It seems I haven't entered anything on here in five days and, as I find often happens, in long absences, many of the trees are lost for the forest. I won't dwell on this now, and in the future will attempt to write something new every two to three days; however, for this instant entry, I'll just say a bit about what things are shaping up to be.
I met one of my supervisors on Wednesday and confirmed the scope of the TOR for my contract. My project, as is succinctly stated in the TOR, is to evaluate the administration of justice in the Ali-Addeh refugee camp. Little has been written on this discrete topic of the administration of justice in refugee camps (though I have found one comprehensive study from 2006 in the archives I plan to use as a benchmark), and less still for Djibouti in particular (to date nothing has in fact been brought to my attention).
The data in 2006 study to which I refer above was compiled through questionnaires completed by Field Offices and submitted to the author of the report. For my report, I plan to collect all data by personally interviewing the relevant stakeholders: the refugees themselves; local police; the local bar and judiciary (to the extent possible); the local and national government, especially ONARS (Department of the Host Government concerned with Refugees); and international non-governmental organizations. It is hoped that, by submitting the same question set to multiple stakeholders, I will get a more comprehensive understanding of not only what is happening in the camp, but also what the various stakeholders understand is happening in the camp.
One interesting wrinkle that should present a pretty steep learning curve for me will be understanding the complex legal structure resulting from various legal systems stacked on top of each other. At the country level, there is the national system of law importing aspects of the French Civil system, Shariah (Islamic) law, and traditional/tribal legal principles. There are also the legal traditions brought into the camp by the refugees themselves from the countries they have fled (Somalia and Ethiopia being the largest contributors). There are also the international norms which hopefully (hopefully) each of the legal systems respect. I have many months to figure it all out and it should prove interesting if nothing else.
Apart from the above, office life has included further orientation and one staff meeting for the Protection Unit (everyone just happened to be in Djibouti City at the same time - the next meeting is schedule for Canada Day so I'll have to make my way back for this meeting to celebrate). Life outside of the office has included a few trips to both the downtown area and outskirts of Djibouti City with new friends and colleagues. One evening I went to an Ethiopian restaurant with a friend on a year-long contract with CARITAS (my 'salad' included, among other things, ground beef, french fries, and sliced bananas). Another evening I went to a few local establishments with some of my colleagues 'to experience Thursday evening in Djibouti City' (an interesting experience I won't soon forget, but will also feel comfortable leaving behind once relocated to Ali-Sabieh).
Yesterday, along with two colleagues and the four-year-old daughter of one, I went on a snorkeling trip to one of the islands off the coast of Djibouti City by way of speedboat. On our way to the island we came across a 'school, herd or pod' of approximately 200 dolphins who travelled with us for a few minutes of our early-morning trip. For the life of me I could not think of what a group of dolphins is called and was forced to look it up. I didn't think school would apply as dolphins aren't fish; and 'pod' I though only applied to killer whales. I even considered a 'murder of dolphins' - but that only applies to crows as far as I know. This snorkeling trip, again, was a great experience and I'm glad I had the opportunity to get a break from the heat of Djibouti City - however pricey - but one I won't need to repeat again soon as the intense sunburn all over my back will serve as a timely reminder for many days (harkening memories of Thailand and my last diving trip some three years ago that also involved intense sunburns for all involved).
No comments:
Post a Comment