"COVID-19, Refugees, and Detention in Japan: Reflecting on 70 Years of
the 1951 Refugee Convention"

Date: August 6 (Fri.)
Time: 3:45-4:45pm
Registration:https://temple.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMufuCrrzojGdOy75bMiZv4tBUV0kFaC2LB

Language: English and Japanese
(Simultaneous translation in English and Japanese will be offered.)

COVID-19 has amplified the vulnerabilities of many groups of peoplearound the world, including refugees and detainees in Japan. How have the lives of refugees and detainees been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and what have been the responses of the government and Japanese society?
The sustainability of Japan's current refugee application process and detention system has faced increased challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants for refugee status may be held in detention facilities for prolonged time periods until their applications are either approved or denied, at which point they have the possibility to appeal for reconsideration. This could extend their status as a detainee even longer. To maintain health and social-distance within crowded detention facilities during the pandemic, large numbers of detainees were given provisional release. However, the impact of COVID-19 on the support available to detainees outside detention facilities, which has been largely driven by NGOs and CSOs, remains unclear.
Join us for an international, academic, and intergenerational panel discussion between distinguished experts and youth leaders on this critical issue.