Dear Friend,
I hope you're keeping well and safe. As 2020 has come to a close, and as we've had an opportunity to reflect upon our achievements over the past year, I wanted to get in touch to share with you our Annual Report 2020.
The unprecedented challenges brought on by the global pandemic, which caused such devastation across the globe, also fundamentally changed the way our sector works, interacts and operates. At Refugee Rights Europe, we were thankfully able to quickly adapt our organisational strategy to these new realities and continued our advocacy work calling for the rights of displaced people to be upheld across Europe.
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Refugee Rights Europe and the End Pushbacks Partnership have launched a new report, collating available evidence of unlawful pushbacks and severe rights violations at Europe’s borders.
The evidence clearly indicates that illegal pushback operations are taking place across the EU, at internal and external land and sea borders.
UK Channel Crossings: Join our expert roundtable on Monday 14 December
Co-hosted by Border Criminologies and Refugee Rights Europe, this online roundtable will look at the Home Office proposals in response to small boat crossings on the English Channel.
Drawing on lessons from Australia's parallel context, speakers will discuss:
The event will be held on Monday 14 December at 16.00 GMT.
Latest on our blog:
The UK government continues to prioritise the use of immigration detention centres, despite public backlash. Read the blog.
As always, none of this work would have been possible without the incredible support from donors like yourself. Thank you infinitely for all of your ongoing support, and please take care.
Read the press coverage about the launch.
Moria fire and an unprecedented alliance
The tragic fire in the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesvos left thousands in destitution. RRE published a joint statement which brought onboard more than 80 NGOs and frontline groups.
In parallel, RRE has joined an unprecedented alliance of organisations to launch a petition calling for the immediate evacuation of Lesvos, and drastic change to EU migration and asylum policies.
So far, it has been signed by over 150,000 people and co-signed by 425 organisations, movements, parliamentarians, Members of the European Parliament and politicians!
#EndPushbacks
Today, we wanted to update you on our ongoing campaign to end pushbacks and rights violations at borders across Europe.
These pushback operations, which have grown in recent years, lead to serious human rights violations against prospective asylum seekers, and breach multiple international and European laws.
Our campaign to end these illegal pushbacks is entering a new phase. We're gathering existing evidence in the sector, tracking news coverage, and sharing our policy recommendations so that we can collectively make the case for an end to pushbacks.
Have a look at the resources we've compiled on our website:
Pushbacks, detention and living conditions in Italy
Our new report looks at Italy’s failure to implement its legal responsibilities around non-refoulement, detention conditions, and inhuman and degrading treatment.
We furthermore submitted evidence to the UN Committee against Torture ahead of its review of Italy, presenting our concerns over the country's implementation of Articles 3, 11 and 16 of the Convention.
In particular, we raised the alarm over Italy’s worrying record including:
New report: Access to asylum along the Balkan route
The formal closure of the “Balkan route” in 2016 was part of a strategy to hinder the movement of refugees through the Balkans and into Western Europe.
Despite this, over 65,000 people have entered the region since 2018, using alternative and often more dangerous routes.
Our latest report looks at access to asylum and the conditions for asylum seekers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
New on our blog
As always, none of this work would have been possible without the incredible support from donors like yourself. Thank you infinitely for all of your ongoing support, and please take care.
We hope you are keeping safe and well in these challenging and uncertain times.
At Refugee Rights Europe, we have been as busy as ever, calling for a Covid-19 response that includes displaced people and refugees across Europe. Read on to find out how.
Our response to the Covid-19 crisis
To develop a truly effective response to the ongoing and unprecedented coronavirus crisis, we cannot leave anyone behind.
That is why we have been leading or joining advocacy efforts to include displaced people in the Covid-19 response in Greece, France, Italy and the UK.
Influencing the United Nations
The evidence we submitted with frontline partners to UN Committees in recent months is making an impact on international policy recommendations:
New analysis on our blog
As always, none of this work would have been possible without the incredible support from donors like yourself. Thank you infinitely for all of your ongoing support, and please take care.
Links:
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