IOM Slovenia Newsletter April 2017

IOM SLOVENIA

Private Sector Engagement to Support Labour Market Integration of Refugees On 19 April 2017 IOM Slovenia organized a round table on private sector engagement and the involvement of employers in the process of labour market integration of refugees in Slovenia. The round table was also the final event of the project “Refugee and Migrants Emergency Response” funded by the Council of Europe Development Bank – Migrant and Refugee Fund in the period December 2015 – April 2017. The project’s achievements and implemented activities were presented to representatives of governmental institutions, civil society organizations and employers, followed by a discussion about the role and importance of private sector engagement and further steps to be taken in partnership with employers to strengthen access to employers for asylum seekers and refugees. The informational brochure for employers, which IOM has prepared in 2017 to better inform potential employers of the free access to the labour market which refugees are entitled to by law, was presented and distributed to participants. The electronic version of the brochure can be accessed here. The EU perspective, policy and practises were presented by Ms Geertrui Lanneau from the IOM Regional Office in Brussels. Ms Sonja Belec presented the activities of the Employment Service of Slovenia, which has been developing several new initiatives to better support the inclusion of refugees in the workplace. Innovative practises from The Netherlands and Germany were presented by Mr Rober Blaauw of the TVcN - Interpretation and translation centre and Mr Jan Dannenbring of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts. Mr Goran Lukić of the Counselling Office for Workers from Slovenia and Mr S. Ebadi, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, spoke about challenges related to potential abuses of

workers' rights and the limitations asylum seekers are faced as they are not allowed to work during the first 9 months of their asylum procedure. While asylum seekers and refugees face similar obstacles across the EU, such as language barriers and lack of certificates proving their working experience and educational attainment, they are highly motivated to enter the labour market and bring diverse skills and knowledge. Participants agreed that employers are generally very interested in employing refugees, however might be reluctant to do so due to long and cumbersome administrative procedures. Employers might also not be aware about the legal right to work for refugees, who are also entitled to the same support measures that are available to citizens of Slovenia, for example the programmes of the Active Policy for Employment. Participants discussed innovative solutions, such as job fairs and more opportunities for internships which would enable refugees and potential employers to meet face to face.

A round table on private sector engagement and the involvement of employers in the process of labour market integration of refugees in Slovenia.

IOM Distributes Non-Food Items with the support of Council of Europe Development Bank – Migrant and Refugee Fund IOM Slovenia has with the financial support of the Council of Europe Development Bank – Migrant and Refugee Fund since December 2015 responded to assist the Slovenian authorities in providing adequate assistance to migrants and refugees. In collaboration with the Slovenian Agency for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, IOM distributed essential non-food items, including sleeping mats, beds and hygiene kits in the temporary reception and accommodation centers for migrants and refugees. After March 2016 the IOM’s response shifted from providing necessary assistance in the reception and accommodation centers to responding to the needs of asylum seekers in Slovenia. IOM has procured footwear for adults and children, school supplies and educational materials, hygiene items and sports and leisure equipment. In addition to assisting the government in providing adequate levels of assistance to asylum seekers, IOM has been in the framework of the project focusing on facilitating long-term successful inclusion of beneficiaries of international protection in the Slovenian society. With the financial support of the Council of Europe Development Bank – Migrant and Refugee Fund, IOM has organized consultations and capacity building events focusing on labour market integration of asylum seekers and refugees, cultural mediation and intercultural competencies of public service providers.

IOM Distributes sports and leisure equipment with the support of Council of Europe

Development Bank – Migrant and Refugee Fund

For more information visit our website: http://slovenia.iom.int or contact IOM Slovenia, Tel. +386 1 4347351, Email iomljubljana@iom.int

Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals: 43,357 in 2017; Deaths: 1,089 IOM, the UN Migration Agency reports that 43,357 migrants and refugees

entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 26 April, over 80 percent arriving in Italy

and the rest in Spain and Greece. This compares with 182,022 arrivals through

26 April 2016.

IOM Greece reported on Thursday that authorities have no new information about as many as 12 missing migrants who were believed to have been on a boat that capsized off Lesvos earlier this week. IOM had reported seven migrants still missing from the incident in which two survivors were rescued – one an expectant mother. Some media this week reported at least 12 passengers remain missing. According to IOM staff, among those rescued or lost were nationals from Syria, Cameroon and Congo. IOM Libya’s Christine Petré reported Thursday on information received this week on the remains of 15 migrants buried Wednesday in Bani Walid, north of the city of Alshwareef, one of the cities along the migratory route leading from Libya’s southern borders with Algeria and Niger.

Worldwide, the IOM Missing Migrants Project reports that there have been 1,633 fatalities through 26 April (see chart, below), with the Mediterranean region accounting for the largest proportion of deaths – about two thirds of the global total. Nonetheless, this comes to 620 fewer fatalities than were reported up to the same point in 2016. However, these data do not account for full reporting from North Africa and the Horn of Africa, two migration corridors where data collection tends to take longer than in other regions.

For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic: http://migration.iom.int/docs/MMP/Mediterranean_Update_170428.pdf For latest arrivals and fatalities in the Mediterranean, please visit: http://migration.iom.int/europe Learn more about the Missing Migrants Project at: http://missingmigrants.iom.int Read more.

IOM, EU Aid Victims of Human Trafficking through New Online Platform IOM, with support from the European Union (EU), has launched an online platform featuring a transnational referral tool designed to strengthen professional response to the needs of victims of human trafficking. The tool, known as a Transnational Referral Mechanism (TRM) model, links up experts and professionals from different countries involved in the identification, referral, assistance, return, and monitoring of assistance to victims of trafficking. It defines the roles of each stakeholder participating in national referral mechanisms (NRM) and serves as a platform to inform and connect counter-trafficking practitioners in countries of origin and countries of destination. The model is an output of the EU-funded Transnational Action (TACT) project as part of the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings, which ran from 2012 to 2016. The platform contains four key elements:

Standard Operating Procedures for the Safe Return and Reintegration of victims of trafficking;

The Counter-Trafficking Directory dedicated to consular and diplomatic staff, currently containing profiles of the status of trafficking of 50 countries;

A resources database, hosting over 60 documents covering broad range of thematic areas;

A tools application, which contains eight practical tools for practitioners. Read more.

First Human Rights Trainings Held Inside Libyan Detention Centres Since 2014 IOM is currently providing human rights training sessions in five Libyan detention centres, the first such trainings since 2014. In this pilot project, IOM is targeting five centres (Abu Salim, Tariq al Sekka, Al Khums, Gharyan Alhamra and Triq Al Matar) to enhance the capacity of the staff and help improve the living conditions of the migrants. The first two of the five trainings, inside Tripoli’s Tariq Al Sekka and Abu Salim detention centres, on 14 April and 18 April respectively, focused on the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrants inside the detention centres and was delivered to 24 of the Abu Salim management and 28 of Tariq Al Sekka personnel. The trainings were conducted by the management of the centres, after having attended an intensive five-day course in Tunis in February 2017, with the assistance of IOM staff. “It is a great step to be able to restart the trainings inside detention centres in Libya,” explained Programme Manager Maysa Khalil. Some of the topics that were discussed included identification of vulnerable cases, the needs of the migrants, protection and prevention of diseases, and smuggling and human trafficking. Read more.

UN Migration Agency, Partners Redouble Efforts to ‘End Malaria for Good’ IOM, the UN Migration Agency joins the World Health Organization (WHO), the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and other partners to End Malaria for Good, and bring attention to how the burden of malaria continues to be greatest in the least developed parts of the world and among those with low socioeconomic status.

According to WHO, at the start of 2016, nearly half the world’s population was still at risk of malaria. There is, therefore, an urgent need to pursue multi-sectoral efforts to achieve by 2030 such targets as reducing the rate of new malaria cases by at least 90 percent, eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries, and preventing a resurgence of infection in malaria-free countries. As the global health community renews its commitment to action against malaria, it is important to bear in mind that several groups of migrants, mobile populations and travelers remain at disproportionately high risk for malaria, including drug and insecticide resistance. Countries aiming for malaria-free status cannot do so without addressing equitable provision of health services, including health education, accessible diagnosis and effective treatment for migrants, especially those living or working in endemic areas. You can read or find out more about IOM’s work with malaria-affected migrant communities at: health.iom.int/migration-human-mobility-malaria. Read more.

IOM Iraq Publishes First Nationwide Assessment on Displacement and Returns As the Mosul operation continues and aid agencies expect thousands more people to flee clashes in Iraq’s Ninewa governorate, a recent study conducted by IOM Iraq Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) takes a comprehensive look at displacement and return across the country. The Integrated Location Assessment (ILA) is IOM Iraq’s first nationwide attempt to simultaneously analyze both displacement and return movements of conflict-affected people. Focusing on both populations enables identification of overarching trends of population movements; evaluation of the pressure that forced displacement places on some governorates; and an outline of social and living conditions, basic needs, intentions and vulnerabilities shared by internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees.

The assessment covered 3,700 locations across Iraq, where approximately 2.9 million IDPs and more than 720,000 returnees are based. Interviews were carried out with a variety of key informants in each location, including representatives of the host community, displaced population and returnee population. The study was conducted from 1 July to mid-October 2016, thus providing critical sectorial information for more than 3.5 million individuals who have been affected since the beginning of this crisis in 2014. The latest DTM Emergency Tracking figures on displacement from Mosul operations are available here. Please click to download the latest IOM Iraq reports: IOM Iraq DTM Mosul Operations - Data Snapshot - April 18 IOM Iraq DTM Mosul Corridor Analysis - April 17 IOM Iraq DTM Mosul Operations - Factsheet - April 13 Read more.

IOM Learns of 'Slave Market' Conditions Endangering Migrants in North Africa IOM staff in Niger and Libya documented shocking events on North African migrant routes, which they have described as 'slave markets' tormenting hundreds of young African men bound for Libya. Operations Officers with IOM’s office in Niger, reported on the rescue of a Senegalese migrant (referred to as SC to protect his identity) who this week was returning to his home after being held captive for months. According to SC’s testimony, while trying to travel north through the Sahara, he arrived in Agadez, Niger, where he was told he would have to pay 200,000 CFA (about USD 320) to continue north, towards Libya. A trafficker provided him with accommodation until the day of his departure, which was to be by pick-up truck.

“Migrants who go to Libya while trying to get to Europe, have no idea of the torture archipelago that awaits them just over the border,” said Leonard Doyle, chief IOM spokesman in Geneva. “There they become commodities to be bought, sold and discarded when they have no more value.” Doyle added: “To get the message out across Africa about the dangers, we are recording the testimonies of migrants who have suffered and are spreading them across social media and on local FM radio. Tragically the most credible messengers are migrants returning home with IOM help. Too often they are broken, brutalized and have been abused, often sexually. Their voices carry more weight than anyone else’s.” Read more.

IOM Libya Helps 421 Stranded African Migrants Return Home On 25 April, IOM, the UN Migration Agency helped 253 stranded Nigerian migrants – 148 women and 105 men – return home to Nigeria from Libya. The group included six children, five infants and two medical cases. Most of the migrants (235) had been detained in Trig al Seka and Abu Slim detention centres in Tripoli, with the remainder living in urban areas. On 27 April, more migrants were assisted back home as 164 men and 4 women, including 20 unaccompanied migrant children returned to The Gambia with IOM support. Both charter flights departed Tripoli’s Mitiga airport and were coordinated with the Libyan authorities, the Nigerian embassy and the Gambian Consulate, respectively. IOM colleagues in the countries of origin also helped upon arrival. IOM also provided pre-departure interviews, medical check-ups and facilitated exit visas for the passengers. Prior to departure the migrants also received further assistance including non-food item (NFI) kits and shoes. Read more.

Placing People at the Centre of Our Response by Mohammed Abdiker, Director of Operations and Emergencies Day after day, I continue to be struck by the dignity and positivity of people, and their ability to cope, in what is often the direst of circumstances – most recently in Libya, Yemen, Iraq and Nigeria. Every person experiences the impact of crises differently, when exposed to risks due to their sex, age, gender identity, ethnicity, and disability; or when enduring the impact of family separation, or the lack of access to resources, among many other hardships. In the last few months alone, I have witnessed the deplorable conditions of detention centers, as well as the many challenges displaced people and refugees face in displacement camps and camp-like settings. I have met with migrants, displaced people and affected communities. I have met women, men, girls and boys. Every single person I have met, continues to demonstrate incredible courage and hope for the future in the face of extreme adversity. I can’t help thinking, however, are we doing enough to address their needs? The objective of all humanitarian and development actors is to support states to ensure that everyone’s rights are upheld and fulfilled despite a crisis situation. Protection is ultimately ensuring that, despite the crisis context, individuals have the ability and agency to fulfill their rights in accordance with differing characteristics, capacities, needs and aspirations. Increasingly, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance–of which IOM is a member–is committing to placing protection at the center of every actor’s efforts. Each member builds on its own mandate and vantage point to protect crisis-affected populations. Read more.

For many more up to date news and articles on migration, please visit IOM website (section:

Press Room, pages: particularly News and Newsdesk).

This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the Migrant and Refugee Fund received

through Council of Europe Development Bank. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the Donors to the Migrant and Refugee Fund or the

CEB, as manager of the Migrant and Refugee Fund.

For further information or comments/questions, please contact Jana Stardelova at IOM Slovenia, Tel: +38614347351, E-mail: jstardelova@iom.int.

\

Situation Reports

Flow Monitoring Survey and Human Trafficking and Other Exploitative Practices Prevalence Indication Survey

Key findings: - Central Mediterranean

49% of interviewed migrants responded positively to at least 2 out of 4 indicators of human trafficking and other exploitative practices

72% of all respondents experienced physical violence during the journey

Respondents travelling along the Central Mediterranean route are usually younger than those who travel along the Eastern Mediterranean

- Eastern Mediterranean

The migrants with the highest percentage of positive responses (10%) to the human trafficking and exploitative practices indicators are Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan

The share of positive responses is higher for woman (17%) than for men (8%)

Individuals travelling along the Eastern Mediterranean were more likely to report tertiary level of education, as compared to respondents surveyed in Italy (7% vs. 3% respectively)

Read more.