#8 Holding On: Their Most Cherished Possession

11/20/18 • 15 min

A Way Home Together: Stories of the Human Journey

From the fires of California to famine and war in Yemen and South Sudan, every year millions of people are displaced by natural disasters, violence and extreme climate.

Around the world, the number of people forced from their homes and neighborhoods has more than doubled in the past twenty years. The current official estimate of displaced persons is more than 68 million.

In this episode, we ask: What would you hold onto if you were forced to flee your home and had only moments to decide what to take with you?

A landap, a pot and a government-issued health card are three of the answers from three internally displaced people, who fled Marawi City in The Southern Philippines during intense fighting in 2017. We hear their personal stories as they explain why these items are their most cherished possessions. Our interviews are part of the global art exhibition and digital campaign, "Holding On: Symbols of Displacement."

“Just like a refugee just like any other human being, someone who has been forced to leave his own home will have exactly the same vulnerability as any other person", says Mohammed Abdiker, Director of Operations and Emergencies at IOM- the UN Migration Agency. In this episode, we learn more about internally displaced people, and why 192 nations have agreed to a global migration pact, which is set to be formally adopted weeks from now at a meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco.

From the fires of California to famine and war in Yemen and South Sudan, every year millions of people are displaced by natural disasters, violence and extreme climate.

In this episode, we ask: What would you hold onto if you were forced to flee your home and had only moments to decide what to take with you?

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SPECIAL episode: Mohammed Abdiker of IOM

Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are families-- mothers, fathers, children and grandparents-- who were forced to leave their homes. Unlike refugees who crossed a border, they remain in their home countries.

In this special episode, we speak with Mohammed Abdiker, Director of the Department of Operations and Emergencies at IOM, the UN migration agency, about his work with displaced people.

"An IDP displaced by conflict in his own country... faces exactly the same vulnerability as a refugee," says Mohammed. "That includes lack of food, lack of shelter, lack of health support. These are people who’ve left their homes on their own. They don’t have anything other than what they are carrying."

Of his personal commitment to work with some of the world's most vulnerable people, Mohammed says he is informed by his faith as a Muslim. "It's my tradition. My religion. Everything is about helping people...help the poor."

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#9 Migrant Rights and Your Rights

Migration is one of the great challenges of our time. The worldwide numbers have increased by almost 50% since 2000.

In late December, the U.N. General Assembly took a major step forward, voting to endorse the Global Compact for Safe Orderly and Regular Migration.

This vital agreement sets up nearly two dozen objectives, and is aimed at reducing human suffering and boosting cooperation among nations on how to manage legal migration.

"Because migration is such a complex issue, you can't just regulate it with one set of rules at an international level. There are different types of migrants." " Kristina Touzenis, tells us. "Kristina is head of the International Migration Law Unit at IOM, where she is responsible for the activities related to international and regional law issues, both from an advocacy as well as an implementation point. She has worked in the field of international law and migration for more than 12 years, focusing both on legal and policy development.

The debate over rights for migrants is part of a much broader conversation about the strength of democracy. "Most people don't realize how dangerous it is to allow a certain section of the population to be denied their rights, because with this sooner or later it will be legitimate to deny all our rights," she says.

In this episode, our podcast host Tolu Olubunmi shares some of her personal story as a Dreamer and a migrant. Born in Nigeria, Tolu came to The United States when she was a young teenager. "Along the way I had lost my immigration status and had become undocumented: shrouded in fear and hidden in the shadows."

We hear Tolu's brave story of how she came out of the shadows to advocate for the rights of migrants.