What is your dream?
"Contributing my own small quota in making the world a better place."
-Mukete Talhe Itoe
FROM ARGENTINA- I had the honor to make some questions to the founder and president of the Refugees Welfare Association. An incredible non-governmental organization that improves migrants' lives. The organization that invites you to believe in second chances. REWAC has a positive impact in 26 countries, with the help of Mukete Talhe Itoe, who created the NGO eleven years ago, in 2009.
In January 2009, five young men from Burkina Faso crossed the Nigerian border and entered Cameroon via the Bakassi Peninsula. They were arrested and detained by law enforcement officials for ‘attempting to seek asylum in Cameroon’. After nine days, they were brought before a Common law Court where they faced charges for illegal immigration. Fortunately, the Judge who oversaw the young men's trial from Burkina Faso is a long time reader in international law and a researcher in global migration trends. He applied article 31 of the UN Refugee Convention as ‘customary international law’ and dropped all the charges against the young migrants. He ordered the State of Cameroon to conduct the young migrants to the UN's Refugee Agency Office in Yaoundé for their request for asylum. After 10 days, the young migrants were free to enjoy their liberty and to pursue their asylum claim since there was no appeal against the Judge’s decision. – Source: www.rewac.org
The Refugees Welfare Association's mission - is to provide quality humanitarian assistance at the grassroots level in favor of the empowerment and achievement of sustainable livelihood amongst vulnerable migrants.
Q: What does it mean to lead the Refugees Welfare Association?
A: It’s very challenging but at the same time I am honored to be at the service of vulnerable persons from over 26 countries.
Q: What was the biggest contribution so far?
A: The hope and expectations for better days ahead.
No one imagines that he or she will become a refugee. Many of those who are forced to fly only have a few minutes to make vital decisions, collect what they can, and run. Where will they go? How will they get around? What will they take? Desperate decisions must be made in a short span of time. Decisions that may impact the rest of their lives.
In Cameroon, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) adjudicates almost entirely the process of granting refugee status – better known as the refugee status determination (RSD) process-to migrants. The purport is to determine whether the asylum seeker falls within the criteria for international refugee protection. The foundation of this process rests upon the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which under Article 31, specifically prohibits the return by Signatory Countries like Cameroon, of a migrant to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. This is also known as the principle of ‘non-refoulment.' Against the backdrop of this illustration, Cameroon’s violation of these migrants’ rights becomes much more pronounced.
Q: What are the biggest challenges? Are you afraid of any of them?
A: The biggest challenge is that of ignorance by the populace of the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and IDPs. Even these groups of persons do not know the international protection mechanisms that avail them. Next, is the lack of financial resources to adequately address the concerns of these vulnerable migrants. I am not afraid. Our organization was created to look for possible innovative ideas to address these challenges.
The practice of granting asylum to those fleeing persecution is one of the first distinctive features of civilization. In the 20th century, the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol became the cornerstones for the international protection of refugees. According to the Convention, a refugee is a person who
Q: What are the biggest challenges? Are you afraid of any of them?
A: The biggest challenge is that of ignorance by the populace of the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and IDPs. Even these groups of persons do not know the international protection mechanisms that avail them. Next, is the lack of financial resources to adequately address the concerns of these vulnerable migrants. I am not afraid. Our organization was created to look for possible innovative ideas to address these challenges.
The practice of granting asylum to those fleeing persecution is one of the first distinctive features of civilization. In the 20th century, the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol became the cornerstones for the international protection of refugees. According to the Convention, a refugee is a person who
“due to well-founded fears of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a certain social group or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality and is unable or because of these fears, you do not want to avail yourself of the protection of such a country”
Q: What does the world need? Why do international laws fail to enforce those rights?
A: We need basic respect for each other as persons of the universe, regardless of our color, race, country of origin, etc. The failure of international law enforcement is due to poor global leadership, the lack of political Will.
Refugees have rights, like any other, and States have a duty to protect them. The basis of these rights is found in the 1951 Geneva Convention and its Protocol. In the UN system, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the key agency charged with protecting refugees. The basic principle of the 1951 Convention is "non-refoulment": no refugee should be returned to a country where his life or liberty may be seriously threatened. However, rights are worth nothing if we do not know that we have them. When someone decides to apply for such protection, States have a duty to ensure that the asylum procedure is fair and effective. Refugees have rights, like any other, and States have a duty to protect them.
Q: What do you think about politics and politicians?
A: Politics ruins the world, and politicians destroy the world, all for their selfish interests. I don’t believe in them.
Q: In name of REWAC, what is the dream that you follow?
A: A more humane and free world where everyone is capable of expressing his/her talents for a better, harmonious, prosperous, and peaceful society.
Sadly enough, the reality for the over 200,000 asylum seekers in Cameroon from 26 countries including Chad, Nigeria, the Central African Republic(CAR), Niger, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and Libya remain disturbing compared to the one experienced by the young men from Burkina Faso. Statistics from the UN Refugee Agency show that on the 31st of December of 2018, less than 1% of them move on through the status determination (RSD) process.
Q: What is the greatest injustice you went through? One that made you lose hope…
A: I am an optimist. I have never lost hope in any of my endeavors.
Refugee Welfare Association Cameroon (REWAC) is the result of concerted efforts led by legal minds including the Judge who adjudicated over the case of the young migrants from Burkina Faso, to end the systematic violations of the rights of vulnerable migrants and to promote, defend and enforce international humanitarian law. The trial (supra) was therefore the impetus behind the indigenous initiative to complement efforts made by the UN Refugee Agency, the Cameroon government, and other international development partners in addressing these challenges.
Por Agostina Torres Ochoa
Agostina Torres Ochoa, de 21 años, es estudiante de Relaciones Internacionales en la Universidad del Salvador (Argentina). Sus áreas de interés incluyen los Derechos Humanos, la inmigración, y la crisis climática internacional- sobre la que intenta despertar conciencia. Además, investiga temáticas referentes a la defensa y a la seguridad nacional.
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