Dit rapport gaat over de achtergronden en leefsituatie van Eritrese statushouders die de afgelopen jaren in Nederland zijn komen wonen. We hebben diepte-interviews gehouden en op deze manier in beeld gebracht waarom ze vanuit Eritrea zijn gevlucht, wat ze tijdens die vlucht hebben meegemaakt en hoe hun leven in Nederland eruitziet. We hebben gesproken met statushouders zelf en met experts, die beroepsmatig of door hun betrokkenheid zicht hebben op de Eritrese groep.

Op deze website vind je relevante informatie voor vluchtelingen in je eigen taal: فارسی, Somali, العربية, English, دری, Français, en ትግርኛ. Als je nieuw in Nederland bent, zijn veel dingen onbekend en complex. Zolang je de Nederlandse taal nog niet machtig bent, is het moeilijk de juiste informatie te vinden. Terwijl je allerlei belangrijke zaken moet regelen over onderwerpen als: Asielprocedure, Gezinshereniging, Huisvesting, Gezondheidszorg, Werk & inkomen, Inburgeren, Onderwijs, Als je geen asiel krijgt, Informatie voor kinderen, Over VluchtelingenWerk.

The case study this field report is based on used creative art activities and a systematic approach through the framework of the complex circle. Its aim was to aid Syrian refugee women between the ages of 55–65 to explore changes in their roles and their adversity-activated development after fleeing Syria due to the current conflict. Five psychosocial sessions were conducted, twice a week, with a group of three Syrian refugee women living in Kilis, Turkey.

The dominant narratives on refugees evolve around vulnerability and trauma discourse that homogenizes a whole group of individuals as traumatized, therefore, vulnerable, as they exposed to an adversity. It is the self-narratives of refugees that reveal the complexity, uniqueness and totality of each person’s experience that can object to this passivation. Oral history in this respect stands as a crucial tool as it creates spaces of existence where refugees can speak freely about their own life stories to the extent and content she/he desires.

After a migration process, people begin to yearn for the settledness of their previous lives; this includes those in the education process. After the crisis in Syria, millions of refugees came to Turkey, in that, many of whom were students. The students started to enrol and although the schools’ curricula are in Arabic, students of these schools must pass a university entrance exam in the Turkish language to apply.

This field report describes a case study on the applicability of non-violent communication (NVC) within the Syrian refugee context, and the usefulness of theatre of the oppressed techniques in practicing NVC. The intervention was applied to refugee women working or attending activities in a livelihood centre in Turkey. Through the work, NVC was explained and discussed with participants, who brought real-life themes and scenarios to practice learnt skills using theatre of the oppressed techniques.

By learning to identify feelings and express emotions, children can better cope with the difficulties they face, as well as increase their personal resilience. As the Syrian crisis has entered its seventh year, it has had a negative effect on vulnerable populations, especially children. It should be noted that while not all children have been traumatised, many have experienced conflict and crisis, and in turn face challenges expressing and regulating their emotions and behaviour.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been involved in psychosocial support activities for migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and crisis-affected communities since the late 1990s. The organisation’s approach to its psychosocial programmes is systemic, interdisciplinary and community based. One main feature of these programmes has been the organisation of executive masters, diploma or certificate courses on psychosocial approaches to population mobility in low-resource or crisis-affected countries and communities.

As a consequence of prolonged exposure to the high levels of cumulative trauma such as war, gross human rights violations and traumatic loss, refugee adolescents are at significant risk of developing psychological and behavioural complications. During resettlement in Australia, they are often faced with social challenges. It is vital to provide support at this vulnerable stage to reduce future setbacks.

The internal conflict in Syria has displaced large numbers of the population into neighbouring countries since the uprising in 2011. The large influx of displaced people into Jordan poses great challenges to the international community as well as local authorities, with increasing competition for already scarce resources and services creating rising tensions between refugee and host communities.