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Our decolonial perspective is informed and inspired by Indigenous analyses and practices that affirm that our current global problems are not related to a lack of knowledge, but to an inherently violent modern-colonial habit of being. Four denials structure this habit of being:

the denial of systemic violence and complicity in harm (the fact that our comforts, securities and enjoyments are subsidized by expropriation and exploitation somewhere else),

the denial of the limits of the planet (the fact that the planet cannot sustain exponential growth and consumption),

the denial of entanglement (our insistence in seeing ourselves as separate from each other and the land, rather than "entangled" within a living wider metabolism that is bio-intelligent), and

denial of the depth and magnitude of the problems that we face: the tendencies 1) to search for "hope" in simplistic solutions that make us feel and look good; 2) to turn away from difficult and painful work (e.g. to focus on a "better future" as a way to escape a reality that is perceived as unbearable).

We have created a social cartography that maps these four primary denials onto four levels of denial. Download it in PDF here.

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Our decolonial perspective is informed and inspired by Indigenous analyses and practices that affirm that our current global problems are not related to a lack of knowledge, but to an inherently violent modern-colonial habit of being. Four denials structure this habit of being: the denial of systemic violence and complicity in harm (the fact that...

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https://www.canva.com/design/DAGfkUaohzQ/mMOyB_PeUFSGy--GnOJ9UA/edit?utm_content=DAGfkUaohzQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

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Decoupling Economic Growth from environmental harm

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Five lessons for protecting critical infrastructure in times of crisis

Feature / From cyberattacks to climate impacts, the growing threats to critical infrastructure demand urgent action and innovative resilience strategies.

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The 2024 IPBES Transformative Change Assessment details the causes of biodiversity loss and offers principles for the needed transformations to reverse course.

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Yosemite Maasai: A Biography of an Unexpected Life by Rachel Mazur

The book touches on the same idea as discussed in the session about displacing indigenous communities for the sake of ecological protection.

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Charles Eisenstein - Ending The Story of Separation

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Five lessons for protecting critical infrastructure in times of crisis

Feature / From cyberattacks to climate impacts, the growing threats to critical infrastructure demand urgent action and innovative resilience strategies.

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The 2024 IPBES Transformative Change Assessment details the causes of biodiversity loss and offers principles for the needed transformations to reverse course.

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When stars are scattered: Omar Mohamed.

Topic of refugee camp in Kenya, being displaced from his home in Somalia due to war.

Comic book style.

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ERROR: The request could not be satisfied

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Content on Human Rights/US intervention in Latin America: 

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Content on Human Rights/US intervention in Latin America: 

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Night of the Pencils (movie)

I'm Still Here (movie)

The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa (book)

A Hundred Years of Solitude / The autumn of the patriarch by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (books)

Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende (books)

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Most people in the world have had the experience of leaving the place where they grew up. Maybe they will only move as far as the next village or city. But for some people, they will need to leave their country entirely - sometimes for a short time, but sometimes forever.
Every day, all over the world, people make one of the most difficult decisions in their lives: to leave their homes in search of a safer, better life.
There are many reasons why people around the globe seek to rebuild their lives in a different country. Some people leave home to get a job or an education. Others are forced to flee persecution or human rights violations such as torture. Millions flee from armed conflicts or other crises or violence. Some no longer feel safe and might have been targeted just because of who they are or what they do or believe - for example, for their ethnicity, religion, sexuality or political opinions.

These journeys, which all start with the hope for a better future, can also be full of danger and fear. Some people risk falling prey to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Some are detained by the authorities as soon as they arrive in a new country. Once they're settling in and start building a new life, many face daily racism, xenophobia and discrimination.

Some people end up feeling alone and isolated because they have lost the support networks that most of us take for granted - our communities, colleagues, relatives and friends.

WHY DO PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR COUNTRIES?

There are many reasons why it might be too difficult or dangerous for people to stay in their own countries. For example, children, woman and men flee from violence, war, hunger, extreme poverty, because of their sexual or gender orientation, or from the consequences of climate change or other natural disasters. Often people will face a combination of these difficult circumstances.

People who leave their countries are not always fleeing danger. They might believe they have a better chance of finding work in another country because they have the education or capital to seek opportunities elsewhere. Others might want to join relatives or friends who are already living abroad. Or they might seek to start or finish their education in another country. There are lots of different reasons for people to start a journey to build a life in a new country.

DEFINITIONS: WHAT EXACTLY IS A REFUGEE, AN ASYLUM SEEKER AND A MIGRANT?

The terms "refugee", "asylum seeker" and "migrant" are used to describe people who are on the move, who have left their countries and have crossed borders.

The terms "migrant" and "refugee" are often used interchangeably but it is important to distinguish between them as there is a legal difference.

Who is a refugee?

A refugee is a person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there. The risks to their safety and life were so great that they felt they had no choice but to leave and seek safety outside their country because their own government cannot or will not protect them from those dangers. Refugees have a right to international protection.

Who is an asylum seeker?

An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in another country, but who hasn't yet been legally recognized as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim. Seeking asylum is a human right. This means everyone should be allowed to enter another country to seek asylum.

Who is a migrant?

There is no internationally accepted legal definition of a migrant. Like most agencies and organizations, we at Amnesty International understand migrants to be people staying outside their country of origin, who are not asylum seekers or refugees.

Some migrants leave their country because they want to work, study or join family, for example. Others feel they must leave because of poverty, political unrest, gang violence, natural disasters or other serious circumstances that exist there.

Lots of people don't fit the legal definition of a refugee but could nevertheless be in danger if they went home.

It is important to understand that, just because migrants do not flee persecution, they are still entitled to have all their human rights protected and respected, regardless of the status they have in the country they moved to. Governments must protect all migrants from racist and xenophobic violence, exploitation and forced labour. Migrants should never be detained or forced to return to their countries without a legitimate reason.

WHAT IS AMNESTY'S POSITION ON MIGRANTS, REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS?

We campaign for a world where human rights can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter what situation they are in. Amnesty has championed the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants for decades.

We campaign to make sure governments honour their shared responsibility to protect the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. We condemn any policies and practices that undermine the rights of people on the move.

The people are not the problem
There are about 35 million refugees globally. Many people feel overwhelmed by the numbers and see people moving across borders as a global crisis. We at Amnesty International disagree that it is a crisis of numbers. The people are not the problem. Rather, the causes that drive families and individuals to cross borders and the short-sighted and unrealistic ways that politicians respond to them are the problem.
Campaigning for people on the move
With our campaigns, we put pressure on governments to honour their responsibility to protect every single person's rights. They must make sure that refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are safe, and are not tortured, discriminated against or left living in poverty.

We campaign for governments to properly process the asylum claims of asylum seekers so that they don't leave them in limbo - sometimes even locked away in detention centres - for years. We also want to see migrants being protected from exploitation and abuse by their employers or by traffickers.
The individual beyond the label
Each human being has more than one identity. "Refugee", "migrant" and "asylum seeker" are only temporary terms; they do not reflect the whole identity of women, children and men who have left their homes behind to start a new life in a new country.

When we use these labels, we need to remember that out of the many ways in which people describe themselves, these terms only refer to one experience: that of leaving their countries. But the identities of these people are made up of so many more things.

Most people seeking to live elsewhere will feel that the experience of leaving their countries doesn't fully capture who they are. Like all of us, they are complex and unique human beings and might choose to identify themselves as being from a certain country or region, belonging to a group that speaks a certain language or shares a culture. Or they might say about themselves that they are a teacher, doctor, artist, passionate football fan, father, sister, son or mother.

A person's legal status cannot express the full identity and personality of a refugee, asylum seeker or migrant. No one can be known solely through their legal status.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Support our campaigns to help refugees!

You can join our movement of people who welcome refugees. Amnesty's I Welcome campaign calls on governments worldwide to welcome their fair share of the world's people who are seeking safety. With enough political will, our leaders can protect people fleeing conflict and persecution, including through a solution called resettlement.

We are also pushing for other safe ways for refugees to start new lives, such as by reuniting families who have been separated, through community groups sponsoring refugee families to move to their country, and through universities and businesses offering people study or work visas to start a new life.

Governments should never force anyone to go back to a country where they are at risk of human rights violations. Instead, refugees should be offered a safe place to live and opportunities to access work, education and health care.

Where your government has a sponsorship programme, you can get involved in community sponsorship. This is where local communities come together to raise money to resettle and welcome families and individuals who have fled their home countries.

FIND OUT MORE

Laws for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers

The rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are protected by international law, regardless of how and why they arrive in a country. They have the same rights as everyone else, plus special or specific protections including:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 14), which states that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries

The 1951 UN Refugee Convention (and its 1967 Protocol), which protects refugees from being returned to countries where they risk being persecuted

The 1990 Migrant Workers Convention, which protects migrants and their families

Regional Refugee law instruments (including 1969 OAU Convention, 1984 Cartagena Declaration, Common European Asylum System and Dublin Regulation)

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Who is a refugee, a migrant or an asylum seeker?

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"Refugee," "migrant" and "asylum seeker" are only temporary terms, learn more about who they really are.

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The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol are the key legal documents that form the basis of our work. With 149 State parties to either or both, they define the term 'refugee' and outlines the rights of refugees, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.
The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. This is now considered a rule of customary international law.

UNHCR serves as the 'guardian' of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. According to the legislation, States are expected to cooperate with us in ensuring that the rights of refugees are respected and protected.
Read the Refugee Convention

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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

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The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol are the key legal documents that form the basis of our work. With 149 State parties to either or both, they define the term 'refugee' and outlines the rights of refugees, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.

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Refuge - short film by Caoimhe Butterly 

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Refuge - short film by Caoimhe Butterly 

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Reflections of some of those stuck in indefinite limbo in Vasilika refugee camp in Northern Greece. Raneem and Leila, Ella, Mohammed and Hassan talk about their journeys, their hopes, frustrations and experiences of ongoing injustice.

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Reflections of some of those stuck in indefinite limbo in Vasilika refugee camp in Northern Greece. Raneem and Leila, Ella, Mohammed and Hassan talk about their journeys, their hopes, frustrations and experiences of ongoing injustice.

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Safe Passage - short video by Caoimhe Butterly 

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Safe Passage - short video by Caoimhe Butterly 

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This is "safe passage- proactiva" by Caoimhe Butterly

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Safe Passage (Gabi) - short film by Caoimhe Butterly 

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Safe Passage (Gabi) - short film by Caoimhe Butterly 

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The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) publishes regular updates about their accommodation centres. Currently there are just over 33,000 people being housed in these centres; men, women, and children. Despite national and international criticism towards the government of Ireland the system of Direct Provision has endured for 25 years.

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Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland

Comhlámh: Ireland Says Welcome

NASC (Cork)

Migrant Rights Centre

Irish Refugee Council

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From the Liberal Aggregator on Instagram describing inaction and its consequences

The Liberal Aggregator | Do SOMETHING. Anything and everything helps. March, call, post, speak up. Do. Something. #nofascism #speakup #speakout | Instagram

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Book Rec: My Fourth Time We Drowned - Sally Hayden 

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Book Rec: My Fourth Time We Drowned - Sally Hayden 

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Sally Hayden details the migration route from Libya to Europe. Hayden is a journalist who was contacted by a migrant in a Libyan detention centre - she follows migrants making their journey and uncovers the role of European policies in Mediterranean. Heavy read but worthwhile.

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Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor - Rob Nixon

The Human Planet and How We Created the Anthropocene - Simon Lewis & Mark Maslin

Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life - E.O. Wilson

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Crying in H-Mart - Michelle Zauner

Memoir of Michelle Zauner (lead singer of Japanese Breakfast). Zauner looks to reconnect with her South Korean heritage through food after the death of her mother. Recommended as a depiction of 2nd generation immigrants.

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Why not put some of your passion in to practice and write for STAND News? Become a monthly contributor or just write a once off piece on a topic that you are passionate about. We are about tying the local to the global and understanding where we fit in the chain of events and what we can do about it.

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STAND celebrates the power of ordinary people to change the world. Learn more about what we do and how you can get involved.

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Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History - Eduardo Galeano

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Anti-Racism in Ireland - a lot to be done

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Anti-Racism in Ireland - a lot to be done

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Despite commissioning a report and plan the Government of Ireland have not yet implemented their anti-racism measures

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Anti-Racism Map: Mapping Anti-Racism Plans in Ireland - European Network Against Racism

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In ENAR’s Evaluation of the National Action Plans against Racism, Ireland scored 9/20. There is currently no National Action Plan against Racism, although it is planned. Overview Category Score 1. NAPAR Adoption 2/4 2. Systemic and Intersectional Approach 2/3 3. Equality Data Collection 2/4 4. Institutional Participatory Mechanisms 1/3 5. Human and Financial Resource Allocation […]