Two Examples on Role of NGOs Related to Border Monitoring
Text Compiled by Cansu Akbaş
I. Example of Eastern Europe
Project respects the liabilities of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldavia related to rights of refugees arising from human rights law and on the other hand exerts pressure upon these countries to adequately perform border monitoring.
EU requires a tighter control over its borders and prevention of excessive entries and asylum seekers who fail to cross the borders try more dangerous ways and these efforts sometimes end in death.
A great number of asylum seekers and refugees are detained at the present time and some of them are deported as such is done to people who illegally cross the borders. Detainment conditions at border points are poor for asylum seekers and refugees. Detainment locations are over-crowded; conditions are inhumane and threatening to women and children refugees. Large numbers of asylum seekers and refugees are returned from borders and airports to their country regularly. Arbitrary government procedures in Russia, although recognized by UNHCR, oblige many people to return to their countries where they will face danger.
10 NGOs from European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and Belarus, Moldavia, Ukraine and Russia receive grants from EU Refugee Programs in 2009 and 2010.
Program focuses on capacity building of these NGOs in areas of border facilities and conditions, cases of refoulement and independent monitoring of legal support. Program aims to develop the defensive capacity of monitoring and cooperated organizations and support the work of these organizations with fragile asylum seeker groups who are open to harm and moreover ensure to sustain the training of non governmental partner organizations and local authorities on border management and refugee issues.
This program provides an opportunity to gather information and evidence on how asylum seekers and refugees are treated within EU borders.
Project will focus on border points on land by reason of an estimation of increase in the number of refugee applications following the monitoring activities of NGOs and works carried on with border guards in Belarus, Moldavia and Ukraine.
Project will focus on refoulements to Chechnya based on two main points in Russia. Interventions will be executed to ensure legal support and prevent refoulements and deportations to old Soviet countries from Russia. Project includes a pilot project on monitoring the situation in the international airport and lobbying activities to ensure the entrance of NGOs to transit zones. It is planned that members of ECRE are to take the active role on border monitoring, airport monitoring and providing legal counsel to asylum seekers.
Works under the Project:
1.Capacity building of cooperated NGOs on border monitoring and individual legal counseling
a. Direct monitoring of human rights
Regular visiting of borders by NGOs to meet refugees and asylum seekers who willingly, by force or by agreements returned to detainment locations; contacting administrators, local authorities, refugees and other agents.
b. Providing legal counsel/defense in individual cases
Providing lawyers to NGOs who work or want to work in refoulement and defense of refugee rights. These lawyers might provide support by interventions via UN special rapporteurs.Support might also be provided by ECHR, UN Special Rapporteurs and EU consultants.
c. Small grant amounts to NGOs and Border guards for regional projects.
Providing small scaled technical training which may include 1 day courses or workshops to form an understanding between NGOs related to border guard officers and immigrant offices and local authorities on grounds of enforcement and cooperation.
2.a Preparing reports examining the regional refoulements which include detention experiences to form a source of national and international defense
Report shall include refoulement examples related to the region and conditions. Direct monitoring and indirect monitoring shall be used in preparation of the reports.
Benefiting from the works of corporated NGOs of Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Activity reports prepared by projects partners every tow months shall be enlightening for people working in the same field and ECRE may use these reports to create awareness and mold public opinion. This activity shall also constitute a foundation for the defended items in works of ECRE.
2.b Holding a regional conference on refoulement
A conference of two days might be held including refoulement procedures and explaining asylum seekers in border points and related international standards. Conference includes sixty officers and NGO representatives of four participant countries. Monitoring of NGOs, works on legal counseling and research and conclusion therefrom shall be presented with recommendations.
This regional conference will have a defensive focus and international laws shall be discussed within. It is also possible that successful examples and past case scenarios shall be discussed by combined work groups.
The report of this conference shall act as a regional report on refoulement and support ECRE to form a policy related to recommendations to EU members on refoulement.
2.c Holding meetings in regional level with EU officials in Brussels
This shall be beneficial for information exchange and cooperation between NGOs and EU.
2.d Regional and national training for NGOs/Justice officials/Immigration Office Personnel
Execution of two training programs in Ukraine to develop the knowledge level of justice officials and immigration office personnel with regard to refugee law.
Execution of two training organization in Russia to develop the relations and communication of NGOs and Government authorities with regard to the situation in Northern Caucasia.
2.e Translation of data related to best practices and legal regulations to the language of the related to country
3.a Holding regional seminars and network meetings to establish information exchange and effective planning
A planning meeting of two days will be held in the beginning of first year by participation of four project countries to determine the goals and agreed and rejected plans by debates.
Participation of international agencies and related working groups of relevant countries is important to establish coordination.
3.b Regional network
By organizing meetings with NGOs outside EU borders, experience and information exchange might be realized and strategies on individual cases and emergencies might be debated. Chaining events might be debated to develop case strategies. For example: Sending a Chechnian refugee to Ukraine and thus the danger of his refoulement to Russia. Things to do in such a situation and standings of Ukraine and Russia in such a circumstance.
4.aCovering the expenses of NGO and Government officials participating in training meetings
4.b Organizing work trips for NGOs, journalists and government officials to Eastern Europe
Opportunity to examine on-site the issues related to asylum seekers and refugees at border points. Different groups might be assigned different topics such as providing services to women and infant refugees.
