Solidarity of Responsibilities: an experience of awareness, training and networking

Practice Aim

To train and sensitize professionals and authorities involved in the process of integration of vulnerable groups (children, trafficking and LGTBI + people) potential beneficiaries of International Protection from an approach of childhood, gender diversity and human rights

Target Groups

Professionals and key agents involved in the processes of integration and inclusion of people in need of international protection: childhood, gender and LGTBIQ+.

Identification of stakeholders that made an identification of the practice: La Merced Migrations Foundation. It works with people fleeing situations of violence, war and inequality. We work from an integral intervention in the construction of an intercultural society model, guaranteeing protection and promoting the inclusion of migrants and refugees in vulnerable situations, favoring citizenship with full rights and duties.

Contact

Maribel Rodriguez, Social responsibility area. La Merced Migrations Foundation. C / Eraso 36, 3rd floor. 28028 Madrid. sensitization@lamercedmigraciones.org

Project

Solidarity Of Responsibilities In The International Protection Of Vulnerable Collectives. Quality improvement is promoted in intervention processes with vulnerable groups requesting and benefiting from international protection.

Target group, beneficiaries

Professionals and key agents involved in the processes of integration and inclusion of people in need of international protection.

Main needs and vulnerabilities

We detect a series of needs that we try to address through the project:

Work in coordination to identify the roles and responsibilities of the agents involved in the reception and integration processes.
Reflect on the methodology and intervention with specific groups to ensure the protection of people in a situation of special vulnerability.
Lack of specific resources for attention to minors, and LGTBIQ + IP applicants.
Improve analysis of asylum applications from an age and gender approach.
Improve the quality of the asylum procedure in relation to interviews and assess its credibility, together with an adequate analysis regarding the state of mental health (of applicants).
Incorporate the cultural and social baggage of applicants and implement evaluation measures that incorporate their vision.
Need for training and exchange spaces after the increase of NGOs that develop programs within the framework of IP that allows to know and exchange models of attention and innovation.
Need for a childhood and gender approach in the design of programs and internal measures.
Training in child protection and detection of risk situations for the improvement of guarantees in identification, age determination and procedures.
Training to improve identification and attention to VDT in need of IP.
Training for the identification and specific attention of the needs of LGTBI + applicants.

For all the above, from the La Merced Migrations Foundation, we consider special attention to these groups necessary, from a specific, professional and individualized intervention through a comprehensive approach. It is necessary to have a specific approach and implement improvements in the reception system and, therefore, the training of the professionals and key agents involved.

Application Context

Migrations and international protection.

Goals

Train and sensitize professionals and authorities involved in the process of integration of vulnerable groups (children, trafficking and LGTBI + people) potential beneficiaries of International Protection from an approach of childhood, gender diversity and human rights:

On the need for key methodologies of solidarity of responsibilities between the different administrations, defenders, prosecutors and other social agents responsible for the protection of children, foreigners, asylum and International Protection, through seminars and discussion groups that facilitate reflection spaces for the identification and development of good practices.
On the need for proper identification, offering seminars and workshops that complement the knowledge about childhood, trafficking, LGTBI + and International Protection of the different agents involved from a general context of psychosocial intervention and legal support with refugees.

Duration

Since 2019.

Performance procedures, ways of carrying it out:

La Merced Migraciones Foundation coined and defined the term “solidarity of responsibilities” in 2009 to try to collect commitments related to training, training, cooperation and networking in a single idea, very recognizable and transferable. From this project we believe the acceptance and evaluation of each professional of the social responsibility that we have regarding people in need of international protection is necessary.

Aware of the complexity of the task, we believe that it can only be done from the complementarity of visions; Therefore, in the face of competency competition, we propose “solidarity of responsibilities.”

This project aims to train professionals and key agents in the field of international protection with vulnerable groups, refugee children, women victims of trafficking or at risk of exploitation, and LGTBIQ + in need of this protection to improve practices in reception, identification, intervention and networking.

We believe that the improvement of reception is to improve the implementation of measures that respond better to the specific needs of people requesting international protection, raising the standards of rights and intervention, and that among these measures it is essential to provide tools for correct identification of these profiles in need of international protection and intervene from a childhood, gender and Human Rights approach.

Training is a starting point that improves reception and integration mechanisms, but there is a need to evaluate the public policy of reception and integration of refugees, which requires an investigation into the practice of reception and the reality of integration of asylum seekers of these vulnerable profiles cited above.

For all this, the project is developed with the involvement and active participation of a network of experts formed by professionals from related organizations and institutions, specialists in working with vulnerable populations and people benefiting from international protection such as UNHCR, Unicef, Save the Children, Sira, Accem, Fundación Amaranta, the Santander Chair of Law and Minors and the University Institute of Migration of the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid, led, coordinated and consolidated by the La Merced Migrations Foundation.

In turn, we have the collaboration of Cogam as an expert LGTBI + entity, and people seeking international protection LGTBI + activists.

Principles of action, and values: Networking, childhood, gender and human rights approach.

Difficulties or limitations for its implementation

The main limitations are in the process of implementing improvement measures (protocols, procedures, coordination tables) due to territorial difficulties. Accompanying and / or facilitating improvement processes without being present in territory is complicated, so we analyze what role we can have and how far we can get involved in the process. We also try to identify key agents in territory that act as “counterparts” or are those that have an interest in leading changes. Having a network within the project makes it easier to support NGOs that are found throughout the national sphere.

The project has strengthened its training and coordination part to give sustainability to and as a sensitization tool for the improvement of identification, accompaniment and networking. Within the training we use workshop methodology and it is conceived as a participatory process, based on the exchange of knowledge and experiences, the purpose of which is to propose and facilitate a public dialogue and participatory diagnosis within the training framework.

Results

Accomplishment of International Congress “Unaccompanied Children with the need for IP”.
Preparation of a guide “Approach to the International Protection of unaccompanied children”, 2010.
Training workshops for the improvement of identification, accompaniment and networking aimed at more than 500 key agents.
Accompaniment in improvement measures for intervention and care (procedures, protocols and networking).
Report “Vulnerable groups in the asylum system, an approach to the needs of children, LGTBI + people and victims of trafficking”, 2019.
Online course:
- Basic online course “Unaccompanied Migrant children, applicant for IP” aimed at volunteers, with a duration of 16h.
- Online course “The International Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Children, victims of trafficking and LGTBI + people)”, with a duration of 40h.
- Seminars.
We are part of the Odos project network for comprehensive care and support for women in situations of vulnerability and their children.
10 NGOs and experts working in a network.