DOCSLIB.ORG

Germany and the Refugee Crisis: Practical Solutions, Political

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Germany and the Refugee Crisis: Practical Solutions, Political Teaching Modern Languages at Post-16 and Beyond (28/6/15) Dr Caroline Pearce, Department of Germanic Studies, University of Sheffield Germany and the Refugee Crisis: Practical Solutions, Political Consequences Terminology and context Integration Multikulturalismus Parallelgesellschaften ‚Einwanderungsland‘ Flüchtlinge, Asylbewerber, Einwanderer, Personen mit Migrationshintergrund, Migranten, Gastarbeiter, Ausländer, Fremde… Rechtspopulismus / Rechtsextremismus ‘Merkel’s policy’? Timeline September 2015: Merkel announces that people fleeing war and persecution are welcome in Germany; so-called ‘Dublin procedure’ suspended for refugees from Syria "Ich glaube, in der augenblicklichen Situation ist es offensichtlich, dass die auf dem Papier stehende europäische Asylpolitik nicht funktioniert.„ (Angela Merkel, 3 September 2015) Thousands of refugees arriving by train in Germany are greeted warmly by local residents and volunteers (Willkommenskultur) By mid-September, 400,000 refugees are arriving daily – the federal states report that they cannot cope with the influx and there is opposition towards the policy among the CDU /CSU Mid-September 2015: border controls are re-established between Germany and Austria Some European leaders distance themselves from German ‘open door’ policy October/November: dispute on proposed ‘transit zones’ at the borders New Year 2015: a series of sexual assaults on German women during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Cologne and other German cities. The perpetrators were mainly men of North African and Arabic background March 2016: Merkel negotiates EU deal with Turkey on refugee policy How many refugees have come to Germany? 1.1 million over the past year 1.26 million asylum applications submitted in the EU (2015) 35% of all applications submitted in Germany (2015) January –April 2015 114,125 asylum applications January-April 2016 246,393 asylum applications Drop in arrivals in 2016 (approx. 80-90 per day) Approx. half of applicants from Syria (around half are granted leave to stay), followed by Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Albania, Pakistan and Eritrea Two thirds are male; half of these between 18 and 35 Why Germany? Economic reasons Joining family members German government states that refugees are welcome More restrictive policy elsewhere in EU Angela Merkel, Aug 2015: "Unsere Freiheit, unser Rechtsstaat, unsere wirtschaftliche Stärke, die Ordnung, wie wir leben - das ist es, wovon Menschen träumen, die in ihrem Leben Verfolgung, Krieg, Willkür kennengelernt haben." Finance and practicalities Definition of refugee in Basic Law Government introducing an accelerated asylum procedure (around 2,600 decisions taken per day) New staff appointed to deal with asylum cases Asylum seekers allowed to stay for three years initially Refugees seen as bringing economic potential Training/education grants for young refugees Asylum seekers allowed to work after 3 months Finance and practicalities 2 billion euros allocated to look after asylum seekers in 2015 Refugees divided between federal states depending on the income of each state (states receive 670EUR/month per asylum seeker) Refugees can claim up to EUR 351/month for food, accommodation etc. 1 billion euros allocated for new social housing Language and integration measures 180 million euros extra allocated for German language courses in 2016 Refugees granted asylum in Germany have to do a compulsory integration course (600 hours language and 100 hours on German law, history, culture and society) Key importance of learning the language and adhering to principles of the constitution A shift in leadership style? ‘Wir schaffen das!’ (Sept. 2015) ‘Es ist meine verdammte Pflicht und Schuldigkeit’ "Ich kämpfe für diesen Weg…Ich glaube, dass ich Deutschland diene, wenn ich mich mit vollem Einsatz in diese Sache einbringe.“(Oct 2015) „Ich muss ganz ehrlich sagen, wenn wir jetzt anfangen, uns noch entschuldigen zu müssen dafür, dass wir in Notsituationen ein freundliches Gesicht zeigen, dann ist das nicht mein Land.“ (Sept 2015) A shift in leadership style? In a TV interview, Merkel admitted she has no ‘Plan B’ (Oct 2015) Stated that dealing with the migrant crisis was important for Germany’s reputation in the world and to hold Europe together A shift in CDU policy? CDU has been more critical of immigration in the past ‘Deutschland ist kein Einwanderungsland. Es sind daher alle humanitär vertretbaren Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, um den Zuzug von Ausländern zu unterbinden.‘ (CDU/FDP, 1982) 2000: Leitkultur debate stemming from CDU position paper calling for immigration quotas "Der Ansatz für Multikulti ist gescheitert, absolut gescheitert!" (Angela Merkel, 2010) 2014 Merkel presents CDU as a ‘Partei der Migranten’ CSU still critical of Merkel’s approach A ‘moral superpower’? The foreign media in particular has drawn parallels between the situation of the Jews in the 1930s and that of refugees today "Germany's road to redemption shines amid Europe's refugee debate" (Washington Post) Chancellor Merkel praised for her moral stance and strong leadership (New York Times) Tom Segev : "We should learn from the Germans how to treat refugees.“ “The rediscovery of European values” (La Republicca) “Germany’s open-door policy in migrant crisis casts nation in a new light” (Los Angeles Times) Bild: ‘ein helles Deutschland’ Lessons from the past? April 2016: Merkel appealed to Germans expelled from Central and Eastern Europe after the war to act as ‘bridge builders’, asserting that their experience of losing home and homeland put them in the best position to understand the experience of the current wave of refugees. May 2016: at the commemoration of the liberation of Dachau, Jewish representatives drew parallels between Jewish suffering and the plight of today’s refugees Echoes of a negative past Right-wing populism increases in popularity in Europe In Germany, attacks on asylum homes / refugee centres Resurgence of Pegida movement (Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes) 2015 over 1000 attacks on refugee accommodation – (3 per day) – five times more than in 2014 Most, but not all, attacks had a far right motive Heidenau, Clausnitz, Bautzen, Tröglitz Dresden – fall in tourist numbers (the ‘Pegida effect’) Right-wing populism at ‘centre of society’ Rise of AfD party ARD ‘Report from Berlin’, October 2015 Legida march, Oct 2015 Shift in public opinion? ZDF Politbarometer January 2016 60% said Germany could not cope with the number of refugees (Dec: 46%) However, 57% disagree with CSU proposal to cap number of arrivals at 200,000 per year 70% expect levels of crime to increase 42% consider Germans social and cultural values are threatened by increase in number of refugees 54% consider that there are high levels of hostility towards foreigners in Germany 56% think that Merkel is not dealing well with the refugee crisis (Dec: 49%) Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) Founded April 2013 Initially eurosceptic / anti-euro Has since adopted an anti-refugee stance Critical of what it sees as lack of control by the state New leader Frauke Petry caused controversy by stating that illegal immigrants should be shot at the borders Party favours a points-based immigration policy Manifesto advocates a ban of Islamic symbols Advocates return of border controls in Europe 4.7% of the vote in general elections 2013 –just shy of 5% hurdle Now has seats in half of Germany‘s federal parliaments and European Parliament but not in any governments European elections 2014 Regional elections May 2016 In Saxony Anhalt AfD won 24% of the vote and became second biggest party behind the CDU (56% said they voted AfD because of the refugee crisis) In Rhineland Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg AfD gained 12% and 15% of the vote The party won over many previous non-voters CDU lost out to Greens in Baden-Württemberg and to the SPD in Rhineland Palatinate Regional elections May 2016 However, the successful Green and SPD candidates supported Merkel’s refugee policy and 30% of voters switching from CDU to Green said they did so because of the refugee crisis Public still seem largely on the side of the government’s refugee policy Increased fragmentation of party landscape and lack of opposition influence due to Grand Coalition government Economic initiatives to welcome refugees https://www.zdh.de/themen/gewerbefoerderung/willkommenslotsen.html https://www.wir-zusammen.de/home https://www.jetzterstrecht.online/ http://ankommer.eu/ https://www.demokratie-leben.de/ http://www.bmfsfj.de/BMFSFJ/Freiwilliges- Engagement/Willkommen-bei-Freunden/willkommen-bei-freunden.html Resources www.bundesregierung.de (Federal Government website; also has pages in English) https://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Mediathek/Einstieg/mediathek_einsti eg_fotos_node.html?id=1432776 (10 facts on refugees / asylum– government website) https://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Mediathek/Einstieg/mediathek_einsti eg_fotos_node.html?id=1933428 (12 facts on integration) Flucht, Migration, Integration: Fakten und Hintergruende https://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Themen/Fluechtlings-Asylpolitik/4- FAQ/_node.html Beauftragte fuer Migration, Fluechtlinge und Integration https://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Bundesregierung/BeauftragtefuerInte gration/beauftragte-fuer-integration.html www.bundeskanzlerin.de (Federal Chancellor‘s website) www.bpb.de (Bundeszentrale fur politische Bildung) http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/fluechtlinge-und-einwanderer-die-
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Asylum-Seekers Become the Nation's Scapegoat
    NYLS Journal of International and Comparative Law Volume 14 Number 2 Volume 14, Numbers 2 & 3, 1993 Article 7 1993 TURMOIL IN UNIFIED GERMANY: ASYLUM-SEEKERS BECOME THE NATION'S SCAPEGOAT Patricia A. Mollica Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/ journal_of_international_and_comparative_law Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Mollica, Patricia A. (1993) "TURMOIL IN UNIFIED GERMANY: ASYLUM-SEEKERS BECOME THE NATION'S SCAPEGOAT," NYLS Journal of International and Comparative Law: Vol. 14 : No. 2 , Article 7. Available at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/journal_of_international_and_comparative_law/vol14/iss2/ 7 This Notes and Comments is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@NYLS. It has been accepted for inclusion in NYLS Journal of International and Comparative Law by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@NYLS. TURMOIL IN UNIFIED GERMANY: ASYLUM-SEEKERS BECOME THE NATION'S SCAPEGOAT I. INTRODUCTION On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, symbolizing the end of a divided German state. The long dreamed-of unification finally came to its fruition. However, the euphoria experienced in 1989 proved ephemeral. In the past four years, Germans have faced the bitter ramifications of unity. The affluent, capitalist West was called on to assimilate and re-educate the repressed communist East. Since unification, Easterners have been plagued by unemployment and a lack of security and identity, while Westerners have sacrificed the many luxuries to which they have grown accustomed. A more sinister consequence of unity, however, is the emergence of a violent right-wing nationalist movement. Asylum- seekers and foreigners have become the target of brutal attacks by extremists who advocate a homogenous Germany.
    [Show full text]
  • Female Genital Mutilation & Asylum in the European Union
    © UNHCR / J. Oatway 2009 FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION & ASYLUM IN THE EUROPEAN UNION A Statistical Update (March 2014)* Female genital mutilation is a human rights violation Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes procedures that [My Grandma] caught hold of me and gripped intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs my upper body. Two other women held my legs apart. for non-medical reasons. This harmful traditional practice is The man, who was probably an itinerant traditional most common in the western, eastern, and north-eastern circumciser from the blacksmith clan, picked up a pair regions of Africa; in some countries in Asia and the Middle of scissors. […] Then the scissors went down between East; and among migrant and refugee communities from my legs and the man cut off my inner labia and clitoris. these areas in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and A piercing pain shot up between my legs, indescribable, the United States of America. and I howled. Then came the sewing: the long, blunt needle clumsily pushed into my bleeding outer labia, FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human my loud and anguished protests. [… My sister] Haweya rights of women and girls. The practice also violates a was never the same afterwards. She had nightmares, person’s rights to health, security and physical integrity; the and during the day began stomping off to be alone. My right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading once cheerful, playful little sister changed. Sometimes treatment; and the right to life when the procedure results in she just stared vacantly at nothing for hour.” death.
    [Show full text]
  • Moving Beyond Crisis: Germany's New Approaches to Integrating
    MOVING BEYOND CRISIS: GERMANY’S NEW APPROACHES TO INTEGRATING REFUGEES INTO THE LABOR MARKET By Victoria Rietig TRANSATLANTIC COUNCIL ON MIGRATION MOVING BEYOND CRISIS Germany’s New Approaches to Integrating Refugees into the Labor Market By Victoria Rietig October 2016 Acknowledgments The author is grateful to the many experts in Berlin and Dresden who shared their expertise and time in interviews and email exchanges to inform this analysis—their contributions were invaluable. Thanks also go to Meghan Benton and Maria Vincenza Desiderio, Senior Policy Analysts at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and MPI Europe, who improved this report through their thoughtful review and comments on earlier drafts, and to Michelle Mittelstadt and the MPI Communications Team for their skillful edits. This research was commissioned by the Transatlantic Council on Migration, an MPI initiative, for its sixteenth plenary meeting, held in Toronto in June 2016. The meeting’s theme was “The Other Side of the Asylum and Resettlement Coin: Investing in Refugees’ Success along the Migration Continuum,” and this report was among those that informed the Council’s discussions. The Council is a unique deliberative body that examines vital policy issues and informs migration policymaking processes in North America and Europe. The Council’s work is generously supported by the following foundations and governments: Open Society Foundations, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Barrow Cadbury Trust, the Luso-American Development Foundation, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. For more on the Transatlantic Council on Migration, please visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/ transatlantic. © 2016 Migration Policy Institute.
    [Show full text]
  • After Ten Years in Power, Angela Merkel Is Being Forged Anew in the Refugee Crisis
    The Economist November 7, 2015 The chancellor’s crucible After ten years in power, Angela Merkel is being forged anew in the refugee crisis BERLIN In September, at the height of what the German press has since dubbed an “autumn fairy-tale”, Angela Merkel visited an asylum centre in Spandau, near Berlin. The refugees greeted the German chancellor as though she were their saviour, pressing close for selfies with her. Mrs Merkel does not usually take kindly to unsolicited male hugs. But this time she posed gamely and flashed winning smiles. What made her a heroine to the refugees was a decision she had taken only days earlier. Thousands of people trudging through the Balkans toward northern Europe were stranded in Hungary in precarious conditions. Empathising with these huddled masses, Mrs Merkel temporarily ignored the European Union’s asylum agreements, which stipulate that the member state in which refugees first arrive must process their asylum requests. On the chancellor’s command, Germany opened its borders to the refugees. Coming via Austria on foot, bus and train, more than 20,000 arrived in the first weekend of September alone. At first, many ordinary Germans greeted them in a euphoric mood—from the railway station in Munich where the refugees disembarked by the wagonload to asylum centres around the country like the one in Spandau. But others in Germany and across Europe were taken aback. There has since been a marked backlash against the August Willkommenskultur whose spirit Mrs Merkel captured and encouraged, with those Spandau selfies held up as reckless enticements for yet more Syrians and others to join the 1m refugees now expected in Germany this year.
    [Show full text]
  • AIDA DE 2018Update
    Country Report: Germany 2018 Update Acknowledgements & Methodology This report was written by Michael Kalkmann, Coordinator of Informationsverbund Asyl und Migration, and was edited by ECRE. This report draws on information gathered from national authorities, including publicly available statistics and responses to parliamentary questions, national case law, practice of civil society organisations, as well as other public sources. Information on the situation at airport (detention) facilities and on the newly established “AnkER centres” in Bavaria was added by ECRE following a visit in April 2019. The information in this report is up-to-date as of 31 December 2018, unless otherwise stated. The Asylum Information Database (AIDA) The Asylum Information Database (AIDA) is coordinated by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). It aims to provide up-to date information on asylum practice in 23 countries. This includes 20 EU Member States (AT, BE, BG, CY, DE, ES, FR, GR, HR, HU, IE, IT, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, UK) and 3 non-EU countries (Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey) which is accessible to researchers, advocates, legal practitioners and the general public through the dedicated website www.asylumineurope.org. The database also seeks to promote the implementation and transposition of EU asylum legislation reflecting the highest possible standards of protection in line with international refugee and human rights law and based on best practice. This report is part of the Asylum Information Database (AIDA), funded by the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM), a collaborative initiative by the Network of European Foundations, and the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 770037).
    [Show full text]
  • Fernsehen in Der Hauptstadtregion Berlin-Brandenburg Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter (ZDF)
    FERNSEHEN in der Hauptstadtregion Berlin-Brandenburg Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter (ZDF) Circus Halligalli (ProSiebenSat.1) Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (RTL) Fernsehsender TV made in Berlin-Brandenburg »Wir machen Programm in und für Comedy Central Berlin-Brandenburg ist geprägt von einer lebendigen Brandenburg und Berlin. Ob die Echtzeit- DW-TV und kreativen Produktionswirtschaft und gilt als einer Dokumentation „24h Berlin“, internationale joiz Kinokoproduktionen wie aktuell etwa MTV der innovativsten und wichtigsten Standorte für „Lauf, Junge, lauf!“ von Pepe Danquart N24 Fernsehen und digitale Inhalte in Deutschland. Rund oder der Blick auf Brandenburger Nickelodeon Lebenswelten im Dokumentarfilm „Land rbb 2.000 Unternehmen generieren einen Umsatz von in Sicht“ - wir berichten über das, was die VIVA über 2,2 Mrd. € jährlich. Die UFA, größter Film- und Menschen in der Region bewegt.« Fernsehproduzent in Deutschland, ist hier ebenso zu Dagmar Reim Hauptstadtstudios Hause wie MME Moviement, Schwarzkopff TV oder ARD Intendantin Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) n-tv Ziegler Film. Zahlreiche TV-Sender haben hier ihren Phoenix Sitz, darunter der Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb), RTL N24, Deutsche Welle TV und joiz. Der internationale Spiegel TV ZDF Medienkonzern Viacom ist mit seinen Sendern Viva, MTV, Comedy Central und ­Nickelodeon vor Ort, ge- Fernsehsender international nauso wie ARD, ZDF und RTL mit ihren Hauptstadt- BBC News Erfolgreiches Entertainment: Bloomberg TV studios. Neben einem funktionierenden Netzwerk und CNN professionellen Dienstleistern bieten Studio Babels- TV-Events, Serien, Shows und Talks France 2 berg, Studio Hamburg Berlin Brandenburg, Fernseh- Große TV-Events wie „Das Adlon – eine Familien- Fuji TV Berlin werft, Berliner Union Film sowie die Park Studios in saga“ (ZDF), „Der Turm“ (ARD), „Unsere Mütter, NHK ORF Potsdam exzellente Produktionsbedingungen für fik tio- unsere Väter“ (UFA Fiction/ZDF) oder „Weißensee“ RAI nale und non-fiktionale Film- und TV-Unterhaltung.
    [Show full text]
  • Migration, Integration, Asylum
    Migration, Integration, Asylum Political Developments in Germany 2015 Annual Policy Report by the German National Contact Point for the European Migration Network (EMN) Co-financed by the European Union Migration, Integration, Asylum Political Developments in Germany 2015 Annual Policy Report by the German National Contact Point for the European Migration Network (EMN) Federal Office for Migration and Refugees 2016 Summary 5 Summary The German Bundestag passed a number of amendments The 2015 Policy Report of the German National Contact over the course of 2015, which include Point for the European Migration Network (EMN) provides an overview of the most important political dis- ■■ the Act on the redefinition of the right to stay and cussions as well as political and legislative developments the termination of residence (entry into force: in the areas of migration, integration, and asylum in the 1 August 2015), Federal Republic of Germany in the year 2015. The report ■■ Act on the Acceleration of Asylum Procedures – refers specifically to measures taken by the Federal Asylum Package I (entry into force: 24 October 2015), Republic of Germany to implement the Global Approach ■■ Act to improve accommodation, care and assistance to Migration and Mobility, the EU Strategy towards for foreign children and young persons (entry into the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings and the force: 1 November 2015), European Agenda for the Integration of Third-Country ■■ Third Victims’ Rights Reform Act (entry into force: Nationals. The report also describes the general struc- 31 December 2015). ture of the political and legal system in Germany. In addition to the legislation of the Bundestag, the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) revised the The jump in asylum migration and how to deal with it Employment Ordinance (BeschV) in 2015, which forms the was the central migration, integration and asylum issue basis for allowing immigrants in certain occupations and in 2015.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Chapter 1 Introduction Since the middle of the twentieth century, Western Europe has been faced with growing migration flows. Social research has focused on the first generation of international migrants, the interplay between international migration and the family dynamics of migrants, however, has not been fully understood. International migration is associated with a rapid change in the migrants’ environment. This change usually takes place within a much shorter time span than societies alter as a whole. Immigrants have to cope with these changes. Therefore, the study of the demographic behavior of migrants enables us to gain insights into the patterns and speed of the demographic responses of individuals or groups to sudden environmental alterations to which they are exposed (Coleman 1994). The life-course approach (e.g., Mulder 1993; Mulder and Wagner 1993) allows us to analyze the sequencing of several events, and therefore to study the short-term as well as the long-term effects of migration on a person’s life. Studies show, for example, that international migration often coincides with downward social mobility for the migrants in terms of occupation, income, housing conditions, etc. (Constant and Massey 2005). Internal or international migration and partner selection are frequently interrelated processes (Mulder 1993; Milewski 2003; Straßburger 2003; Kulu 2006), and international migration and repeated moves have an impact on the subsequent stability of a union (Roloff 1998; Boyle et al. 2008). When it comes to fertility, the impact
    [Show full text]
  • Tufts+RIT+Hamburg,+Germany.Pdf
    HAMBURG, GERMANY A Preliminary Case Study of Refugees in Towns Jessica Sadye Wolff Hamburg, Germany / A Case Study of Refugees in Towns 1 APRIL 2018 Contents Acknowledgements 3 About the RIT Project 4 Location 5 Introduction 6 Methodology 6 Overview of Refugees in Germany 8 Asylum Process in Germany 9 Overview of Refugees in Hamburg 11 Mapping the Refugee Population 12 The Urban Impact 14 Creation of the Coordination Unit for Refugees 14 Resident Pushback Against Expanded Asylum Seeker Housing Plans 14 The Refugee Experience 15 Asylum Process 15 Housing 16 Employment and Education 17 Interaction Between Asylum Seekers and Local Residents 17 Conclusion 18 References 19 Hamburg, Germany / A Case Study of Refugees in Towns 2 Acknowledgements Unlike our other case studies, this project in Hamburg, Germany focused dominantly on one domain of integration—housing—and was not conducted by a localized researcher. We feel the findings are nonetheless important and compelling, revealing critical good practices and challenges with refugee integration. Additionally, a localized perspective was achieved through the depth of the connection to Hamburg by MIT’s International Service and Technology Initiative. To build on this report’s preliminary findings, RIT is conducting ongoing localized research with refugees in Hamburg and other towns in Germany and the EU. This work is a case study of the Refugees in Towns (RIT) Project of the Feinstein International Center (FIC) at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and benefitted from the contributions and support of many individuals and organizations. The case study was developed, conducted, and written by Jessica Sadye Wolff, a second year Master of City Planning student in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
    [Show full text]
  • Health Care for Refugees in Germany
    Abstract The fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides an opportunity to scrutinize the policies of wealthier countries towards refugees and asylum seekers. Although Germany is host to two- thirds of all individuals seeking asylum in European countries, it is now taking a hard line with respect to asylum policies. This article examines the forces behind these policies which, contrary to their rationalization, do not save "tax money," but actually make life for the recipients as difficult as possible. Studies of asylum hearings show that clues indicating past trauma or torture of asylum seekers are often ignored. In addition, the administrative procedures required for the provision of health care to refugees and asylum seekers have resulted in inflated bureaucracy and excessive costs, all the while providing only third class medicine. International NGOs and human rights organizations must put pressure on governments to live up to the promises of the UDHR. Le 50ime anniversaire de la Declaration Universelle des Droits de l'Homme est un moment opportun pour analyser la politique des pays les plus riches a l'egard des refugies et demandeurs d'asile. Bien que l'Allemagne accueille les deux tiers des personnes cherchant asile en Europe, elle opte pour une ligne dure en matiere de politique d'asile. Cet article examine les forces en jeu derriere ces politiques qui n'economisent pas l'argent des contribuables, mais qui rendent la vie des beneficiaires aussi difficile que possible. L'etude des entretiens avec les demandeurs d'asile maontre que les preuves des traumas ou tortures qu'ils ont endures sont souvent ignores.
    [Show full text]
  • Working Papers
    Working Papers www.mmg.mpg.de/workingpapers MMG Working Paper 19-04 ● ISSN 2192-2357 Shahd Seethaler-Wari Asylum Seekers of the Syrian Conflict: procedures and patterns of settlement in Germany Max Planck Institute for the Study of Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity Erforschung multireligiöser Max-Planck-Institut zur und multiethnischer Gesellschaften Shahd Seethaler-Wari Asylum Seekers of the Syrian Conflict: procedures and patterns of settlement in Germany MMG Working Paper 19-04 Max-Planck-Institut zur Erforschung multireligiöser und multiethnischer Gesellschaften, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity Göttingen © 2019 by the author ISSN 2192-2357 (MMG Working Papers Print) Working Papers are the work of staff members as well as visitors to the Institute’s events. The analyses and opinions presented in the papers do not reflect those of the Institute but are those of the author alone. Download: www.mmg.mpg.de/workingpapers MPI zur Erforschung multireligiöser und multiethnischer Gesellschaften MPI for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen Hermann-Föge-Weg 11, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Tel.: +49 (551) 4956 - 0 Fax: +49 (551) 4956 - 170 www.mmg.mpg.de [email protected] Abstract This paper reports the procedures of asylum and patterns of settlement of asylum seek- ers in Germany, with special focus on the asylum seekers of the Syrian conflict. Initially prepared for a workshop comparing policy responses and settlement outcomes of the Syrian conflict in several countries, this paper presents the German case address- ing the development of refugee intake, asylum application duration and results and access to family unification between the years 2015 and 2017.
    [Show full text]
  • Coming Home 10 Jahre US 01 English.Indd
    Munich Social Services Department Coming Home 10 Years of the Office for Repatriation Assistance Project Report 1 November 2005 to 31 October 2006 and photographic documentation of the work of the Office for Repatriation Assistance from 1996 to 2006 European Bavarian State Ministry of Labour Office for Refugee Fund and Social Welfare, Family Affairs and Women Repatriation Assistance Coming Home – Project Report, 1 November 2005 to 31 October 2006 Munich Social Services Department Office for Repatriation Assistance Franziskanerstraße 8 81669 Munich Internet: www.muenchen.de/reintegration e-mail: [email protected] Account for donations: Stadtsparkasse München Bank sort code: 701 500 00 Account no.: 17 270 380 Text: Marion Lich Translation: Baker & Harrison Translations, Munich Photos: Social Services Department Design: dtp/layout – agentur für grafik & design, Munich Printer: Druckhaus Deutsch Last updated: December 2006 Acknowledgements In this anniversary edition, we would like to thank all those who have supported and taken an interest in our work, thereby contributing to the success of Coming Home: the European Refugee Fund, Department 333 at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and the Bavarian State Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Family Affairs and Women. Our thanks also go out to all the hardworking members of the City Council, particularly Siegfried Benker, for their interest and their solidarity; the former director of the Refugee Department, Wolfgang Kurreck, upon whose initiative the Office for Repatriation Assistance was founded and who cleared the way for our work with as little bureaucracy as possible; the administrative staff, who organised the collection of dona- tions and the storage of donated goods, and last but not least, thanks to the companies of Munich and all the people of the city who donated money, goods or their time to help us.
    [Show full text]