By Helena Enyon Many refugees across Europe desperately need to reach a safe country where they can apply for asylum and seek family reunion. It is in trying to get there that many are faced with further human rights abuse, detention and even violence, as they attempt to cross borders. With no safe, legal means … Continue reading Border song – the secret culture of push-backs, violence and abuse in Europe

  By Miriam Usiskin and Bobby Lloyd, January 2020 “The border creates particular conditions of (in-)visibility, (in-)audibility and (dis-)appearance and in order to intervene in that context, one needs to position carefully in relation to that. Art galleries and cultural spaces more broadly offer us a chance to reflect on those aspects” Forensic Oceonography[i] Four … Continue reading MAKING (IN-) VISIBLE- ART REFUGE IN CALAIS, NORTHERN FRANCE

At Refugee Rights Europe, we believe that the European Union, its member states and the UK are perfectly capable of ensuring a response to asylum and migration that upholds the human rights of every person seeking protection in Europe.  We know it is possible to safeguard the human rights of displaced people while preventing the … Continue reading Our 2020 resolution? Ramping up refugee rights advocacy

  Obstruction of access to the asylum procedure and family reunification According to NGOs operating in Calais and Grande-Synthe, there are currently approximately 600-700 displaced individuals living in makeshift outdoors settlements in Calais and around 550 in Grande-Synthe.[i] Despite a large number of prospective asylum seekers present in these locations for numerous years, individuals in … Continue reading Ground update: On the situation in northern France

By Selma Mesic This is just one of the testimonies of illegal and often violent pushbacks that Mobile Info Team collated from people that crossed the Greek/Turkish land border (largely made up of the river Evros) and published in a recent report[i]. The first-hand testimonies which have been collated by MIT confirm previous findings on … Continue reading “They pushed us into the mud, we were trying to lift the kids out… we didn’t know anything, it was in the middle of the night.”

As an organisation advocating for refugee rights in Europe, it is of course crucially important to work consistently at the European Union level, pushing for meaningful change. As 2019 comes to a close, here’s a look at the EU advocacy work we believe can help make a difference:   Engaging European parliamentarians When the new … Continue reading Advocating for refugee rights at the EU level

On 5th December 2019, experts gathered in the European Parliament to discuss the situation of women and girls in displacement in northern France, in a high-level roundtable meeting hosted by Jackie Jones MEP, Claude Moraes MEP and Refugee Rights Europe. The meeting participants include diverse actors joining together to seek collective actions that could be … Continue reading Expert round table on displaced women and girls in northern France

By Bana Tesfamichael, programme officer at Refugee Rights Europe I began my journey with Refugee Rights Europe (RRE) in May 2019, as a student studying an MA International Relations course. I found RRE whilst searching for NGO organisations within the UK where I could undertake an accredited internship as part of my MA. I sent … Continue reading My Internship Experience with Refugee Rights Europe

   Spotlight in the European Parliament on displaced women and girls Today, MEPs and other experts gather in the European Parliament to discuss the situation of undocumented women in displacement in northern France, in a high-level roundtable meeting hosted by Jackie Jones MEP, Claude Moraes MEP and Refugee Rights Europe. The meeting participants include diverse … Continue reading PRESS RELEASE, 5 December 2019

  By Jael Tobler and Grainne Farrell Since the beginning of June 2019, the Greek island of Lesvos has seen a dramatic spike in arrivals crossing from Turkey to Lesvos. Between Friday night and Sunday morning, 16 boats were reported to have landed on Lesvos carrying 650 people[i]. The most recent numbers released on the … Continue reading Ground update: The situation for displaced people on Lesvos, Greece