In these challenging times, let’s not forget the most vulnerable communities | Friends of Europe

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The COVID-19 pandemic has spared no community. Everyone has been impacted, whether it be through strict quarantine measures – as seen in Italy or in Spain – or through social distancing and self-quarantine, as used in other parts of Europe and the world. However, it is in these trying times that the true face of humanity is revealed.

What coronavirus has brought to light is that our wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of others – for our loved ones to stay safe, the entire community must take precautions. Measures like staying at home, social distancing, self-isolation and taking an abundance of caution when going outside only work when we do it together.

During such times, it is also crucial to remember the communities most at risk – those without a home, without safety and without the means to protect themselves.

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Not Just a School | SB OverSeas

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Since even before the beginning of the Syrian conflict, displaced Syrians have fled to Lebanon in order to escape from war. The conflict has been ongoing for almost 10 years – meaning that the youngest children and new-borns who left the country at the beginning of the war, are now at least 10 years old. Some of these children, most of whom never started school in Syria, reached Lebanon with their families and have never experienced a classroom – instead their day-to-day consists of through the streets of an urban camp, or across villages of tents, on their way to working on the street, rather than going to school. For this reason, SB OverSeas in 2013 opened an education and empowerment centre in one of the largest informal refugee settlements in Beirut in order to create places for these children to finally enter the classroom. It is the lives of these children, their siblings, families and wider community that is the subject of this report.

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Refugee Mental Health – Normal Reactions to Abnormal Situations | ECRE

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“Normal reactions to abnormal situations.”- It was only until I heard this characterization by a trauma specialist that I began to understand the mental health concerns of young refugees. This concept becomes even clearer when considering the reports from places like the Greek islands where adolescent asylum seekers have begun to act violently against each other. Attacks are common in an unsafe and deeply precarious camp setting and even some with fatal consequences. When you place their actions in the context of their situation, their behavior, while not excusable, becomes understandable.

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Need for more legal protection & psychological services for the adequate protection of young migrants in Brussels | SB OverSeas

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Following five years of supporting young refugees living in Brussels through psychosocial support activities, engagement with the local community and providing exposure to skills and future opportunities, this report presents the critical observations of the precarity in the lives these young people. The discussion engages with three elements of protection that we consider necessary for the personal security of young people in this precarious situation: a positive physical living space, an environment of psychological support and guidance and the adherence to their rights in seeking international protection.

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Young Refugees living in reception & accommodation centres in Brussels | SB OverSeas

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Following five years of supporting young refugees living in Brussels through psychosocial support activities, engagement with the local community and providing exposure to skills and future opportunities, this report presents the critical observations of the precarity in the lives these young people. The discussion engages with three elements of protection that we consider necessary for the personal security of young people in this precarious situation: a positive physical living space, an environment of psychological support and guidance and the adherence to their rights in seeking international protection.

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Building our Future with Children and Youth on the Move in Greece | EPIM

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On 8 March 2019, key actors from 36 different Greek civil society organisations (CSOs), youth advocates, Greek government agencies and private foundations came together in Athens for the expert convening: “Building our Future with Children and Youth on the Move in Greece”, organised by EPIM. The convening aimed to explore the continued needs and opportunities for migrant children and youth to establish a future in Greece, and to share good practices and recommendations regarding their protection, identification and inclusion.

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How Skewed Migration Priorities Divide “Good” and “Bad” Asylum Seekers

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Who are we excluding when advocating for refugees rights? In a blog post for WESTT, Women’s Eco-Nomic and Social Think Tank, I look at how perceptions of migrants impacts policy. The case study is on Afghan asylum seekers in Greece, but this is also relevant to child detention in the US & migration policy debates in the EU

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Brussels Police Prevent Kurdish Demonstration | VOA News

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Police in Brussels, Belgium, prevented a group of Kurdish protesters from marching near the city center, March 10, 2018. Brussels’ Kurdish community has held demonstrations against Turkey’s military operations in Afrin, Syria. In January, Turkey began an offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terror organization. The Kurds deny they are a terror group.

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