ISS UK is an independent charity and part of an international network. We act to promote

and protect the rights and welfare of children, adults and families whose personal

circumstances require intercountry liaison.

ISS UK is delighted to welcome

businessman and philanthropist

Harvey McGrath as President of the

organisation.

Mr McGrath is the former chairman

of the Man Group and a founding

donor and trustee of New

Philanthropy Capital. His wealth of

expertise and experience will be

invaluable in the day to day running

of ISS UK.

“I have chosen to join ISS UK

because I believe strongly in the

value of the family,” says Mr

McGrath. “As the requirement to

protect children and unite families

across borders has grown as

international mobility has increased,

ISS UK plays a unique role in

helping to address these needs,

through direct interventions,

networking, building capacities and

its advocacy.

“Having had a successful business

career, I believe strongly in giving

Autumn 2008

Newsletter

Top Businessman Joins ISS UK

““““

““““ ISS UK’s great

strengths are the

passion and

experience of its

people In this issue:

Staff Profile

UK to sign UNCRC

Libya Visit

Ending Juvenile

Executions

Upcoming Events

p2

p2

p3

p4

p4

back to the community, in terms of

time, advice, and shared experience

as well as helping financially. I feel

particularly strongly about taking

steps necessary to protect

vulnerable children in our society,

and am particularly concerned

about increases in child trafficking

globally.

“ISS UK’s great strengths are the

passion and experience of its

people. I would like to see us build

on the excellent work that they have

Harvey McGrath, President of ISS UK

Harvey McGrath welcomed as new President

been doing by exploring ways in

which we can help many more

children and families through

advocacy and training others, as

well as growing our core delivery

services.”

Mr Charles Gray, Marshal of the

Diplomatic Corps, is also joining ISS

UK as Vice President, and Mrs

Yvette Gayford, a social work

consultant, has joined the Board of

Trustees.

ISS UK would also like to say a fond

farewell to Sir Anthony Figgis, who

served as President for over six

years, and wish him all the best in

his retirement.

Why did you decide to volunteer

with ISS UK?

I volunteered for ISS UK, as I was

looking for an organisation where I

could apply my social work skills

and experience, as well as the new

knowledge I’m gaining through my

current masters’ studies in Migration

at Queen Mary. I worked for

Southwark Social Services Asylum

Team almost ten years ago, and I

had contacted ISS UK to help me

with a case, and at the time it had

impressed me as an organisation

that I would like to work for in the

future – social work with an

international outlook.

How have you enjoyed your

experience at ISS UK so far?

From day one, I have loved working

for ISS UK. After several years out

of the social work field (while I

raised children of my own), it has

been really encouraging to work in a

highly professional and supportive

work environment, with like-minded

professionals. The work is varied

and challenging. I have prepared

reports, case summaries, helped

with research for cases (e.g. Child

emancipation laws in the USA), and

I’ve completed referrals for social

service checks from all over the

world.

What’s the most interesting

aspect of your role?

All the work at ISS UK is so varied

and interesting. I think, overall, the

work ISS UK does everyday reflects

the positive and negative effects

globalisation has had on society, in

particular on families and children.

Everyday the media reports to some

degree about the breakdown of

families, children being trafficked,

child abductions and child abuse

cases. To the average person in the

street they are disturbing headlines

about major social problems that

seem somewhat removed from day-

to-day living. But not for ISS UK.

These headlines are very real, as

we work with the families and

individuals directly affected by these

global social problems.

Déwi has a BSW (postgrad) from

Melbourne University and is

currently studying for an MSc in

Migration at the University of

London.

Déwi Darby, Social Work Volunteer

Staff Spotlight:

If you are interested in a volunteer position or internship at ISS UK, please contact us on

info@issuk.org.uk

ISS UK is delighted to learn of the

Government’s plans to sign the UN

Convention on the Rights of the

Child (UNCRC) in full.

For the past 17 years, the UK has

retained an opt-out allowing child

migrants and asylum seekers to be

detained without judicial scrutiny.

The UNCRC obliges nations to put

the best interests of the child first,

yet Britain’s opt-out has meant that

the “best interest” rule does not

apply to asylum-seeking children in

the UK.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband

will tell UN Secretary General Ban

Ki-moon that the UK will sign the

convention in full before the end

STOP

PRES

S!

of 2008, having decided it will not

impact upon the effectiveness of

immigration control. The change will

force the UK Border Agency to put

migrant children's welfare first in

deciding whether to detain or deport

them.

“We are pleased to hear that the

government has finally decided to

withdraw the reservation entered

upon ratification of the UNCRC and

that children subject to immigration

control will in future enjoy the same

protection and support as all other

children residing legally in the UK,”

comments Georg Stahl, Principal

Social Worker at ISS UK.

“Human rights groups in the UK and

abroad have for many years

criticised the government for

maintaining the reservation, which

de facto means that there are

‘second class children’ living in the

UK.”

2

UK Government to sign UNCRC in full

Uniting Families Across Borders

see her two year old grandchild use

new words like “hello” and master

waving goodbye with her hand. This

interaction amongst kin reminded

me how the separation or the loss

impacts, not only the mother but

also the wider family network

around the child, and what an

important supportive and loving role

that family can play for a child.

The best part was witnessing the

bond between mother and child. In

so many ways, the process of family

reunification, of spending just two

weeks a year with a parent and

under stressful conditions, is not an

easy one. There are difficulties. Yet

I was struck by the affinity between

mother and children, glimpsed best

in the smallest every day moments,

whether playing in the water, having

breakfast together, laughing,

marveling at how much one has

grown in the last year, getting told to

wear one’s hat in the sun. It was

amazing to see how naturally the

mothers were able to reestablish

the bond with the children and the

fondness with which the children

gravitated towards their mothers.

While the moment of reunifications

were triumphantly joyful, the

goodbyes between mother and child

at the end of the two weeks was the

most difficult point of the journey. It

was heartbreaking to witness the

children brace themselves for the

separation from their mother. Their

little faces filled with such pain and

dread. The tears seeping over their

cheeks. The mothers holding

themselves together for the

children. The prospect of growing

up for another year without their

mother, such a huge amount of time

for a child.

For more information about the

Family Reunion Project, please

visit www.issuk.org.uk

““““

““““

While the

moment of

reunification was

triumphantly joyful,

the goodbyes were

the hardest point of

the journey

Having spent the last couple of

years working on issues related to

in ternat iona l parenta l ch i ld

abduction and the separation of

children from parents, I was eager

to join Marek Ganther and our

Libyan colleague Mufta El-Faghi on

this year’s Libya Family Reunion

Project.

The nature of the project entails a

relatively dramatic intervention. We

essentially inject ourselves into the

sacred and private domain of the

family, in an Islamic law country and

an independent nation. We bring

mothers to Libya to visit their

children when fathers have

determined that children must live in

Libya. The project is truly unique in

the world and made possible

through the support of the Libyan

and British governments, and the

work of ISS UK and Wa’atasimo,

the key Libyan charity.

Not surprisingly, the children who

live in Libya have family members

overseas and we were able to

include half siblings, a couple of

aunts, a cousin and grandparents

on this particular trip. In one family,

an aunt was seeing a niece after

sixteen years and a younger cousin

was meeting her older cousin for

the first time. Sisters, apart during

the year, could spend precious time

together. Even to see siblings

innocently arguing with each other

had an important and healthy sense

of normality. A grandmother could

ISS UK’s Margaret Paton experiences the Libya Project

3

Photo by Middleton Mann

Welfare and Immigration Training: London, 28th October 2008

Community Care’s Children and Families Exhibition and Conference

(including ISS UK stall): London, 29th October 2008

Children in Care Training: London, 8th December 2008

International Child Protection Training: Leeds, 28th January 2009

International Child Protection Training: Peterborough, March 2009

World Market: London, 13th May 2009

For further information about training and events, please visit the ISS UK

website at: www.issuk.org.uk

ISS UK is joining organisations

around the world in calling upon the

UN General Assembly to make the

ban on juvenile executions a reality.

Today, although every country in

the world is party to treaties

prohibiting the death penalty for

juvenile offenders, there are still five

states - Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan,

Pakistan and Yemen - that continue

to execute child offenders. Over the

past three years, these five states

have executed 32 juveni le

offenders, and over 100 juveniles

remain on death row. A change in

practice by these five states would

result in universal adherence to the

ban on juvenile executions.

The global campaign to end this

practice, initiated by Human Rights

Watch and the Child Rights

Information Network, will present a

petition to UN member states in

mid-October, in advance of their

debate on the rights of the child.

T h e p e t i t i o n , s i g n e d b y

organisations from every corner of

the world, demonstrates the

conviction of NGOs that no one

should ever be executed again for a

crime committed as a child.

“The UN Convention on the Rights

of the Child clearly states that

children in the juvenile justice

system should 'be treated in a

manner consistent with the

promotion of the child's sense of

dignity and worth',” says ISS UK’s

Georg Stahl. “Executing children for

committing offences is clearly

ISS UK, Unit 1.11 Canterbury Court Kennington Park 1-3 Brixton Road

London SW9 6DE

tel: 020 7735 8941 or 020 3176 0253

email: info@issuk.org.uk

www.issuk.org.uk

““““ ““““ Making the

ban on juvenile

executions a

reality

4

Campaign to End Juvenile Executions

inconsistent with the spirit of the

convention.

“As an organisation committed to

upholding the UNCRC, we strongly

support the petition’s calls for each

UN member state to fully implement

the absolute ban on the juvenile

death penalty. We endorse

measures such as counselling,

guidance, care, vocational and

educational programmes, which

contribute positively to the re-

integration of young offenders into

society.”

Photo by Alberto Ferrero

Upcoming Events...