§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the conditions in(a) Jalozai and (b) Shalman refugee camps; and what action her Department is taking to improve conditions in these camps. [36127]
§ Clare ShortUNHCR and the Government of Pakistan recently completed the voluntary relocation of all 45,000 residents of Jalozai refugee camp to five new sites in Pakistan, which had been purpose built to offer better conditions. Officials from my Department visited one of these camps, Shalman, last week and reported it to be well run, with good security and a considerable improvement on conditions at Jalozai.
We have provided £3 million to UNHCR for its programme in response to the Afghan crisis, this has included a site planning specialist and other practical as well as financial support.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the number of rape incidents in refugee camps in(a) Afghanistan and(b) Pakistan. [36126]
§ Clare ShortWe are not aware of any quantitative assessment by humanitarian agencies of the number of rape incidents in IDP camps in Afghanistan nor refugee camps in Pakistan.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has established guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women (details of which can found at www.unhcr.ch) of which we are fully supportive. We have provided £3 million to UNHCR for its regional programme for humanitarian assistance for Afghans. We are also supporting other agencies including the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and international non-governmental organisations who manage IDP camps in Afghanistan using similar guidelines for minimum standards in humanitarian protection and care.