Abuse of refugees in Kenya "getting worse"

Hidden Voices: Urban Refugees in Nairobi, Kenya from MediaServe International on Vimeo.

The International Rescue Committee and our partner Kituo Cha Sheria are concerned that Kenyan police are indiscriminately raiding the homes of refugees and making random arrests of individuals suspected of being in Kenya illegally.

Some 350 refugees -- mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia -- were detained earlier this week in Nairobi’s largely immigrant suburb of Eastleigh. The arrests continue daily.

“Refugee rights are regularly violated here and the latest events in Eastleigh show that the situation is getting worse,” says Kellie Leeson, the IRC's country director in Kenya.

Earlier this year the IRC co-authored a report that revealed that tens of thousands of refugees in Nairobi are confronted with police harassment, exposure to criminal violence and a scarcity of opportunities to make a living.  We put together this short film with our partner CineTrek to highlight their plight.