Empowerment of Women Refugee and Skill

Development Programs in India

“With an Overview on UNHCR’s Refugee Policy

and Other Related Organizations”

Seied Beniamin Hosseini & Shima Aziza University of Mysore

Who is Refugee?under the 1951 Refugee

Convention; a “Refugee” is a person She is outside of the

country of her nationality. She has a well founded

fear. Because of persecution for

reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.

She is not protected by country of her nationality/ origin.

Recognized refugees by government of India like; Tibetans, Chakmas and Sri Lankan Tamils.

Afghan, Iranian, Bhutanese and refugees from Sudan and Somalia who are residing in New Delhi are assisted by the UNHCR and provided international protection and assistance under its mandate.

Type of Refugees in India

Article 22 of Universal Declaration of Human Right is given the economic, social and cultural rights of each and every person and all nations.

Article 21 of the Indian Constitution guarantees right to life and personal liberty which include some of the economic, social and cultural rights such as right to livelihood, right to education and etc. Actually these rights also is very

important in the lives of refugees particularly women

refugees because their overall development is not possible

without the enjoyment of these rights.

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Accessing women refugee to skill development training programs help them

1- to increase their positions in accessing to knowledge, resources and gaining decision- making power and to obtain assistance on an equal footing with men.

2- to find safer job and help protecting them from gender based violence within the family as well as in work place.

3- To rebuild self confidence and self esteem as well as it reduce feeling of isolation and also reduce lethargy and depression.

4- To makes them self sufficient and also independent. 5- They will have the opportunities to lead productive,

secure and dignified lives, and are able to provide assistance when needed to vulnerable groups.

What is important about women refugee’s empowerment?

1- education: they have limited access to a right of education and higher education level because of;

Economic conditions. Lack of sufficient facilities for education. Social set up which contribute girl refugees in

household work. Lack of time and energy after doing

household works. Most of the schools are far away from the

camp and settlement. Early marriage and Language problems.

Women refugees problem in India

2- employment; many of them have been excluded from business and they lack business skills because of :

have to look after their dependents. Lack of education which directly is

dependent on education of the women refugees. But evidence shows that most of women refugees who are educated up to primary level are engaged in non- technical work like domestic work, agriculture labour and etc and an approximately equal number are housewife.

Women refugees problem in India

UNHCR helps refugees stitch up a livelihood

UNHCR together with its partners and civil society and government of India provides a range of services to support refugees and asylum-seekers in health, education, legal counseling, vocational skills and livelihoods. But India needs to focus more on Skill and education training programs which have very important role in providing numerous benefits to refuge women.

Already There are conducted many development programs like; 1- DON BOSCO through offers language classes, counseling and

support for livelihood activities including vocational training specially for youth generation of refugees.

2- organizing self-defense training for refugee women by UNHCR along with its partner with aim of empowering women by equipping them with basic martial arts techniques.

3- All Burma a Democratic Lushai Women Organization (ABDLWO) and Central Chin Women Organ (CCWO) through running handloom industry, swing trainings, making traditional weaving and swing products for Burma women refugees.

Skill Development Trainings Toward WR

The Delhi Police has conducted self defense classes for refugee women in

Delhi

4- CCWO through running on English speaking class as a vocational training for the young men and women and CWO has conducted English classes and chin language. They have training programs on human rights and women rights.

6- Burmese Women of Delhi (BWD) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), through developing a cell phone based solution to track reproductive tract infections (RTI) among women living in marginalized communities like coastal fishermen communities, refugee women from Myanmar and Somalia living in India, female sex workers, tribal communities, etc. Through this project the role of ICT was clear.

7- Further providing training in stitching. Knitting and tailoring which has conducted through Zomi Women Union which provides women with marketable skill.

Skill Development Trainings Toward WR

Burma Centre Delhi (BCD) increase awareness about the atrocities & abuses going on the Burmese

refugee women in their present host country India.

8-KSDF business project which with selling “MOMO” through renting a room by furniture, cooking equipment and the raw ingredients to launch this business by Kuki ethnic group who are presenting unemployed.

9- BOSCO through acquiring vocational skills and finding work in the informal sector. Afghan refugees after completing training can find suitable jobs or, even start their own businesses. And it was a new hope of life to distressed Afghan refugees.

10- The ACCESS team, Through creating an income-generating activity for refugee women that recognize their skills, interest and capacities. As a result of this program four Afghan women together cooked up an idea that would give them and their families a measure of much-needed financial independence through UNHCR, the UN Refuge Agency and ACCESS Development Services.

11- the Pakistan Hindu Relief Program (PHRRP) on October 2015, as an umbrella project of multiple U.S based Hindu organization has donated a swing machine unit to refugee camp. This program empowers Pakistan-Hindu women who are skilled in swing and can work, hence this program boost clothing swing business at refugee camp.

Skill Development Trainings Toward WR

four Afghan women together cooked up an idea that would give them and their families a measure of much-needed financial independence through

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and ACCESS Development Services.

Inadequate resources, teachers and classes. Cultural constraints sometimes prevent them from

accepting work or undertaking training that takes them out of the household.

practical problems also constraints their participation in skill training, including a need for child day- care, and lack of time and energy after doing household work and or jobs as a wage earner.

Education problem, many skills require some minimum qualification. If that is not possessed by the refugee girl and woman then she would not get access to skill training. Therefore equal access to educational programs is an important aspect for getting skill training.

obstacles in getting access to skill training for WR

1- India needs to implement particular policies and strategies to incorporate women sufficiently to bring about the real improvement in the lives of refugee women in India.

2- However, a lack of resources limits the projects’ scale and refugees’ wages, and many still struggle to find jobs after completing such training, therefore, UNHCR’s livelihoods programes must be reviewed and updated towards refugees as well as women refugees .

3- collect more comprehensive legal data in terms of economic and employment’s status of women refugees.

4- in the absence of education and employment facilities specially for women refugees, it is better to encourage women’s participation in skill training programes.

5 India needs to have more corporations with other state and international NGOs and governmental agencies to create the real improvement in women’s refugee’s lives.

6- to ensure that the protection and economic independent of girls and women refugees remain a high priority for UNHCR and all other relevant stakeholders, both in and beyond the Dialogue location.

Conclusion

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