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Council of Europe and UNHCR: anyone fleeing war or persecution has the right to seek safety and protection

On the occasion of World Refugee Day on 20 June 2022, the Council of Europe and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) emphasise that anyone fleeing war, conflict or persecution or risking violence, abuse or exploitation, has the right to seek safety and protection.

Almost four months into the war in Ukraine, millions of refugees have crossed the country’s borders and many more have been internally displaced. The global number of people on the move has reached an unprecedented level with more than 100 million persons being forcibly displaced as reported in UNHCR’s Global Trends 2021.

”Human rights are central to safety and protection. The Council of Europe standards apply to everyone in need, with particular attention to the rights of those in vulnerable situations, such as migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls, unaccompanied and separated children, and elderly persons”, said the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Leyla Kayacik (SRSG).

The Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025) proposes notably targeted measures and activities to enhance the capacity of member states to identify and address vulnerabilities throughout asylum and migration procedures.

“Every person has the right to seek safety and to have access to human rights, whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee. Together with the Council of Europe and its member states UNHCR continues working to safeguard the rights of forcibly displaced persons.” said Andreas Wissner, UNHCR Representative to the European Institutions in Strasbourg.

 World Refugee Day 2022: Council of Europe and UNHCR video

Council of Europe Strasbourg 20 June 2022
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Fifty practitioners to enhance skills in provision of occupational therapy

Following the adoption of the Guidelines for Occupational Therapy (OT), as well as the Training of Trainers (ToT) on OT that took place in January 2024, three 2-day cascade training sessions were organised in the course of February and March 2024.  Fifty professionals, mainly from the Prison Health Department, along with representatives from the Correctional Services, Institute for Forensic Psychiatry, and the Special Institute for Persons with Mental and Physical Disabilities, were trained on this important form of therapy.

To complement the theoretical aspects and provide the trainees with practical knowledge, some of the sessions were conducted in the Dubrava Prison, in a section which houses prisoners with both mental and somatic problems. This on-site training allowed the participants to observe and understand the application of OT principles in a real-life setting, thus enhancing their learning experience by connecting theory and practice.

These cascade training sessions allowed the participants to further improve their skills in applying the OT Guidelines and tools in prisons and other closed institutions, a concept which was thus far not utilised in a structured manner. Furthermore, training healthcare and correctional professionals together helps them further strengthen the inter-institutional cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of some of the most vulnerable members of the society.

Each of these sessions were facilitated by two trainers who had participated in the ToT in January and were supervised and mentored by a Council of Europe consultant who has been involved in the process since the very beginning, thus further strengthening institutional capacity to provide training.

The activity was conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”.

 

 

*All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United National Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Istog/ Istok 26 March 2024
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