The City Heights Farmers Market will host the first annual International Holiday Fair on:

Saturday, December 6th from 9:00am - 1:00pm.

Free Gift Wrapping available!    Free Live Music!

In addition to the regular vendors who will be at the market, the market will feature up to 11 refugee-owned businesses vending their unique crafts and products from all over the world.

Come join us to make a difference!!!

BUY unique holiday gifts!

SUPPORT a newly established refugee-owned small business!

MAXIMIZE the social impact of your holiday shopping dollar!

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m., Peace & Justice Theatre

IPJ Special Event:

"The Highest Aspiration: Looking Ahead on the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights"

Join "Eleanor Roosevelt" on the occasion of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A panel discussion featuring William Aceves, associate dean, California Western School of Law; Marjorie Cohn, professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law; and Dustin Sharp, senior program officer, Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, will examine how far human rights have come since 1948 and what the future is for their fuller implementation globally. A reception will follow. RSVP by Dec. 3.

Co-sponsored by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, International Museum of Human Rights at San Diego, United Nations Association and Voices of Women.

Also joining the celebration: AAUW-SD's International Interests Committee, Amnesty International, California Western School of Law, Human Rights Watch, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, League of Women Voters' International Relations Committee, Peace Resource Center of San Diego, Survivors of Torture International, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, United Nations Association's Women's Equity Council, USD International Human Rights Law Society, San Diego World Affairs Council. Special thanks to Rosina Reynolds for bringing Eleanor Roosevelt to life and to Harle Montgomery for making it possible through her support.

The holiday season can bring as much stress as it does happiness. Whether you're walking through the mall or browsing online shopping sites, it can be hard to find perfect presents—gifts that are meaningful, thoughtful,and beautiful all at once. This holiday season, you have the opportunity to give a gift that makes a difference.

For the first time, SURVIVORS has created unique gift cards that represent true holiday values of peace, kindness, and sharing. With each donation you give, your loved ones will receive a personalized card acknowledging that a gift has been made in their honor.

Many of our clients arrive in America without any possessions or loved ones. They have endured some of the worst experiences imaginable, then have traveled across continents to arrive on safe soil in San Diego. You can spread some holiday cheer to our clients by supporting our services.

To purchase a holiday card and have it sent directly to the recipient, make a donation securely online and email Maren with your message and the recipient's address. You can also purchase cards by calling SURVIVORS at (619) 278-2400.

Sadly, far too many people around the world suffer from torture every day.  These tragedies are horrifying and unacceptable, and California joins with others across the world in demanding change and offering support for these victims.

It is estimated that around a quarter of the refugees in the United States have experienced some form of torture, and many of those refugees live in California.  It is crucial that we assist them in their efforts to rebound and build happier, healthier lives.  Our Golden State has a proud legacy of offering kindness and safety to torture victims, and I urge all those who have been persecuted to take advantage of the many resources available to them.

Additionally, I thank all those who have opened their hearts to help others recover from these difficult experiences.  Torture victims have experienced unimaginable pain and grief, and by providing counseling, health care services, housing and food, compassionate individuals and organizations are rekindling hope and the belief in a brighter future.

On this day and all others, I encourage all Californians to help end persecution and take a stand to eliminate torture world-wide.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim June 26, 2008, as "Day in Support of Survivors of Torture."

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 2nd day of June 2008.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California

ATTEST:

DEBRA BOWEN
Secretary of State

Torture survivors need more help from California

By Kathi Anderson and Gregory Hall -
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, June 26, 2008

By William J. Aceves
June 18, 2008

For a country founded by immigrants fleeing religious persecution, the United States is now implementing a policy on political asylum that mocks our noble history. This policy has incarcerated thousands of innocent individuals whose only offense was to suffer persecution abroad and then seek refuge in the United States. It is a policy that few Americans see but many innocents suffer.

Under U.S. law, individuals who have been persecuted because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group may apply for political asylum. To be eligible for asylum, individuals must submit an application and supporting documentation to the Department of Homeland Security. These applications are then reviewed by immigration officials. If the application is granted, asylum-seekers are allowed to remain in the United States, apply for work authorization and eventually seek citizenship. For decades, this policy has offered comfort and protection to countless refugees, from political dissidents in Africa to religious minorities in Asia.

In the 1990s, U.S. immigration policies became increasingly restrictive toward asylum-seekers. Since 2001, these policies have become even more Draconian. In a tragic turn, individuals fleeing persecution are now regularly imprisoned in county jails, federal detention centers and private facilities while U.S. immigration officials process their applications.

Our treatment of these immigrants is not an American narrative our country should seek to write. Individuals who have neither violated the law nor been charged with a crime have languished in detention centers for months or even years. Families are often torn apart, and children have been separated from their parents.

Asylum-seekers are routinely transferred to detention centers far from relatives. In some facilities, visitors are not even allowed to touch detainees, and they are separated by Plexiglas and forced to communicate by telephone.

The conditions of detention are equally troubling. Asylum-seekers are regularly detained in facilities with convicted criminals. They are forced to undergo invasive searches and daily head counts. Even children are subjected to these security measures. Living conditions often fall well below U.S. and international standards. Medical treatment is spotty, and injuries may go untreated. Psychological care is seldom provided.

The plight of torture victims is particularly troubling. It is no surprise that many asylum-seekers are also victims of torture. But these victims are not receiving needed counseling while in detention. Studies have found high rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among detained asylum-seekers. And the psychological harm worsens as the length of detention increases. Even the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has criticized this policy and the conditions of detention, arguing that they create a serious risk of psychological harm to asylum-seekers.

Detention of asylum-seekers should only be used as a last resort, particularly since alternative programs exist. Individuals whose asylum applications are pending can be monitored in numerous ways, each of which is more humane and less costly than current detention policies. Individuals can be required to post bond or make regular visits to immigration officials. If there are unique concerns, electronic monitoring is a less invasive method.

Earlier this year, the U.N. special rapporteur on migrants, who visited San Diego in 2007, expressed concerns about the overuse of immigration detention in the United States. Indeed, he argued that the "availability of effective alternatives renders the increasing reliance on detention as an immigration enforcement mechanism unnecessary."

San Diego County currently maintains one private detention facility that houses about 700 immigration detainees, many of them asylum-seekers. The San Diego Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa has been denounced by human rights organizations for its treatment of detainees. Lawyers and health care professionals have complained that placing their clients in these facilities undermines their efforts to provide quality and effective assistance. The San Diego facility has been criticized by the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security. It also has been the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging degrading conditions. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that the conditions of confinement are humane and comply with all appropriate constitutional and statutory safeguards. It is troubling, therefore, to consider that a second detention facility, which would house nearly 3,000 immigrants, is now in the planning stages in San Diego.

The cost of detaining one asylum-seeker at the San Diego Correctional Facility is estimated to be $89.50 per day, though total costs are undoubtedly higher. But the cost to these detainees, who have done nothing wrong, is immeasurable. When individuals seek refuge in our country, we should offer them protection, not prison bars.

 Aceves is a professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs at California Western School of Law in San Diego.