GROW

Oxfam launches it's new GROW campaign this week. Here's the introductory video that's just been released:

Update: Ireland and the UN Committee Against Torture

Today (or possibly tomorrow) will see Ireland appear for the first time before the UN Committee Against Torture.

The Committee has the mandate to review and is expected to comment inter alia on Ireland's current deportation system, the number of deaths that have taken place in recent years in Garda custody, the extent of human trafficking in the country and Ireland's complicity in facilitating renditions.

For more information about this monitoring body and Ireland's appearance in particular, check out this blog. Alternatively, to read the Irish delegation's opening statement, visit the committee's schedule page.

Youth Worker Exchange

A colleague of mine recently passed on a report from the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) which reviews the organisation's 2010 youth worker exchange.

Sinze 2006, NYCI has promoted and facilitated this exchange of Irish and Zambian youth workers . One of the most appealing aims of the project is to create direct links between youth organisations in the Global North and Global South beyond the exchange, thus fostering a greater sense of global solidarity.

For a glimpse at the benefits that such exchanges can have for youth workers and the sector in both countries, have a read of the very user-friendly report.

Breaking the Silence

There are rare moments when action is taken by individuals that has the potential to change the very nature and premise of a debate. The formation in 2004 of Breaking the Silence may well still prove to be such a moment. The organisation is comprised of Israeli veterans dedicated to stimulating:

...public debate about the price paid for a reality in which young soldiers face a civilian population on a daily basis, and are engaged in the control of that population’s everyday life.

Now, Breaking the Silence is taking the brave move to post videos on Youtube of ex-soldiers speaking about wrongdoing by the Israeli army in the occupied territories. Here is one such example:

Living in Limbo

The Immigrant Council of Ireland released a new report yesterday, Living in Limbo - Migrant's Experience of Applying for Naturalisation in Ireland.

The report examines the experience of 315 migrants from more than 60 countries and calls for urgent reform as unfortunately, as is the case with many areas of immigration law and related policy, naturalisation can be a complicated and at times unjust process.

Interestingly, the research shows that many migrants applied for citizenship to secure a permanent immigration status. Addressing this point, yesterday's press release quotes NASC chief executive Fiona Finn:

Citizenship should not be perceived as the only viable means of overcoming the stress and strain of living on temporary residence permissions year after year.

Looking forward to delving into the report in detail.