants—mounting support for “national preservation” in the face of an immigration “invasion.” 

Given the amassing political influence of the Great Replacement narrative and European nativist groups, harmful rhetoric, online proliferation, political pressure, and acts of intimidation and violence are threatening efforts for refugee visibility, mobility, welfare, and protection.

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The Dangers of Extremism: How Intensifying Alt-Right Movements Specifically Threaten Refugees and Immigrants

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From arduous bureaucratic processes to daunting language barriers, a refugee or asylum seeker resettling in a new country faces many initial obstacles. Yet in the midst of these tangible difficulties, there is a less visible, but just as prevalent, barrier: the increasing prevalence of xenophobia and extremist, anti-immigrant ideology in sociopolitical landscapes. Throughout much of Europe and the United States, there has been a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric in reaction to refugee movements and in conjunction with the increasing prevalence of far-right extremism. This type of isolationist, ultra-nationalist ideology not only threatens the livelihood and wellbeing of migrants globally, but could also signal a concerning turn towards alt-right and populist movements inching closer to the political mainstream. 

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RefuSHE

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This spring semester GRMR is proudly supporting RefuSHE, an organization that aims to empower and serve refugee women and children. RefuSHE’s admirable mission includes educating, protecting, and leading refugee women to offer them a chance to grow, develop, and flourish. Refugee girls and women remain an extremely vulnerable population, with about 76% of women and children refugees in Kenya and 52% under 18.

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My Family Story and Parallels to Refugee Stories Today

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As is the case for many Palestinians, my family experienced lots of emigration, pain, hardship, loss, displacement, and change since the Nakba, or the Palestinian Catastrophe, in 1948. I want to share this personal account of my family's history through stories I have been told. My family's history has many parallels to what refugees and immigrants fleeing war, or those who are being forcibly displaced, may have had to experience then, and still experience now. I hope to shed light on the strength of not only my family, but all immigrant and refugee families who had to endure hardship in the past, and those who still do today.  

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An Increasing Issue: Human Trafficking in Migrant Populations

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Human trafficking refers to the involuntary exploitation of individuals and can involve sexual exploitation, debt bondage, and forced labor. Although many may not think so, it occurs in every region. Human traffickers attempt to target marginalized communities and vulnerable individuals. Sexual exploitation, in specific, is a growing issue in refugee camps and among migrating groups. Refugees and migrants often lose their community support networks as they are forced to leave their homes and familiar surroundings. Depending on where they flee to, they may or not be citizenship status. Other resources, such as medical support, livelihood opportunities, and legal support, may not be provided. As a result of these conditions, forcibly displaced people are often easy targets for traffickers.

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Unmasking White Saviors to the Rescue

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Last year I watched the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel Dune about a boy named Paul who tries to protect the desert planet of Arrakis, its inhabitants, referred to as Fremen, and its valuable spice reserves from brutal Harkonnen rule. If you are like me and did not read the book you too were surprised by the amount of worldbuilding reminiscent of Islamic or Arab traditions. Ironically however, none of the main actors portray Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) or Muslim backgrounds; rather, the protagonist communicated as meant to rescue Arrakis’ largely colored Fremen population turns out to be a white male. While Dune and its characters reside in the fictitious realm the storyline is one replicated far too often in the real world.

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Hosting Refugees: How Nations Can Help Mitigate the Effects of Forced Displacement

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Hosting Refugees: How Nations Can Help Mitigate the Effects of Forced Displacement

With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine contributing to the ever-growing refugee crisis around the world, it is important to shine a light on the many reasons why hosting refugees is beneficial, not only to the refugees themselves, but also to the countries that host them.

Dr. Craig Loschmann, a research fellow at UNU-MERIT focusing on analyzing conflict-related migration, argues that the mere economic benefits of hosting refugees outweigh the possible associated risks. His experience participating in different UNHCR-funded projects in refugee camps in Burundi and Rwanda led him to conclude that hosting refugees can help…

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Food Insecurity in Refugee Camps

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Food Insecurity in Refugee Camps

Due to political unrest, environmental catastrophes, and economic instabilities, millions of families were forced to flee their homes around the world. Over the years, this refugee crisis has continued to grow larger in magnitude and has caused the displacement of 26 million refugees by the end of 2019, according to the statistics released by the UNHCR. Among half of them are children. One of the most challenging issues that these refugees are facing every day is the inadequate supply of food. Food shortage has become a growing concern and many refugees are worried if they have enough to feed their own families. Many agencies are involved in helping refugees combat food insecurity. Among those agencies, the most impactful is the World Food Programme (WFP).

Founded by the United Nations in 1961, the World Food Programme is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. In 2019, WFP has provided food assistance to 100 million people in more than 80 countries and is expected to feed up to 138 million this year. However, even though this seems like a big number, it is still a long way from feeding everyone. On top of the growing need for food distribution, there is also a…