Newsletter on migration and refugees - December 2016
CPT report on migrants’ detention in Hungary
On 3 November 2016 the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published its report on its visit to Hungary from 21 to 27 October 2015, together with the response of the Hungarian authorities. The CPT’s visit took place in the context of the...
Judgment against Malta and roundtable on immigration
On 22 November 2016 the Court handed down a Chamber judgment in Abdullahi Elmi and Aweys Abubakar v. Malta. The case concerns the detention of two asylum-seekers in Safi Barracks Detention Centre, Malta, pending the outcome of age-assessment procedures to determine whether they were minors. Both...
Calais follow-up, European Forum on child rights and CEB´s 60th anniversary
Following his report on the situation of migrants and refugees in Calais and Grande-Synthe, on 7 and 8 November 2016 the Secretary General’s Special Representative on migration and refugees visited centres in the Grand-Est region where migrants and refugees were transferred from the Calais camp...
HELP organised a workshop on protection of asylum-seekers in Greece
On 8 November 2016 the HELP Programme and the National School of Judges in Greece organised a workshop on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the protection of asylum-seekers for members of the New Independent Appeal Committees and administrative judges. The event was organised in...
Migrants in limbo and Human Rights Commissioner´s 3rd quarterly report
In a Human Rights Comment Migrants in limbo in Europe have the right to live in dignity, published on 15 November 2016, the Commissioner draws attention to the plight of many migrants, primarily rejected asylum-seekers, who live in a state of protracted legal and social limbo without any...
Lisbon Forum on migration and human rights
The Lisbon Forum 2016 on migration and human rights, organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, took place on 24-25 November 2016. One of the participants, Mr Mohamed Hannan from Disabled Peoples’ International Europe gave the following testimony: “The Council of Europe’s...
#endchildsexabuseday and Lanzarote Committee
SRSG Ambassador Tomáš Boček joined many voices on the occasion of the 2nd edition of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse on 18 November 2016 in a video statement. He called on member states to pay urgent attention to the particular...
CEB approves Germany lending project to provide housing to migrants and refugees
The Administrative Council of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) recently approved four new lending projects, one of which aims to indirectly benefit migrants and refugees in Germany. The € 72 million loan will part-finance the implementation of a social housing programme in the Land of...
PACE's visit to detention centre in Austria and other activities
As part of its programme of visits to immigration detention centres, the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons organised a visit to Vordernberg immigration detention centre in Austria on 15-16 November 2016. These visits have a two-fold aim: parliamentarians are first given...
Migrant women´s access to protection and services
On 25 November 2016 the Gender Equality Unit participated in a Roundtable on Women Refugees, Migrants and Asylum-Seekers in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean: Meet the immediate emergency need and find the longer term solutions organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe as...
Intercultural approach to engaging with religious minorities
On 27 and 28 October 2016 the cities participating in the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Network, together with leaders of religious communities, held a meeting in San Sebastiàn (Spain) to explore local policy responses to tackling prejudice and discrimination against religious...
Convention on violence against women: first monitoring visit
A delegation of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) visited Austria from 28 November to 2 December 2016 in its first ever country visit to monitor the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. The Istanbul Convention,...
- CPT report on migrants’ detention in Hungary
- Judgment against Malta and roundtable on immigration
- Calais follow-up, European Forum on child rights and CEB´s 60th anniversary
- HELP organised a workshop on protection of asylum-seekers in Greece
- Migrants in limbo and Human Rights Commissioner´s 3rd quarterly report
- Lisbon Forum on migration and human rights
- #endchildsexabuseday and Lanzarote Committee
- CEB approves Germany lending project to provide housing to migrants and refugees
- PACE's visit to detention centre in Austria and other activities
- Migrant women´s access to protection and services
- Intercultural approach to engaging with religious minorities
- Convention on violence against women: first monitoring visit