Arja Oomkens whatishappeningnow What is Happening Now?

Arja Oomkens (1989) studied Anthropology (BA), Public International Law (MA), and Holocaust- and Genocide studies (MA) at the University of Amsterdam. In addition to her studies, she has conducted (short-term) legal work for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Prakken d’Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers and Defence for Children. Currently, she combines her job as a project coordinator at ASKV (refugee support) with a job as a paralegal specialised in (international, European, and Dutch) migration law. Her specific fields of interest are: migration law & policy, refugees, children’s rights, and post-war restoration.

Articles
- Elections in the Netherlands: what the outcome of the Dutch Elections says about the universality of human rights
  By Arja Oomkens – “Will you consider the rights of children when you vote this week?” – “Sure! Who are you going to vote for?” “I don’t have a residence permit, so I’m not allowed to vote. – “Really, how… Continue Reading →
- The Netherlands and “Criminal Refugees” from Afghanistan: political misconceptions
  By Arja Oomkens On 23 September 2016, the Dutch Section of the International Commission of Jurists (NJCM), a commission that focuses on the protection of human rights in the Netherlands, announced that they had filed a lawsuit… Continue Reading →
- Housing for Refugees in the Netherlands: austere and just?
  By Arja Oomkens – Last November, the Dutch government decided that housing for refugees with a temporary residence permit must be “austere and just”. In effect, this meant the development of austerity measures to regularize housing for these refugees… Continue Reading →
- Ending Statelessness: the long road ahead
  By Arja Oomkens – Exactly one year ago, UNHCR launched a global campaign aimed at ending statelessness, a phenomenon that is often described as a “devastating legal limbo”. But what is statelessness exactly, and why is it so… Continue Reading →
- Event Review – ‘Rooms of Humanity’
  By Laurien Vastenhout & Arja Oomkens On September 19th we visited ‘Rooms of Humanity’, an interactive and experimental exhibition which theatre directors Ilil Landboss and Giselle Vegter made especially for this evening. The promise to address the complexities of… Continue Reading →
- In Search of a Solution to the Syrian Refugee Crisis: Local Integration in Turkey will Relieve Mounting Tensions
  By Arja Oomkens – With the conflict in Syria entering its fifth year of ongoing atrocities and destruction, it has come to epitomize one of the most challenging humanitarian crises of our era. Nearly 4 million Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring… Continue Reading →
- From Hatred to Hope: Rwandan airwaves against animosity
  By Arja Oomkens – In Rwanda, the radio is deeply interwoven into the social fabric of everyday life. Wherever you travel, from the capital city to the rolling hills beyond, the frequencies of the radio resound. On a hazy morning… Continue Reading →

Definitioner

RPF-led government

The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) has been the ruling political party in Rwanda ever since the genocide ended in 1994. Its current president, Paul Kagame, was also the leader of the rebel organization that defeated the genocidal government. Therefore, many Rwandans appreciate him as the savior of the country. Because the main purpose of RPF has been to restore unity in Rwanda, the government established “The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission” (NURC) in 1999: a national institution aimed at assisting the government in restoring tranquility, erasing the negative consequences of the genocide, combatting discrimination and establishing a feeling of national unity. In 2003, the RPF established a new constitution and, for the first time, held national elections. The consensus amongst Rwandans in favour of Paul Kagame and the RPF seemed great. In 2003, Paul Kagame and the RPF received 95,1 percent of the votes and in 2010, the same party received 93,08 percent. On the one hand, this supposedly successful political transition to democracy has been highly praised by the international community. On the other hand, there has been a lot of criticism on the authoritarianism of the RPF, vocalized mainly by international scholars and NGOs. This criticism is grounded in the idea that there has never been a successful transition to democracy: only a transition from one authoritarian regime into another.

Articles

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