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Description
Violations of refugee and asylum seeker rights, especially with regards to access to housing, health, employment and education, that is, four basic aspects of human life and dignity, are continuously recorded.
The project aims at systematically bringing to the fore these issues and promoting targeted solutions through a web of multidimensional activities at multiple levels and with an array of target groups. It includes monitoring, advocacy, information and awareness-raising activities as well as trainings.
More specifically, the partners will compile reports regarding access of refugees and asylum seekers to human rights, including putting forward policy proposals and carrying out systematic advocacy actions targeted at decision makers in Greece and EU institutions. The wider public will be systematically informed through a digital campaign, the work of Popaganda as well as the national and local media with which the project partners will work. Significantly, journalists are also a target group of this project. Refugees and asylum seekers will be informed via the Refugee.Info platform, which will be kept up to date as part of this project. Finally, university students in education and journalism as well as public servants will be trained on issues pertaining to the four human rights in question, while workshops will also be delivered to unaccompanied children.
Besides overall coordination, GCR, together with IRC and Diotima and with Popaganda’s contribution, will take over monitoring and advocacy. GCR, IRC and Diotima will provide trainings. Diotima will be in charge of the digital campaign. Popaganda will cover the project activities as well as carry out a series of journalism projects. Collaboration between GCR, IRC and Diotima with other media outlets will further enhance the dissemination of the project messages.
Summary of project results
Violations of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, particularly in terms of access to housing, health, employment, and education—four fundamental aspects of human life and dignity—were consistently documented. The project aimed to systematically bring these issues to the forefront and promote targeted solutions through a web of multidimensional activities at various levels and with diverse target groups. The project encompassed monitoring, advocacy, information and awareness-raising activities, as well as training sessions.
The project "Do the Human Right Thing – Raising Our Voice for Refugee Rights" was carried out by the Greek Council for Refugees in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee Hellas, Centre "Diotima," and Popaganda from July 2021 to August 2022. Its primary goal was to inform and raise awareness about the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, particularly in terms of access to housing, employment, and healthcare—fundamental rights crucial for preserving human dignity and facilitating social integration.
The implementation of the project unfolded across four key dimensions:
(a) Reports: Three comprehensive reports were produced, addressing issues related to the rights of access to housing, employment, and healthcare. These reports provided suggestions for resolving these issues. Subsequent activities focused on informing relevant decision-makers in Greece and EU bodies in Brussels.
(b) Media Content: A series of articles and a documentary video, accessible on Popaganda online, illuminated the human stories of refugees, highlighting their resilience in the face of adversity. Notably, refugees themselves contributed by directly publishing their own articles.
(c) Information Activities: Various information activities, including videos, continue to offer insights into the rights of access to healthcare and employment.
(d) Educational Initiatives: The project conducted a series of educational activities concentrating on the rights related to access to housing, employment, and healthcare. These activities were tailored for students of media and journalism, unaccompanied children, and public servants. They aimed to provide answers to questions and enhance understanding of the pertinent issues.
The primary target group of the project was refugees-asylum seekers. The project brought to light the challenges these individuals face in accessing housing, employment, and healthcare, proposing solutions to address these issues. It shared these challenges and policy proposals with representatives of decision-making bodies in Greece and Brussels. Additionally, the project informed and raised awareness among over 840,000 people, reaching a wide audience and specific groups such as journalism students and public servants. This was achieved through a series of articles and educational activities focused on the three rights of refugees. Through informative and explanatory actions, including texts and videos in five languages, even the refugees themselves were educated about the project''s themes. Moreover, the project provided a platform for refugees to express themselves by writing articles related to the project''s themes. Given that the project addressed the right to access housing, it served the needs of refugees and asylum seekers who were homeless or in precarious housing conditions. Educational initiatives specifically targeted the needs of unaccompanied children. The health aspect of the project also covered the issue of mental health problems among refugees and asylum seekers.
Overall, the project successfully reached and informed over 840,000 individuals.