Pressure UNHCR -Egypt to Reopen Emergency Cases: Abdel Rahman Siddiq Hashim is an educator, and Darfuri refugee, reopening his file with UNHCR-Egypt after surviving a brutal assault in Cairo
Why is this important?
I have lived, studied, and worked in Egypt for over a year in 2007-2008, and 2010, specifically focusing on community-based self-education efforts in African refugee communities. This is how I met Abdel Rahman. Abdel Rahman is originally from Darfur, and has been living in Cairo, Egypt for about a decade, suffering the agonies of life as an African refugee. On Sunday March 23rd, Abdel Rahman was brutally assaulted at night in Cairo, and represents the countless many who face such challenges on a daily basis. He is currently re-opening his file with the UNHCR-Cairo office, and seeks immediate relocation out of Egypt.
In 1951, Egypt made reservations to refugee rights chartered by the UNHCR Refugee Convention, also known as the Geneva Convention, effectively disallowing refugees the right to access public relief and humanitarian assistance. Most of Egypt's refugees are hopelessly unemployed, and in dire need of educational, and professional opportunities, especially those further marginalized by race, ethnicity, and religion, as is the case with African refugees in Cairo, Egypt.
