Netflix’s Transatlantic is based on a historical fiction book that tells the story of Varian Fry and his team’s work evacuating refugees from Vichy France during World War II. Their legacy is a central part of the IRC’s foundation. Find out more about our origin story and the inspiration behind Transatlantic here.

Humanitarian aid to refugee and internally displaced people (IDPs) has increasingly shifted from rural and camp environments to urban areas in recent years, with 60% of all refugees and 80% of all IDPs currently living in urban areas. Risks of violence for displaced persons in camp-based humanitarian settings are well documented and include gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and forced marriages, as well as a number of other forms of inter-communal violence, discrimination, and denial of resources, assistance, or assets. However, little is known about types and drivers of violence and interventions to reduce violence among displaced and host populations in urban areas, who likely face a different set of challenges due to the complex infrastructure, sociopolitical context, and service provision systems found in cities.

This report outlines the findings from an assessment of ServiceInfo and Refugee.Info, drawing on perspectives and reflections from stakeholders across the humanitarian spectrum, including affected populations themselves.

On Sunday 25th October, an array of London’s biggest stars from film, theatre, music and television came together for ‘A Song for Syria’, a one off performance at St. Paul’s Covent Garden to raise money for Syrian refugees. The event raised over £4,500 for the two beneficiary charities; the International Rescue Committee and Hand in Hand for Syria.