By William Spindler*
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December 2015 (UNHCR) – Hundreds of thousands of people have fled across the Mediterranean Sea this year to escape war and persecution. Here are seven key events in this unfolding drama.
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25/12/2015
I Helped Create ISIS
Human Wrongs Watch
18 December 2015 (TeleSur)* – After 14 years of War on Terror, the West is great at fomenting barbarism and creating failed states.
Many have begun to refer to the Islamic State group as Daesh. | Photo: andaluciainformacion.es | Source: TeleSur
For the last several years, people around the world have asked, “Where did ISIS come from?” Explanations vary, but largely focus on geopolitical (U.S. hegemony), religious (Sunni-Shia), ideological (Wahhabism) or ecological (climate refugees) origins.
Many commentators and even former military officials correctly suggest that the war in Iraq is primarily responsible for unleashing the forces we now know as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, etc. Here, hopefully I can add some useful reflections and anecdotes.
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25/12/2015
Migrant Workers Account for 150 Million of 232 Million International Migrants
Human Wrongs Watch
Geneva, December 2015 – Migrant workers account for 150.3 million of the world’s approximately 232 million international migrants, according to a new study by the International Labour Organization (ILO).*
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Photo source: ILO
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The report, ILO Global Estimates on Migrant Workers , shows migrant workers account for 72.7 per cent of the 206.6 million working age migrant population (15 years and over).
The majority – 83.7 million – are men, with 66.6 million women migrant workers.
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25/12/2015
70% of 1 Million Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Live Below Local Extreme Poverty Line
Human Wrongs Watch
Some 70 per cent of the over 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon now live below the Lebanese extreme poverty line, a big rise over 2014, and food insecurity is mounting, the UN on 23 December 2015 reported, calling for greater access to the domestic labour market to mitigate the crisis.
A young Syrian girl sits on a broken chair by her tent in Faida 3 camp, an informal tented settlement for Syria refugees in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Photo: UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi
“Each day represents a monumental struggle to meet the most basic needs,” the 2015 UN Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon said, noting that the rise in those below the $3.84-per-day poverty line rise represented “a striking increase” from 49 per cent in 2014.
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25/12/2015
Central African Republic: Election-Related violence, Atrocity Crimes
Human Wrongs Watch
As the Central African Republic (CAR) prepares for general elections, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said that her Office will record any instance of violence and that anyone committing atrocity crimes will be held accountable.
Voters in the PK5 area of the capital Bangui after casting ballots in the Central African Republic referendum from 13 to 14 December 2015 on a new draft constitution for the country. UN Photo/Nektarios Markogiannis
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 