Newsletter - October-December 2022
Fact-finding visit to Romania; pilot training on psychological support in Poland; International Migrants Day marked by publishing guidance on how to better protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse in crisis and emergency situations
The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Leyla Kayacik, (SRSG) carried out a fact-finding mission to Romania from 12 to 14 December 2022. The visit focused on the situation of people in vulnerable situations who continue to flee Ukraine and explored...
Committee of Ministers: Age assessment in the context of migration; presumption of minority, exceptional use of medical examination, other standards set by new Recommendation
On 14 December 2022, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers adopted a new Recommendation to member States on human rights principles and guidelines on age assessment in the context of migration. The Recommendation, with its Explanatory Memorandum, is the first international legal instrument...
PACE adopted two migration-related resolutions; Committee on Migration Refugees and Displaced Persons met in Paris
On 12 October, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted two resolutions relating to migration and asylum: Pushbacks on land and sea: illegal measures of migration management and Safe third countries for asylum seekers. The first resolution, based on the report by...
Congress adopted report on the reception of women and child refugees in Europe’s cities and regions
The number of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons throughout the world has never been so high as in 2022, and women and children face heightened vulnerabilities and violence in the course of migration. That is the finding of the report on the reception of women and child refugees in...
CommHR addressed migrant and refugee situations during her visit to Spain and in letters to Belgian and Bulgarian authorities
Following her visit to Spain from 21 to 25 November 2022, Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović said that more needs to be done to ensure access to rights for the most vulnerable and to protect the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. She welcomed the...
ECtHR Judgments on Sweden and Belgium
On 20 October 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case M.T. and Others v. Sweden ruled that Sweden had neither violated Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights, nor Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination). The case...
EQPR Partners met in Strasbourg; Webinar on preliminary results of EQPR Task Force on recognition of Ukrainian qualifications held
The Project Co-ordination Group of the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) held its 10th meeting on the 16of November in Strasbourg to discuss the results and future plans to ensure access for refugees to education and the labour market. The meeting provided an opportunity for...
New translations of Council of Europe documents on gender equality and migration available
The Council of Europe Gender Equality Cooperation Unit supported better protection of refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking women and girls, through translations of the Council of Europe Recommendation on Protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum seeking women and girls, and Guidance on...
Pompidou Group publishes handbook Intercultural Responses to drug-related challenges for refugees, migrants and IDPS
In November 2022, Pompidou Group published a handbook for professionals working in the field of addictions with refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons, entitled: Intercultural Responses to drug-related challenges for refugees, migrants and IDPS. This handbook takes a...
Council of Europe publishes guidance on how to better protect children against sexual exploitation and abuse in crisis and emergency situations
Launched on the occasion of the International Migrants Day (18 December), the Council of Europe Handbook on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in crisis and emergency situations builds on the findings of the Committee on the Protection of Children from Sexual...
The CDADI offers practical tools for reaping the benefits of migrant integration
The Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) in December adopted two practical documents to help states ensure that policy makers, public officials and the general public perceive diversity not as a threat but as a collective advantage that...