We hope you're doing well, keeping in high spirits and enjoying the spring time! We're writing today to share the latest updates of our work.
We've had another fruitful few months here at Refugee Rights Europe and we're excited to share our updates with you.
EU asylum and migration: Key dates in 2021
Our latest advocacy tool outlines key advocacy dates to engage on asylum and migration issues at the EU level. A handy resource for partner organisations and other advocates!
Download the advocacy tool, here.
Politics of exhaustion at the UK-France border
RRE’s executive director, Marta Welander, discusses the harmful migration management techniques in northern France in an op-ed for Guiti News.
Read the op-ed, here.
New collaboration: RRE x RRP
We are thrilled to start a collaboration with the Refugee Rights Project – a brilliant initiative which highlights key refugee rights issues to a broad audience in a really accessible way.
For a few months, the RRP founder will be embedded in the RRE team to develop the project. Check out their Instagram page and keep watching this space for more updates!
Supporting young asylum seekers' wellbeing and mental health
The high rate of psychological vulnerability and trauma among young asylum seekers is well-established. It is often caused by an accumulation of traumas from their home countries and migration journeys characterised by painful separations and physical danger.
In our latest report, we look at the mental health and wellbeing of unaccompanied minors and 18-25 year olds, and call for evidence-based interventions that can support them.
You can read the report, here.
New report - "Transit country in crisis: The deteriorating shelter situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina"
Since Bosnia became a key transit country in 2018 on the Balkan Route, it has become the locus of a systematically mismanaged humanitarian crisis. This recently culminated in the closure of several camps and an escalation of people sleeping rough in the country.
Our latest report analyses the current shelter situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It looks at key actors involved, as well as the context behind the lack of adequate shelter and poor reception conditions in the country.
Read the report, here.
New Pact on Migration and Asylum: Perspectives from the "Other Side" of the EU borders:
Based on first-hand field research interviews with civil society and other experts in the Balkan region this report provides a unique perspective on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum from ‘the other side’ of the EU’s borders.
Read it, here.
Why is the UK's response to Channel crossings problematic?
Over recent years, and particularly in 2020, there has been growing political and media frenzy regarding an increase in small boat crossings across the English Channel.
Despite the broad media coverage of this issue, the UK government's policy response has been woefully uninformed and short-sighted.
What has been the Government response, and why is it so problematic?
In our latest brief, we look back on the past three years and provide some answers on the situation.
Submission to the UN Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants
Alongside seven partners, we drafted a joint submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.
We submitted evidence and analysis relating to pushback and pullback practices at the UK-France border, and their impact on the human rights of displaced people.
You can read it, here.
Highlights from our blog:
On International Women’s Day, our friends at the Refugee Women’s Centre celebrated the women they work with in northern France. The women's ingenuity, care and resilience are an inspiration.
In the blog, RWC discusses:
Read the blog, here.
Refugees in the UK have one of the lowest employment rates in the country. In our latest guest blog, Maria Stankiewicz looks at how long waiting times for asylum seekers translate into poor employment and earnings for refugees. Read the guest blog
Read the blog, here.
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.
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.
Links:
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.
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