Latest news with #reintegration
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reintegrating millions of Afghan refugees is critical to a peaceful future, a UN official says
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Reintegrating Afghan refugees is critical to the country's peaceful future as social cohesion will be reduced without it, a U.N. official said Friday. Some 2.2 million Afghans have crossed the border from Iran and Pakistan since the start of the year, according to the latest figures from the U.N. refugee agency. They arrive in a country struggling with climate change, a stagnant economy and a humanitarian crisis. Some 60% of those returning to Afghanistan are under 18. Stephanie Loose, a country program manager at U.N. Habitat, said reintegrating these millions was critical for a peaceful future in Afghanistan. 'If you come back to a country where resources are already scarce, there's a lot of competition already for jobs, land, housing, any sort of services, it's clear that if you don't foster dialogue between the local population and those arriving, this feeling of competition will grow and reduce social cohesion, which is like creating another root cause for war and conflicts,' Loose told a media briefing in Geneva. 'And the country has seen enough of that.' It is important for people to understand that those returning are not a burden, she added. They come with skills and are part of a solution for social and economic stability. People bring what they can carry from Iran and Pakistan, leaving behind their homes and the majority of their belongings. Afghan authorities offer support at the border with cash, food, shelter, health care and onward transport to settlements across the country. The Taliban have urged their neighbors to avoid forcibly returning Afghans and to treat them with dignity. Iran and Pakistan deny targeting Afghans, saying they are expelling foreigners living in their countries illegally. Women and girls are particularly hard hit once they return to Afghanistan, where education is banned for females beyond grade six and the Taliban restrict access to many jobs and public spaces. Loose said Afghan women and girls lacked social, educational and economic development opportunities. Requirements to have a male guardian when leaving the home created further barriers for women-headed households.
CNN
02-08-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Paul Whelan describes challenges of returning home after being imprisoned abroad
CNN's Jim Sciutto speaks with Paul Whelan about the challenges he has faced during his first year back in the United States after spending more than 5 years imprisoned in Russia.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Disabled could be helped back into work with new right similar to maternity law
People with disabilities could be helped back into work with similar protections as those for women returning from maternity leave, a new report has suggested. A new right to reintegration for workers on sick leave could see firms prevented from dismissing someone unless it is shown the employer has made sufficient efforts at reintegrating the person, the Resolution Foundation think tank said. They said such a right would 'would clarify and strengthen existing legal protections' under the the Equality Act and 'provide a much stronger message to workers about what they are entitled to'. The report warned that the Government risks failing to meet its aim to raise the employment rate to 80% without a 'serious strategy to shift employer behaviour' and argues employers must be incentivised to reintegrate existing workers back into jobs. The report comes in the same week as the Universal Credit Bill cleared the House of Lords, aimed at rebalancing the benefit 'to remove work disincentives', according to a Government minister, while giving existing claimants 'the security and certainty they need'. Separately during the debate, Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who sits in the Lords, said disabled people have been portrayed as 'benefit scroungers and a drain on society' in the conversation on welfare reform. In its report, the Resolution Foundation said around 12% of disabled staff leave work each year – consistently 1.5-times the rate of non-disabled workers. It added that twice as many people move from work into inactivity due to ill health – around 304,000 each year – than those moving the other way (around 151,000). But the think tank said despite there being 'strong' legal obligations in place already on employers, they are 'simply not doing enough to retain existing workers', with fewer than half of disabled workers who request a reasonable adjustment – which can include a change to working arrangements or provision of equipment, services or support – having this granted in full. With 15% of disabled people reporting workplace discrimination relating to their disability in 2022, the report said this remains a 'pressing issue'. The think tank said: 'Boosting disability employment is not straightforward: it will involve improvements to the health system, benefits system and world of work. But action to incentivise and support employers is a vital piece of the puzzle.' Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: 'The Government should do more to incentivise firms to employ disabled people – especially those who have been out of work for long periods – but employers need to do more in return. 'A new right to reintegration could help disabled workers back into work in the same way that maternity rights transformed women's employment prospects a generation ago.' The foundation said the new right could be enforced through employment tribunals, but urged the Government to also consider 'more proactive enforcement mechanisms, whether via the Equalities and Human Rights Commission or connected to a new system of caseworkers that are expected to be covered in the forthcoming Mayfield Review'. Former John Lewis boss, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is undertaking a review to investigate how Government and businesses can work together to support ill and disabled people into work, with a report expected in autumn. The Government has been contacted for comment.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Disabled could be helped back into work with new right similar to maternity law
People with disabilities could be helped back into work with similar protections as those for women returning from maternity leave, a new report has suggested. A new right to reintegration for workers on sick leave could see firms prevented from dismissing someone unless it is shown the employer has made sufficient efforts at reintegrating the person, the Resolution Foundation think tank said. They said such a right would 'would clarify and strengthen existing legal protections' under the the Equality Act and 'provide a much stronger message to workers about what they are entitled to'. The report warned that the Government risks failing to meet its aim to raise the employment rate to 80% without a 'serious strategy to shift employer behaviour' and argues employers must be incentivised to reintegrate existing workers back into jobs. The report comes in the same week as the Universal Credit Bill cleared the House of Lords, aimed at rebalancing the benefit 'to remove work disincentives', according to a Government minister, while giving existing claimants 'the security and certainty they need'. Separately during the debate, Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who sits in the Lords, said disabled people have been portrayed as 'benefit scroungers and a drain on society' in the conversation on welfare reform. In its report, the Resolution Foundation said around 12% of disabled staff leave work each year – consistently 1.5-times the rate of non-disabled workers. It added that twice as many people move from work into inactivity due to ill health – around 304,000 each year – than those moving the other way (around 151,000). But the think tank said despite there being 'strong' legal obligations in place already on employers, they are 'simply not doing enough to retain existing workers', with fewer than half of disabled workers who request a reasonable adjustment – which can include a change to working arrangements or provision of equipment, services or support – having this granted in full. With 15% of disabled people reporting workplace discrimination relating to their disability in 2022, the report said this remains a 'pressing issue'. The think tank said: 'Boosting disability employment is not straightforward: it will involve improvements to the health system, benefits system and world of work. But action to incentivise and support employers is a vital piece of the puzzle.' Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: 'The Government should do more to incentivise firms to employ disabled people – especially those who have been out of work for long periods – but employers need to do more in return. 'A new right to reintegration could help disabled workers back into work in the same way that maternity rights transformed women's employment prospects a generation ago.' The foundation said the new right could be enforced through employment tribunals, but urged the Government to also consider 'more proactive enforcement mechanisms, whether via the Equalities and Human Rights Commission or connected to a new system of caseworkers that are expected to be covered in the forthcoming Mayfield Review'. Former John Lewis boss, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is undertaking a review to investigate how Government and businesses can work together to support ill and disabled people into work, with a report expected in autumn. The Government has been contacted for comment.
Free Malaysia Today
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Govt mulls plan to remove criminal records for minor, non-violent cases
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the proposal is part of the amendments to the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1969 agreed upon in principle by the Cabinet in May. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The home ministry is mulling over a mechanism to allow individuals convicted of minor or non-violent offences to have their criminal records wiped clean after a set period, provided they do not reoffend. Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this was part of the proposed amendments to the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1969, which was agreed upon in principle by the Cabinet on May 21. 'The proposed amendments include introducing a mechanism to allow individuals who have not committed any new offences within a set period (of time) to be considered as having 'no record' in the criminal registry. 'This will give these individuals a chance to rebuild their lives by seeking employment or continuing their studies,' he said in a written parliamentary reply. Saifuddin said the move was aimed at helping former convicts who had shown good behaviour to reintegrate into society without the stigma of a criminal record. He said the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act gave the ministry the legal authority to register individuals convicted of offences listed in the First and Second Schedules of the Act into the criminal registry. Saifuddin said the government would consider views from all stakeholders through ongoing engagement sessions before tabling the amendments in Parliament.
