American Red Cross to host “Community Resilience: Evolving Perspective and Approaches to Migration”
Leading advocates, humanitarian agencies and government representatives to meet on March 16 in DC to discuss the migration phenomena in the Americas
WASHINGTON, March 9, 2016 — The issue of migration is a hot topic in the news with heated debates sparking around the globe from Europe’s refugee crisis to undocumented migrants in the United States. Migration in the Americas has been prevalent for decades, affecting millions of U.S. households and even more throughout the Americas region. Every year, thousands of migrants face incredible danger as they flee conflict and poverty in the Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to seek safety and reunite with family in the United States. To address the increasing needs and concerns of these migrants, the American Red Cross is convening leading humanitarian organizations and advocates on March 16 in Washington DC.
“All migrants should be treated with dignity,” said Nadia Kalinchuk, Migration Focal Point, Senior Outreach Coordinator and Caseworker for the Americas with the American Red Cross. “Every year thousands of people risk their lives in search of a better future, a future free of prosecution, a future filled with opportunity, safety and prosperity. The reality is that travelers, mostly women and children, face many dangers throughout the migration experience; dangers including traffickers and smugglers, and that calls for a humanitarian response.”
The conference will shed light on the challenges and dangers facing migrants making the journey to the United States and how service providers can work together to strengthen and support the resilience of migrants and the communities in which they live. The event will also feature a photo exhibit organized by The Alliance to End Slavery & Trafficking and Too Young to Wed documenting the migration of unaccompanied children from Central America to the United States. Both the conference and the photo exhibit are free and open to the public.
Community Resilience: Evolving Perspective and Approaches to Migration
9 am – 4 pm, March 16, 2016
American Red Cross, 2025 E St NW, Washington, DC
Keynote speakers include Shelly Pitterman, head of the UN Refugee Agency office in Washington DC, and Walter Cotte, International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent Regional Directors for the Americas. Panel discussion topics include migrant (re)integration, migrant mental health, protections for LGBT migrants and migration policy challenges and opportunities. Panel participants include representatives from Women’s Refugee Commission, Kids in Need of Defense, University of Houston, American Civil Liberties Union, The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, US Department of Homeland Security and more.
Media are welcome to attend. To schedule a TV, Skype or phone interview with one of our keynote speakers or panelists, please call (202) 303-5551 or email cynthia.gutierrez-white@redcross.org
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.