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What's Left to Hold on To, When ANNUAL REVIEW 2014 WHAT’S LEFT TO HOLD ON TO, WHEN YOU HAVE TO LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND? Our Story Justice Centre Hong Kong was born in March 2014 from the solid foundations of Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre (HKRAC), which provided life-saving legal services to over 2000 refugees over seven years. As HKRAC, we represented refugees going through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) system. But in March 2013, the Court of Final Appeal ruled that the Hong Kong Government must introduce its own system for determining refugee claims. One year later, the government responded with the Unified Screening Mechanism (USM), which brought together under the one process: refugee claims (referred to by the government as ’ persecution’ claims); torture claims; and claims under cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CIDTP). In response to the overwhelming unmet need for legal information and support YOUR in the refugee community faced with this change, HKRAC relaunched as Justice Centre Hong Kong to significantly expand our services to meet the needs of all people seeking protection in these three categories under this HUMAN new system. We also saw this change as an opportunity to extend our advocacy work to RIGHTS. look not only at refugee rights but also modern slavery and human trafficking in Hong Kong and have expanded our policy and research work in this direction. And here we are, Justice Centre Hong Kong, one year on. This is our story and the stories of those incredible people we support. 1 Year Old Dedicated Staff 14 Members Refugees 741Supported Supporters Committed 1070 67 Volunteers 1 Contents Foreword from the Executive Director By the time you read this, I will have moved on from my role as Executive P1 Our Story Director of Justice Centre Hong Kong, but I could not leave without having p3 Foreword from the Executive Director the last word on what a life-changing three years this has been. p4 Our Year in Numbers p6 Where are refugees coming from? This past year especially has been one of great challenges, is everything. Refugees here have very real, often unmet, yet many accomplishments. Its beginning saw the needs. But what I see that many refugees and asylum p8 Our Services introduction of the Unified Screening Mechanism, the new seekers need and want most, is justice. p13 Bassim from the Middle East government system for assessing refugee claims, and our Access to justice, in our context, is refugees and asylum simultaneous relaunch from Hong Kong Refugee Advice p14 Our Advocacy seekers having a basic understanding of their rights, Centre to Justice Centre Hong Kong. p18 Our Community Empowerment and access to fair systems. Justice is not just for rich p21 Alice from East Africa Since then we have introduced new projects and people or educated people; it’s everyone having the same programmes that have enhanced the scope and impact of opportunities in a system, and the system being fair. p22 Our Communications our work, including: advocacy work in the area of modern And this is what our work at Justice Centre is all about – slavery and human trafficking; legal information sessions p24 Our Campaigns supporting people so they have the same chance in the in over eleven languages; a Mental Health Assessment and p26 Our Events system, no matter if they didn’t go to school, have blocked Support Service for the most vulnerable and traumatised out what happened to them to survive or are a child alone p28 Our Funders and Partners refugees; Voices for Protection, our refugee-led advocacy in this huge city. It’s transforming the system itself; using programme; the Hungry for Change campaign to let p30 Our Finances every skill and tool and strategy and relationship to create refugees eat in dignity; and our first Round Table to Our Board of Directors the best system we can to decide who is, and who isn’t, p31 engage the diplomatic community in our work. You can screened in. An efficient system, a just system. A system p32 Our Team read more about all of these highlights and more in the you can trust when your future, your life, depends on it. p33 How you can support us pages to follow. That is access to justice, and that is worth everything to I will remember all of these achievements with pride. But the people I’ve spent the last three years working with. It what I will remember most from my time here will not be is something I still so deeply believe in, and something the activities or the projects. It will be the strength and the my talented, passionate, friends and colleagues at Justice hope of the refugees we have worked with. It is the power Centre, of whom I remain so very proud, will continue to of their survival instinct that I take with me when I leave. fearlessly pursue. The people we work with at Justice Centre are the It only remains for me to say ’ thank you’ to our staff, our strongest, most resilient people you will ever meet. They supporters, our funders, our partners, everyone who has are not victims. They are the survivors; those who got out, made Justice Centre what it is today. But most of all, fled, ran barefoot through deserts and jungles, boarded thank you to the refugees I have worked with for teaching rickety boats, sold everything they owned, used their me a lesson in justice. Never stop believing in what’s just, wits, carried their children, made impossible decisions in what’s right. Never stop believing in justice. of what and who to leave behind. I will remember their strength, and the strength of their love for their families. I will remember the smiles of their beautiful children; their warmth, their kindness and their wisdom. Another thing I have learned and will take away with me is a lesson in ’ justice’. I’d never thought too much about justice before. But in my work with refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong, I’ve realised that justice 2 3 Our Year in Numbers Languages 52 Spoken Languages 39 Interpreted 2014 Attendances At 138 Legal 1260 Information Sessions Refugees Receiving 741Beneficiaries 84 Intensive Legal Support 296 Drop-Ins Refugees Receiving Intensive 183 Dependents 366 Men Survivors Of 50 Psychological Support 60 Torture Survivors Of Sexual And Women 192 15 Gender-Based Violence 131Children 21 Partnerships Volunteers Single-Parent 76 Families 18 Families 67Trained Unaccompanied Minor Refugee 1 Recognitions 44 Countries 25 4 5 Where are refugees coming from? In 2014, Justice Centre provided services to refugees from over 40 4. Central African Republic (CAR) countries. They were fleeing from persecution in places you would The Central African Republic (CAR) is currently facing expect: countries where war, conflict and human rights abuses are rife. a humanitarian emergency following over two years of political disputes and extensive violence. Military coups Most of the refugees we provided our individual assistance (intensive and uprisings have also resulted in a severe economic crisis, drastically impacting the provision of public legal and psychological support) to came from the following five services and protection. The disputes have been provoked by two groups; the mostly Muslim Séléka, led by Michel countries. Somalia, Pakistan, Egypt, Rwanda and Central African 2 Republic. 3 Djotodia (President of CAR from March 2013 to January 2014) who formed the group in response to President Bozizé’s failure to adhere to the terms of numerous peace Read below to find out more about the situations that forced them 4 1 5 agreements, and the anti- Séléka vigilante groups known to flee to Hong Kong. This information has been compiled using our as “anti-balaka“, largely composed of Christian villagers. own Country of Origin research, as well as information from Amnesty As ethno-religious conflicts have forced divisions, around International, Human Rights Watch, UNHCR and UK Government. 25 per cent of CAR’s population has faced internal displacement since December 2013. The conflicts have also threatened regional stability as more than 190,000 refugees have fled the country to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic 1. Somalia 2. Pakistan 3. Egypt of Congo (DRC). According to Human Rights Watch, Somali civilians Gross violations of human rights continue in Pakistan, Following the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi in In 2014, Justice Centre provided individual continue to be killed, wounded and displaced by the including arbitrary detention, torture, deaths in July 2013, the human rights situation has continued assistance to 5 refugees from CAR, who were long-standing conflict between the Islamist group Al- custody, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial to deteriorate in Egypt. The authorities severely restrict survivors of violence as a result of full scale civil war. Shabaab, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and execution. The government of Pakistan has failed to offer freedom of expression, association and assembly. Since 5. Rwanda African Union forces (AMISOM). The Somali government protection to victims of human rights abuses, particularly 2013, thousands have been arrested and detained, has largely failed to protect areas under its control, while women, children, religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities tortured and ill-treated as part of a sweeping crackdown According to Human Rights Watch, in 2014, the Rwandan Al-Shabaab maintains control of much of south-central and other marginalised groups, who are especially on dissent, with some detainees subjected to enforced government continued to severely control freedom of Somalia. Human rights abuses have been widespread susceptible to discrimination, violent attacks and legal disappearance. Additionally, no action is taken to tackle expression and association. Dissenting political opinions, and perpetuated by both government and rebel forces, persecution under blasphemy laws.
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